Shogunnar looks like banker material
SHOGUNNAR, having upset the odds laid on Power King nine days ago, is a red hot favourite for the Zurich Insurance Progress Plate at Kenilworth tomorrow and he is hard to oppose.
“He will be better suited by the extra 200m – 1 800 to 2 400m is his game – and I would hope that he has come on a bit,” says Gavin van Zyl. It is the gelding’s second run after a rest but Van Zyl says he is no great believer in this theory – few trainers are unless the horse’s lay-off was caused by injury – and Bernard Fayd’Herbe’s mount has 7.5kg in hand on merit ratings.
The next best on ratings are Mike Bass’s pair Neartic Dancer and Paterfamilias who was to have run in the Algoa Cup but was scratched. “He was due to travel on the Wednesday but he went lame when we worked him the previous day. It wasn’t that serious but he couldn’t go,” says Bass who adds “Neartic Dancer is doing well.”
Johnny Rockets did run in the Algoa Cup but ran green on his first encounter with the Polytrack and was beaten nearly five lengths into tenth. “He had no chance from his 16 draw and we would have taken him out once they switched the race to the Poly but for the fact that he was already at the course,” says Justin Snaith. “It’s going to be hard for him against Shogunnar but he is doing well at home and he will run a big race.”
Shishangeni has no chance on the book but he has won three of his last five and Riaan van Reenen is convinced that he is still improving. “He has only had nine races in three or four seasons and so he has to improve,” reasons the trainer.
Karl Neisius’s mount was a 5-1 chance yesterday with Betting World who make Shogunnar 4-10 and go 9-2 Johnny Rockets, 71 Paterfamilias, 10-1 Neartic Dancer and 20-1 Surruptitious.
The world and his wife put House Of Lorraine into their notebooks after she overcame a slow start to finish like a train on debut and the Winning Ways team were among those advocating her for next time.
She should win the first but punters should note that she is drawn on the wrong side of the course and she is really too short - she opened at 12-10 yesterday but within minutes she was down to 7-10. Furthermore Brett Crawford is not going overboard about her. “It would be nice if we could follow up that first run with a win,” he says. “She is an honest little filly but she doesn’t burn up the tracks at home and we didn’t expect her to run as well as she did.”
Only Emily, hampered at the start when favourite at Durbanville last time, should recoup the losses in race five and the Snaith-Fourie combination may follow up with Glenton 35 minutes later. Noble Colour inexplicably disappointed at Clairwood after two good runs there and the duty vet could find nothing wrong. Glen Puller says nothing showed up afterwards either and adds “the 2 400m of race three will be the furthest he has been and I’m hoping for a good run.”
Private Doowaley should benefit from stronger handling but the two to beat are probably Desert Swirl and Rocket Rider.