Fillies Guineas Day – Crawford Racing Runners

RACE 7 – World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas – 1600M

MON PETIT CHERIE

Age:     3 (at last run)

Sex:      f

M/Rating:          108 (at last run)

Owner:               Ridgemont (Nom: Mr Craig Kieswetter) & Mr Devin Heffer

Breeder:            Ridgemont Highlands

Trainer:               B/J Crawford

Breeding:          Rafeef (AUS) – Exotic (IRE) by Galileo (IRE)

     

Mon Petit Cherie’s subsequent run after her Maiden win was eye catching. She finished stongly over 1250M at Durbanville, being the only filly in an otherwise field of three- and four-year-old colts and geldings.

The highly rated Candice Bass Robinson trained Kai Boy had first run on her, and she was closing him down strongly at the line finishing a half a length off the winner and just under two lengths ahead of Arctic Wizard who in his next run won a Class 4 handicap, when beating Fort Red and Paratrooper.

Despite her post Maiden win being very good, and Richard riding her again in the Grade Two Western Cape Fillies Championship over 1400M at Kenilworth Racecourse, she was easy to back in the market at 10/1, as she was carrying level weights with Gimmes’s Countess, who was rated a 111 vs Mon Petit Cherie’s 91 and was drawn wide at ten.

Mon Petit Cherie jumped well and from the wide draw Richard elected to drop her in at the back of the field. She maintained that position around the bend and as they came off the bend, Richard took the short route home along the inside rail. She quickened smartly when asked and quickly reeled in the leaders. As the post loomed there were four horses in a virtual line, but Mon Petit Cherie put her head down when it mattered most under a brilliant ride from Richard with places one to four within a half a length of each other.

Mon Petit Cherie wins the G2 WC Fillies Championship under the Richard drive

The daughter of Rafeef, co-owned by Ridgemont and Devin Heffer, now has black type under her belt after only five runs and will take her place in the Grade One Cape Fillies Guineas on Saturday at Kenilworth Racecourse. Richard retains the ride, and with a one draw she should be running hard at her stable companion Fatal Flaw down the long Summer Course straight in the last 400M on Saturday and could follow up on her impressive win last time out.

RACE 7 – World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas – 1600M

FATAL FLAW

Age:     3 (at last run)

Sex:      f

M/Rating:          110 (at last run)

Owner:               ASSM Racing Syndicate (Nom: Mr A Chadha)

Breeder:            Mr L M F Wernars

Trainer:               B/J Crawford

Breeding:          New Predator (AUS) – Alinga (AUS) by Rock Of Gibraltar (IRE)

Fatal Flaw is a well-travelled filly. She was taken to Natal to contest the Grade Two Golden Slipper and the Grade One Thekwini Stakes, the former being over 1400 and the latter over 1600 both at the Greyville circuit on the turf. Despite being drawn wide, she showed good gate speed in both races, travelling well around the turn and then sprinting for home as they turned for home. In both races Quid Pro Quo had stalked and passed her, beating Fatal Flaw by 2.5 and 1.4 lengths, respectively.

She then ran a short head second in a Plate race where she raced against all colts and geldings on the Turffontein Inside track. Her next run was in Fillies company once again, in the HSH Princess Charlene Starling Stakes, a Grade Three event run on the Turffontein Standside Track on Charity Mile Day at the beginning of November.

She jumped beautifully from a four draw, with Pierre Strydom just cruising along as the field started taking the bend into the home straight. She continued in cruise mode all the way down the stretch, Pierre peering over his shoulder and then gearing her down in the last 50M, passing the post over two lengths clear of World of Alice.

Fatal Flaw in cruise control winning the Gr 3 HSH Princess Charlene Sarling Stakes

World of Alice’s franked the form at her next run on Summer Cup Day in the Fillies Mile, where she stormed home down the centre of the track under an inspired and typically strong Craig Zackey ride to collar Fiery Pegasus in the shadow in the post.

On Saturday she contests the Cape Fillies Guines on 07th November 2024 at Kenilworth Racecourse. In the thirteen-horse field she has drawn a challenging thirteen. However, her natural gate speed and high cruising speed should be able to negate the wide gate. Couple that to her second places to the brilliant winner of the Betway Dingaans on Summer Cup Day, Quid Pro Quo and beating Betway Fillies Mile winner World of Alice in her last start, should place her close to the top of the Bookmakers boards when the gates crash open for the World Sports Betting Cape Fillies Guineas on Saturday.

