Busy Fortune hopes to maintain good season with Turffontein double

Ashley Fortune — in 10th place in the national trainers’ log — is a busy lady. Last Sunday she was at the Cape Premier Yearling Sale, Tuesday sent out Invidia to dead-heat in the final race at Turffontein and has prospects of a double at the city track on Saturday.

Fortune was delighted to secure a Rafeef filly for R325,000 at the Cape sale and it is interesting that she introduces a newcomer by the same sire in the first race at Turffontein. The youngster, called Special Variety, is a 4-1 chance in early betting.

Provided Fortune gives the thumbs-up about Special Variety — she has regular jockey Ryan Munger in the saddle — it could pay to take a double with her eighth race runner, Abalus.

Abalus is a daughter of Jackson who stands at Nigel Riley’s Heversham Park Farm in Gauteng, situated halfway between Alberton and Vereeniging.

While Gauteng is regarded as the poor relation of the provinces in the breeding world, it was a shrewd move by Riley to stand the son of Dynasty on his farm. It is worth remembering that Jackson won three grade 1 races — the Cape Derby, Daily News 2000 and Champions Cup.

It must be frustrating to Fortune that Abalus has only won one race. However, the opposition on Saturday is nothing special with Imposing Angel and Grindelwald the main dangers.

It has to be said that — after the excitement of Tuesday’s meeting — Saturday’s fare hardly gets the pulses racing. It would surely have been a better idea to run one of Tuesday’s feature races this weekend — possibly the grade 3 Tommy Hotspur Stakes.

Trainer Johan Janse van Vuuren won with his three-year-old, Remember When (tipped in this column), on Tuesday and another of his three-year-olds, About To Storm, will be a warm order in the final leg of the jackpot.

On his latest outing, About To Storm finished third behind Supreme Warrior but it is hard to rate that form as something went amiss with Mike and Adam Azzie’s charge in the Guineas with the colt finishing tailed off.

Motor City Hitman and Gotthegreenlight will both have their supporters, but this should be another winner for Van Vuuren who is in 14th place in the national trainers log.

Sean Tarry will be over the moon with Rain In Holland’s win in the first leg of the Triple Tiara and his runner, Aryaam, makes plenty of appeal in the sixth race.

Like many of the runners at the meeting, the four-year-old is no world beater but she won over 2,000m last time out and will hopefully stay Saturday’s longer trip of 2,600m which she tries for the first time.

Cap Estel is worth including in perms as the Azzie’s daughter of Judpot won her maiden over 2,400m so has no stamina limitations. At a sales price of R15,000, the filly must be the lowest price ever recorded for a yearling from Varsfontein Stud.

One horse running on Saturday who looks to have a bright future is Fabian Habib’s three-year-old, Zeus, unbeaten in three outings and impossible to oppose in Saturday’s third race.

The son of Soft Falling Rain has been priced up at 7-10 to make it four wins in a row. Nevertheless — as backers of Desert Miracle will confirm — there is no such thing as a racing certainty so this gives Run As One and Litigation some hope.

Selections

1st Race: (8) Special Variety (2) Aga Heat (6) Rio Kiss (9) Stormy Lass

2nd Race: (2) Tracy Princess (3) Wikkel Spikkel (1) Country Flame (4) Miss Otis

3rd Race: (1) Zeus (2) Run As One (4) Litigation (5) Flashy Apache

4th Race: (2) Quentra (1) Flying Grace (4) Secret Giver (3) Kool Baikal

5th Race: (1) Ideal Wolff (7) Go Dream Machine (3) Atomic Blonde (8) Consul Queen

6th Race: (3) Aryaam (7) Cap Estel (4) Masaaken (5) Stunning Kitten

7th Race: (2) About To Storm (4) Motor City Hitman (8) Gothegreenlight (7) Burmese Tiara

8th Race: (1) Abalus (7) Imposing Angel (4) Grindelwald (12) Mercer Girl