Yeni and Mitchley eye feature race success with Marchland

Marchland was an impressive winner on debut and is ready to win the R150,000 Listed East Cape Fillies Nursery at the Fairview Turf track on Friday.

The daughter of Malmoos won over the same distance of 1200m last month when she showed plenty of speed and good exhilaration.

Her trainer, Kelly Mitchley, describes Marchland as “something special”, and jockey Muzi Yeni will be excited to get her home in the feature race.

Champion trainer Alan Greeff is always a factor when it comes to this race. He will saddle three of the eight two-year-old fillies who will face the starter, and all eyes will be on the unraced Chatterbox.

Greeff expects a good effort and said Chatterbox was a “nice, speedy filly”.

She will be ridden by Richard Fourie, who will be aiming to combine with Greeff for a fourth win in a row in this race.

Anotherdanceforme won the Fillies Nursery in an impressive display last year, Splicethemainbrace won it the year before, and Luna Halo was the Greeff winner in 2023.

The third trainer involved in this year’s renewal is Dean Smith, who said he had four “smart fillies” in the race.

The stable is in excellent form, and it will be interesting to see if the Smith runners can challenge the top two in the betting, Marchland and Chatterbox.

The feature is race seven of eight races and is off at 3.55pm. The first race jumps at 12.20pm.

Greeff and Mitchley could also fight it out in the third race, the first leg of the Pick Six.

Royal City Girl jumps from pole position with Yeni up for the Mitchley stable. Greeff’s Wishes And Dreams is also a big runner in this Oaks Plate, where a field of 11 three-year-old fillies will be involved.

Zinovi (Greeff) and Lanciafiamme (Cliffie Miller) will resume their exciting rivalry in a Pinnacle Stakes (race 4) over 1600m.

Coral Creek is another Greeff runner on the day who must be included in all bets. He takes his place in an MR 72 Handicap (race 6) over 1400m.

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