Race Result of Cape Times Fillies Guineas (Gr 1)

UNDER the sunny Cape Town skies cooled by a stiff westerly wind, one of the biggest crowds in many years gathered at the picturesque Kenilworth racecourse as the fillies in various forms took centre stage to open the door on South Africa's annual Summer Racing Season.

The R200 000, Grade 1 Cape Times Fillies Guineas was the highlight of the day with the involvement of the sponsor helping to boost the crowd to the biggest for this race in decades and contributing to the considerable increase in turnover.

With free entry the crowds flocked in to Kenilworth to enjoy a day of spectacular racing where veteran jockeys Robbie Hill and Derek Martin proved the heroes of the occasion. Robbie Hill, down in the Western Cape from KwaZulu-Natal with trainer Dennis Drier for the season, had a sensational day riding five of the first six winners while trainer Eric Sands kept faith in Derek Martin who rode a copybook race on 5-1 chance Perfect Promise to win the first classic of the Summer Season.

The race, featuring 16 of the country's top three-year-old fillies, including three from the Eastern Cape and two each from Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, was a nail-biter which ended in drama as the filly that crossed the line first, Tara's Touch, was relegated to second place on objection to give Perfect Promise the victory.

The race was run at a cracking pace with Mike Miller's Shalford filly, Rosa Ford, keeping the field honest with a strong gallop up front ahead of Blushing Fairy, Tara's Touch, Secret Heart and Perfect Promise with second favourite Paraca near the back and racing wide.

In the home straight Heinz Runge sent Tara's Touch for the judge with Secret Heart, Blushing Fairy and Perfect Promise all looking dangerous. Paraca, under Garth Puller, was not going anywhere and was a well beaten horse a long way out.

As they entered the crucial last 300 metres Tara's Touch was giving it all she had at the head of the field with Perfect Promise set to pounce on her inside up the rail. Then Tara's Touch, digging down to the very bottom of her energy bank, began to tire and rolled in onto the rail just as Perfect Promise was lining herself up to make her final challenge causing Derek Martin to check her then switch her out for a run.

Tara's Touch had nothing left to come as Perfect Promise made another bid on her outside, making up her lost ground from the interference but just not being able to completely overhaul Tara's Touch who crossed the line with half a length to spare.

An objection was lodged by the Stipendiary Stewards on behalf of Perfect Promise against Tara's Touch on the grounds of interference and the objection was upheld reversing the first two positions and giving the race to Perfect Promise.

Both Perfect Promise's trainer Eric Sands and owner Peter Cowley said in the interviews after the race that it was not the way they had wanted to win the race but would take the victory anyway. Peter Cowley said he had even been ecstatic just about his filly having run second and offered his condolences to the connections of Tara's Touch for having lost the race in this manner.

But there was little doubt, in the way Perfect Promise recovered after the interference and made up the lost ground from being checked and switched to go down by just half a length, that she was the worthy winner of an outstanding and thrilling Cape Times Fillies Guineas.

Issued by:  Gill Simpkins