6 DECEMBER 2012
Duncan Howells said that Via Africa was “doing exceptionally well” ahead of her biggest test to date in the Grade 2 Tony Taberer Southern Cross Stakes over 1000m at Kenilworth on Saturday.
The lightning fast three-year-old Var filly has been taken for one gallop at Kenilworth since she arrived at Milnerton more than a month ago, where her work has been overseen by Eric Sands.
“She has put up very good gallops and her prep has gone 100%,” said Howells. “She was very fit when she went to Cape Town and it’s only a 1000m race, so you obviously don’t need to tune them up too much.”
Howells was very happy with what he saw when he travelled down to Cape Town and he added that her work this week had also been very good.
On the downside, she has quite a tough draw of two according to the trend that favours horses that are running towards the outside fence at the business end, but she does have last year’s Grade 1 Betting World Cape Flying Championship winning jockey aboard, Alec Forbes.
Info courtesy of Gold Circle Publishing Department
