Covenant makes seasonal debut

COVENANT  (photo) is doing “very nicely” ahead of her seasonal reappearance in the weight for age (WFA) Grade 2 Southern Cross Stakes over 1000m at Kenilworth on Saturday and trainer Mike Bass reckoned she would be as fit as What A Winter was when winning his comeback race last Sunday.

“I don’t expect her to beat Val De Ra, she’s brilliant, but she will give her a go,” said Bass.

Covenant is a genuine sprint, miler so she relishes the tough nature of the Kenilworth sprint course and won both the Southern Cross and the WFA Grade 2 Sceptre Stakes over 1200m here as a three-year-old last season before going on to win the WFA Grade 1 Majorca Stakes over 1600m.

The beautifully bred Western Winter filly hasn’t run since finishing a close fourth in the Grade 1 Mercury Sprint over 1200m at Clairwood in July, but has run well fresh before and has never been out of the money in 12 starts since finishing unplaced on debut.

Anton Marcus will ride her for the first time.

Bass said that What A Winter “did it quite nicely” when winning a Pinnacle Stakes event by 2,25 lengths under regular pilot Karl Neisius last Sunday.

He said that the superstar four-year-old Western Winter colt had come out of it fine other than being “a bit stiff” and he nominated him yesterday (Monday) for the Grade 2 Diadem Stakes over 1200m at Kenilworth on December 17.

His said his chief mission for the Western Cape Sizzling Summer Season would be the defence of his Grade 1 Betting World Cape Flying Championship over 1000m at Kenilworth on January 21.