3 minute read

Mike DeKock holds a typically strong hand heading into 2019 SA Classic Day at Turffontein.

DeKock saddles up key runners in both the SA Classic and the Fillies Classic, and remarkably the best three-year-old on the card may not be in either of the Group 1 features. 

That honour looks to belong to Soqrat who runs against older horses in the Hawaii Stakes earlier on the card and the Cape Guineas winner, who was fantastic when second in the Queen's Plate last time, looks an outstanding chance of landing that Group 2 contest back at 1400m. 

Soqrat may not be running the Classic itself but he still could play a role by virtue of formlines with his stablemate Barahin a leading hope in the feature. Barahin got the better of Soqrat in the Golden Horseshoe last season in what was a high rating edition of the race. He was off the scene subsequent to that win but returned with an eye-catching performance in the Gauteng Guineas which is the key lead up to the Classic with seven of the nine runners coming through the race. 

He was the best of the closers in a race dominated on speed by National Park who deserves his place at the pointy end of betting in the Classic. Barahin may be fitter this weekend but National Park was a wide margin winner of the Guineas and bridging that gap will be no easy task. The odds of course are likely to reflect this and Barahin does appeal as a good gamble to improve sharply. 

The fillies heat also features many coming off the Gauteng Guineas meeting last time and DeKock ha the winner from that day Nafaayes lining up looking to add to her impressive record. 

The Fillies Guineas was much more evenly contested but Nafaayes was on the fresh side after beating older mares in the Ipi Tombe and has to be the best chance of those coming through the race. 

There is some new blood engaged, however, with Return Flight an interesting runner away from the Guineas form. She bumped into the Derby winner last time and while outgunned there she ran well and looks on track to return to the sort of form that saw her winning at Group 1 level as a two-year-old last term. 

It was a steadily run race and there should be plenty more left in the tank for the weekend and the extra trip may be exactly what she is looking for having won over a mile last season where she left the impression that she would stay longer trips at three. 

Suggested Bets: Back Barahin in the SA Classic and Return Flight in the Fillies Classic.