'We want more' the messages from fans of unbeaten Charles Dickens

The most famous line from Charles Dickens’s 1837 novel, Oliver Twist, is: “Please, sir, I want some more.” That’s exactly the feeling of racing fans after a horse named after the famous British writer kept his unbeaten record at Kenilworth on Sunday.

Starting at odds of 46-100 and taking on older horses, three-year-old Charles Dickens had long-standing racing enthusiasts searching for new superlatives to describe the son of Trippi as trainer Candice Bass-Robinson’s colt raced to his fifth successive win.

This year’s exploits by stars such as Flightline and Baaeed were pushed onto the backburner as Charles Dickens indicated he could well pay Christmas expenses for his increasing band of followers.

One  contributor to the Sporting Post website stated “He’s the best I’ve seen since Horse Chestnut”, and another queried whether the colt “is not our Frankel?”

The acid test for Charles Dickens comes on December 17 in the Cape Guineas,  where the Drakenstein owned-and-bred three-year-old will clash with last season’s Equus Champion two-year-old, Cousin Casey.

It will not have been lost on the Drakenstein matriarch, Gaynor Rupert, that Charles Dickens is the second son of Trippi to hit the headlines in the past two years — the other is Justin Snaith’s top four-year-old, Jet Dark.

Which brings us along nicely to the race Mrs Rupert sponsors — the L’Ormarins King’s Plate — to be run on January 7 for which Charles Dickens is the new 3-1 favourite.

Imagine if Jet Dark, Kommetdieding, Captain’s Ransom and Charles Dickens are all accepted for this grade 1 contest — Kenilworth’s marketing department won’t need to go into overdrive as the meeting will be a “sell-out”.

Obviously, Charles Dickens will have to clear the Guineas hurdle first, but jockey Aldo Domeyer has no doubt about the horse’s ability, describing his mount as “a league above” the rivals he met on Sunday.

With several fancied horses biting the dust at the Summer Cup meeting last Saturday including Sparkling Water, Shoemaker and Desert Miracle, one suspects that punters might be ready to take the odds-on (his current price is 6-10) about Charles Dickens in the Guineas.

After his triumph on Puerto Manzano at Turffontein, it will be back to midweek fare for jockey Keagan De Melo as he travels to the Vaal on Tuesday to partner four horses for trainer Johan Janse van Vuuren.

The pick of the quartet could be the Silvano filly, Moraine, who bids to notch her third career win when she takes on six rivals in the third race.

The opposition includes Sean Tarry’s Princess Ozma, a daughter of Futura, who was only half a length behind Moraine in their recent clash at Turffontein.

While Tarry had a disappointing Summer Cup meeting, he will be keen to strike back and another of Futura’s progeny, Future Pearl, looks overpriced at odds of 8-1 in the sixth race.

Bookmakers have Alec Laird’s colt, Atticus Finch, as the hot favourite at 12-10, but those look skinny odds when one considers the colt has to concede 10kg to Future Pearl. Promising apprentice Siyanda Sosibo claims his 4kg allowance on the Tarry runner.

Mike de Kock’s Ideal World gelding, World’s Best, could also go well as he won his maiden in impressive style.

SELECTIONS

1st Race: (3) Memorial Day (8) Fly Isabella Fly (1) Simply Magic (7) Fiery Cliffs

2nd Race: (1) Mythical Dream (4) Dancing Dora (2) Show Time (3) Love Bite

3rd Race: (3) Moraine (4) Princess Ozma (2) Magical Flight (5) Cerulean Dancer

4th Race: (12) Sparkling Jubilee (4) Billy Spellbound (2) Main Mission (3) Royal Raphael

5th Race: (2) Ignatius (1) Master Of Coin (4) Vengeance Forever (7) Chasing Mavericks

6th Race: (7) Future Pearl (2) Atticus Finch (3) World’s Best (6) Lovers Lane

7th Race: (1) Tirpitz (4) Asiye Phambili (5) Kalahari Blue (2) Mcebisi

8th Race: (3) Nyali Beach (1) Queen Of Smoke (2) Strange Magic (5) Gilda Gray