The Dennis Drier-trained Lady In Black, winner of the Grade 1 Thekwini Stakes, heads the 18 declared for the Grade 2 Western Cape Fillies Championship over 1400m at Kenilworth on Saturday 28 October.

However she is badly drawn at No 16 and has to give weight all round. The Drier-trained Tsessebe is drawn widest of all but the stable’s third runner, the Anton Marcus-ridden Champenois, is well drawn at No 2.

Sean Tarry, who has yet to win this race, runs Desert Rhythm, who won the Grade 2 Golden Slipper and was beaten two lengths when fourth in the Thekwini.

Justin Snaith runs five in his bid to win the race for the fifth time with Bernard Fayd’Herbe (successful on Ebony Flyer in 2010 and Cold as Ice four years later) partnering the badly drawn Snowdance.

Favourites have a particularly good record in this race winning five of the last seven runnings and finishing second in the other two. Four times in the past seven years the winner has gone on to take the Cape Fillies Guineas.

Magical Wonderland looks the main locally trained hope after winning all her four starts and is reasonably drawn at seven.

Dutch Philip’s credentials will be really put to the test in the Grade 3 1400m Cape Classic on the same Kenilworth card because the Candice Bass-Robinson-trained colt, winner of four of his five starts as a two-year-old, has to give a minimum of 5kg to his 12 opponents. They include the Langerman winner Tap O’Noth. He will concede 7kg to six others, including Golden Horseshoe third Captain And Master while Sean Tarry-trained filly Rockin Russian (beaten only 0.50 lengths when second in the Thekwini) receives no less than 9.5kg.

Rockin Russian is well drawn at No 4 but Drier-trained Tom Collins and Sniper Shot from the Paul Lafferty stable have drawn wide, a considerable disadvantage over this distance.

Justin Snaith has supplemented Australian-bred Sir Frenchie and Dennis Bosch has booked Anthony Delpech for Billy Silver, who justified odds of 4-10 in a Novice Plate over 1200m at Scottsville early last month.

Notable absentees are the badly drawn Premiers Champion Stakes winner Eyes Wide Open and Ancestry, second in both the Golden Horseshoe and the Premiers Champion Stakes. His trainer Joey Ramsden, who has had the winner in three of the last four runnings and had an entry of six, has chosen to rely solely on the useful Speedpoint.

Final field and draws for the Western Cape Fillies Championship (Grade 2) over 1400m at Kenilworth:

1 16 Lady In Black 60 102 A S Veale Dennis Drier
2 13 Desert Rhythm 59 96 T A *L Hewitson Sean Tarry
3 7 Magical Wonderland 58 100 A A Domeyer Candice Bass-Robinson
4 15 Princess Peach 58 98 A C Orffer Glen Kotzen
5 5 Angel’s Trumpet 58 96 A G Cheyne Justin Snaith
6 11 Meryl 58 96 A A Delpech Dean Kannemeyer
7 10 Elusive Heart 58 93 A R Fourie Glen Kotzen
8 17 Snowdance 58 93 A B Fayd’Herbe Justin Snaith
9 18 Tsessebe 58 93 A M Byleveld Dennis Drier
10 12 Oh Susanna (AUS) 58 92 A G van Niekerk Justin Snaith
11 9 Rose In Bloom 58 92 A D Dillon Joey Ramsden
12 3 Too Phat To Fly 58 92 A C Zackey Glen Kotzen
13 8 Miss Katalin 58 87 A B May Justin Snaith
14 2 Champenois 58 86 BA A Marcus Dennis Drier
15 14 Merysagos 58 86 A …………… Justin Snaith
16 6 Fresnaye 58 85 A …………… Joey Ramsden
17 4 Freedom Charter 58 83 A Reserve 1 Candice Bass-Robinson
18 1 It Is What It Is 58 79 A Reserve 2 Mike Stewart
Same Trainer – Not Coupled on Tote
(1,9,14) (3,17) (4,7,12) (5,8,10,13,15) (11,16)

Final field and draws for the Cape Classic (Grade 3) over 1400m at Kenilworth:

1 8 Dutch Philip 60 102 A A Domeyer Candice Bass-Robinson

2 5 Tap O’ Noth 55 96 A M Byleveld Vaughan Marshall
3 1 Sir Frenchie (AUS) 55 94 BA R Fourie Justin Snaith
4 12 Sniper Shot 55 94 T A C Zackey Paul Lafferty
5 6 Billy Silver 55 91 A A Delpech Dennis Bosch
6 9 Undercover Agent 55 86 A C Orffer Brett Crawford
7 3 Captain And Master 53 96 T A S Khumalo Sean Tarry
8 11 Speedpoint 53 96 A …………… Joey Ramsden
9 10 Virtue 53 93 A G Cheyne Candice Bass-Robinson
10 2 Cot Campbell 53 87 A G van Niekerk Justin Snaith
11 7 Tower Of Wisdom 53 83 A S Veale Dennis Drier
12 13 Tom Collins 53 82 T A M Winnaar Dennis Drier
13 4 Rockin Russian 50.5 99 A *L Hewitson Sean Tarry
Same Trainer – Not Coupled on Tote
(1,9) (3,10) (7,13) (11,12)