MOTHER Russia has been accepted to race in the Grade 1 Queen’s Plate over 1600m at Kenilworth on 8 January, and Flirtation is in the final field for the Grade 1 Paddock Stakes along with Zirconeum. The 1800m race takes place on the same day, both worth R1 million.

Zirconeum (Kevin Shea), with part-owner Chris Haynes.

All three have been sent to Cape Town unusually early and Mike commented: “With all the rain at Randjesfontein the tracks are in a poor state and we cannot prepare them in Johannesburg. I’ve never sent my raiding runners down so early so this is experimental, but we have no choice. I don’t believe the early trip will affect them, they might well benefit from it because there will be more time for a full recovery from their 18 hours on the road.

The final fields are:

QUEEN’S PLATE:

Sc# Horse               Mass   MR Draw  B  A  T  Jockey        Trainer
 1  POCKET POWER        60.0  117   2      A     B Fayd’Herbe  Mike Bass
 2  PAST MASTER         60.0  114   6   B  A     G Schlechter  Darryl Hodgson
 3  TROPICAL EMPIRE     60.0  114  15      A     G Hatt        Duncan Howells
 4  TALES OF BRAVERY    60.0  111   9      A     M Byleveld    Vaughan Marshall
 5  BLUE TIGER          60.0  109  14      A     A Domeyer     Mike Bass
 6  CAPTAIN’S SECRET    60.0  107   8      A     R Fourie      Mike Bass
 7  CASEY COOL          60.0  107   3      A     F Anthony     Darryl Hodgson
 8  CELTIC FIRE         60.0  107   7      A     K Teetan      Yvette Bremner
 9  FABIANI             60.0  105   5      A     R Danielson   Glen Kotzen
10  RUSHING WIND        60.0  104  12   B  A     K Neisius     Mike Bass
11  TIME AND LOVE       60.0  104   4   B  A  T  M Odendaal    S J van Rensburg
12  SUPER STORM         60.0   99  10      A     P Strydom     Mike Bass
13  AMERICAN MAN        60.0   91  11   B  A  T  S Veale       Mitchell Wiese
14  MOTHER RUSSIA       57.5  111   1      A     A Marcus      Mike de Kock
15  EBONY FLYER         52.5  107  13      A     F Coetzee     Justin Snaith
Couplings: (1,5,6,10,12) (2,7)

PADDOCK STAKES:

Sc# Horse               Mass   MR Draw   B  A  T  Jockey       Trainer
 1  LOVE IS IN THE AIR  60.0  108   11      A     B Fayd’Herbe Mike Bass
 2  SUNSATIONAL         60.0  103    3   B  A     K Neisius    Mike Bass
 3  A DAUGHTERS LEGACY  60.0  101    1      A     G Hatt       Riaan Van Reenen
 4  ZIRCONEUM           60.0   99    9   B  A     J Geroudis   Mike de Kock
 5  RECONCILE           60.0   97    8      A  T  R Danielson  Glen Kotzen
 6  TREE FLAG           60.0   77    4      A     S Veale      Mitchell Wiese
 7  FLIRTATION          59.5  104    2      A     R Simons     Mike de Kock
 8  IMPERIOUS STAR      59.5  102   12      A     P Strydom    Glen Kotzen
 9  TASSIE BELLE        59.5  100    6      A     G Schlechter Patrick Kruyer
10  WE THREE            59.5   97    7      A     R Fourie     Justin Snaith
11  TICK TOCK           59.5   92   10      A     M Byleveld   Michael Robinson
12  EMERALD COVE        54.0   95    5      A     F Coetzee    Justin Snaith
13  FLAMING DAME        54.0   91   14   B  A     M Odendaal   Justin Snaith
14  MARGARET COURT      54.0   87   13      A     A Domeyer    Mike Bass
Couplings: (1,2,14) (4,7) (5,8) (10,12,13)