Bosworth Farm mare bids for fifth win

Bosworth Farm Stud — near Klerksdorp — has produced top-class performers, including 2013 Durban July victor Heavy Metal and six-time winner Tierra Del Fuego, and to that duo can be added the five-year-old mare Cordillera.

Cordillera and Tierra Del Fuego are by Bosworth’s stallion Skitt Skizzle, a son of champion Jet Master. No surprise he is stamping his progeny well.

Cordillera bids to notch the fifth success of her career when she takes on 11 rivals in the seventh race at Turffontein on Saturday. Her chief rivals are likely to be Paton’s Tears and Rouge Allure.

On her most recent outing, Cordillera narrowly beat stablemate La Luvia, who was due to run at the Vaal on Thursday.

Lucky Houdalakis sent Paton’s Tears for the KZN Fillies Guineas, but it was no surprise that she was beaten six lengths by Captain’s Ransom. The three-year-old is back in calmer waters and has a better draw than Cordillera.

Stephen Moffatt has done an outstanding job with Rouge Allure, who is having her 82nd start for Mick Goss and Albert Rapp. Age is just a number for the 11-time winning mare who will turn eight at the end of the month.

Candice Dawson’s filly Sultanah rates an each-way chance and it must be noted that the four-year-old is 3.5kg better off with Paton’s Tears compared to their clash at the Vaal in April.

Trainer David Nieuwenhuizen will have been pleased to see his grey filly Anna Capri return to winning form at the Vaal on Tuesday. Another female inmate of his stable is Snow Symphony who appeals as an attractive each-way punt at her opening odds of 10-1 in the eighth race.

Snow Symphony — a full-sister to Stephen Moffatt’s four-time winner Rio’s Winter, who ran fifth in the Empress Club Stakes in April — appeared to catch connections by surprise on debut, winning at odds of 20-1. Next time out the Oratorio filly ran sixth of 11 behind All Of Me.

However, that race was a merit-rated 93 handicap so Nieuwenhuizen’s three-year-old is taking a big drop in class now competing in a 78-rated handicap.

The same remark applies to Mike de Kock’s runner Chloris, who is very much in the picture along with Stuart Pettigrew’s maiden winner. A daughter of Vercingetorix bred at Riverton Stud, she has a shout of maintaining her unbeaten record.

Paul Peter saddles two runners, Major Winter and Leading Lad, in the final leg of the Pick Six and the latter looks the one to be on in his first start for the yard.

He romped home by six lengths when in the care of Alec Laird in January. Granted that was a Work Riders event, but the four-year-old might be ahead of the handicapper.

Earlier in the meeting, punters need to include only two horses, Lucky Shamrock and Mariposa, in the fifth race, the first leg of the jackpot. There is nothing to separate the pair on the form book, but Marco van Rensburg has been placed twice on Lucky Shamrock and he is reunited with Tyrone Zackey’s filly.

In the UK on Saturday Epsom Derby winner Adayar will try to become the first horse in 20 years to complete the Derby-King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes double. The last time this was achieved was by Galileo in 2001.

Also headed for the grade 1 race at Ascot are John Gosden’s star performer Mishriff and Aidan O’Brien’s filly Love, winner of last month’s Prince Of Wales Stakes at Royal Ascot. The race is off at 4.35pm (SA time). 

SELECTIONS

1st Race: No Selection

2nd Race: No Selection

3rd Race: (7) Tuscan Winter (5) Bowie (1) Portico (4) Crown Guardian

4th Race: (8) Lucy In The Sky (1) Sea Virescent (2) Country Squire (7) Successful Secret

5th Race: (3) Lucky Shamrock (1) Mariposa (5) Amplify (4) Intercity

6th Race: (5) Sekhmet (1) Big City Girl (2) Me Time (6) Florida Keys

7th Race: (2) Cordillera (3) Paton’s Tears (1) Rouge Allure (7) Sultanah

8th Race: (2) Snow Symphony (1) Chloris (10) Vertigo Again (9) Dance Lesson

9th Race: (3) Leading Lad (12) Willo’thewisp (5) Eskimo Pie (7) Fifth Of July