 

 

RACE 8 – World Sports Betting Cape Summers Stayers Handicap (Listed) ALLEZ MORIS Age:     5 (at last run) Sex:      g M/Rating:          95 (at last run) Owner:               Mr T Gujadhur Breeder:            Varsfontein Stud Trainer:               B/J Crawford Breeding:          Dynasty – My Guiding Star by Jallad (USA)             Allez Moris had a stellar beginning to his career. After winning his Maiden, the stable sent him to Fairview to run in a listed race where he finished a close third to Khaya’s Hope. His merit rating was pushed up to a 93 after that particularly good run. He then travelled down to Gauteng to contest three races, but did not seem to enjoy the change in venue, running downfield in all three runs. The stable, in conjunction with his owner Mauritian based Mr Gujadhur, decided to rest him for nine months to reinvigorate him and bring back his zest for racing after the Vet had reported in his last run in Gauteng that he had returned fatigued. The rest was just what he required, as coming back from the nine-month layoff he has run eight times, for two wins, a second place, four third place and just one race where he finished out of the top four, finishing fifth. One win was at Kenilworth, the other being at Durbanville racecourse, both incredibly good wins where he came from well off the pace in the home stretch to collar the pacemakers under Richard Fourie and Gareth Wright, respectively. Allez Moris wins at Kenilworth in March 2024 Allez Moris low flying at Durbanville Allez Moris had regained his zest for racing, and it was then decided to enter him for the Betway Algoa Cup in Gqeberha. Due to a deluge of rain leading up to the meeting, the race meeting was switched to the Polytrack the day before the meeting was to take place. Crawford Racing decided to take their chances despite Allez Moris not ever running on the surface, and despite Kabelo Matsunyane riding a brilliant race, the son of Dynasty narrowly went down to Firealley in a driving finish, finishing third after heading the field as they entered the last 200M. Allez Moris narrowly going down to Firealley on the Polytrack in Gqeberha On Saturday, Allez Moris is back on the Turf, has the services of Algoa Cup jockey Kabelo Matsunyane in the saddle and has a good draw of five. Kabelo will have the long Kenilworth summer course straight to negotiate a passage into the race, and owner Mukund Gujadhur’s five year gelding who, if as expected Allez Moris stays the trip, should be running strongly at the leaders in the last 200M on Saturday.

 

RACE 9 – Jonsson Workwear Cape B Stakes

JOIN THE DOTS

Age:     4 (at last run)

Sex:      g

M/Rating:          81 (at last run)

Owner:               Messrs R Chung & T Gujadhur

Breeder:            Mr & Mrs C F de Vos

Trainer:               B/J Crawford

Breeding:          Vercingetorix – On Her Toes by Western Winter (USA)

Colours:            

Messrs R Chung and M Gujadhur owned, and Crawford Racing trained Join The Dots, is a horse that takes a bit of riding. In most of his starts it has been evident that he requires a strong, well-balanced jockey that can give him a few cracks of the whip when necessary to focus his mind.

The son of Vercingetorix, who had cost R550 000 as a yearling at the Bloodstock SA 2022 Yearling Sales, stepped up winning his second run in impressive fashion at Kenilworth Racecourse over 1600M, beating the then highly touted Foudre from the Candice Bass Robinson stable.

Winning his second start earned Join The Dots a hefty merit rating of 86, and as such, his form subsequent to the Maiden win was patchy, and in April 2024 it was decided to give him a four month rest. In his third run after that rest, the son of Vercingetorix was stepped up to the 1800M, and since then he has won two race and been placed third in another two from four racecourse appearances.

Both those wins were at Durbanville where he showed a very good turn of foot to reel in the leaders from his position of just behind midfield down the short Durbanville straight. His last run was on the Kenilworth Winter Course where he ran a creditible third behind the Snaith trained Sing To The Moon oveer 1800M at Kenilowrth Racecourse on the 16^th November 2024..

Join The Dots runs third to Song To The Moon at Kenilworth

He seems to have matured since the layoff, has lost the tardiness out of the gates, and showed a good turn of pace on the Durbanville course to easily catch the leaders. He does need a little bit of persauding, but back to Kenilworth over the 2000M (he is unbeaten over the distance) and the long run in, could see good days at the races for Reynolds Chung &  Mukund Gujadhur.

 

RACE 10 – Pamela Isdell Class 3

BIG UNIT

Age:     4 (at last run)

Sex:      g

M/Rating:          86 (at last run)

Owner:               Mr P M Murugasa

Breeder:            Hemel ‘N Aarde Stud

Trainer:               B/J Crawford

Breeding:          Master Of My Fate – Stormz Emprez by Second Empire (IRE)

Colours:            

Some horses need time to develop, others, despite displaying natural speed, require racing over the middle distances, and other colts are naughty and require the unkindest cut of all. Big Unit’s first six races yielded one win, over 1250M at Durbanville.

After those six races and now five months older, Crawford Racing decided to switch the Master of My Fate gelding to racing around the turn, and in his next five runs he ran in the top five places in all those runs. The unkindest cut of all happened in May 2025 after which Big Unit was given a four-month rest.

Since that rest and gelding he has run four times for two wins, a second to Aristotle and a fourth place. He has reeled off two wins a row in his last four starts, both over 1400M, one at Durbanville and one at Kenilworth. In both wins he was ridden from off the pace, showing good acceleration in response to the urgings from the saddle and extending well to win both races.

Big Unit wins at Durbanville under a driving ride from Louis Mxothwa

Big Unit wins at Kenilworth under Kabelo Matsunyane

On Saturday, he has the services of Kabelo Matsunyane in the saddle and jumps from a favourable two draw. In his last win at Durbanville he beat the ex Piet Botha inmate Radicchio who franked the form on Thursday at the Vaal by beating The Africa House and Pomodoro’s Jet in a hotly contested MR 105 Middle Stakes.

He received only the minimum penalty of 1.5 kilograms for his last win and as such comes into the final race of the day on Cape Guineas day on a very handy galloping weight of 55 kilograms. Jayson Murugasa’s four-year-old gelding. will have a length of the long Summer Course straight to negotiate a passage to the finish line, thereby giving the upwardly mobile Crawford Racing inmate every possibility of winning the fifth race of his career.

 

RACE 10 – Pamela Isdell Class 3

WILLIE JOHN

Age:     4 (at last run)

Sex:      g

M/Rating:          86 (at last run)

Owner:               Mesdames A M Doyle & Paul Shanahan, Mr B Kantor & Klawervlei Stud (Pty) Ltd (Nom: Mr J P Koster)

Breeder:            Klawervlei Stud

Trainer:               B/J Crawford

Breeding:          William Longsword – Polar Trip by Trippi (USA)

Colours:            

Willie John has only won one race but has a unusually high merit rating of 86 that has run fifteen times. He did show great promise early in his career, breaking his Maiden at his third racecourse appearance, beating Call To Unite at Durbanville over 1600M. Jumping from a four draw, he maintained a position about six lengths off the leaders as the field spun into the stretch.

He accelerated smartly when Louis Mxthotwa gave him his head and put him into the open halfway down the straight, drawing away easily over the last 200M. He was given a merit rating of 88 after that Maiden win, which he maintained until he ran in the Grade One Splashout Cape Derby over 2000M at Kenilworth Racecourse, finishing just under six lengths off the  highly rated Green with Envy. That run saw his merit rating pushed up ten points to a 98, a big jump for a one time winner.

His form since then has been fair, but he showed a return to his best form after been given a rest in October 2024, running a good third to the Adam Marcus Oliver over 1400M at the tight Durbanville track. His next run he was supported in the betting when hitting the rail and dislodging his jockey Gareth Wright in the process as the field was taking the bend coming into the straight.

The vet reported that the horse only had a small abrasion on his knee, which was good news for the stable and owners. His next run was even better than his first run after the rest, running on strongly over the Kenilworth 1400M finishing just over a half a length off stable companion Big Unit in a Class 3 (open benchmark MR 96) handicap in November.

Willie John runs a close third to Big Unit

 

He was just behind midfield as the field turned for home and accelerated smartly as the gaps opened in the stretch, running on strongly all the way to to the line to finish a close up third.

On Saturday he renews his rivalry with both Big Unit and the second placed Tout a Fait in his last run, but with the difference of having the longer straight of the Summer Course to wind up fully. He will have the expertise of Gareth Wright to make the decisions as the gaps open and if he reproduces the run to Green With Envy in the Grade One, he will be in the firing line when the whips are cracking in the last 200M.