Gold Circle Pty (Ltd)

Today's Racing :

Intellectual can give JJ something to think about

David Thiselton
J J The Jet Plane looks hard to beat in Sunday's Grade 1 Mercury Sprint over 1 200m at Clairwood, but there are a few hard-knockers who will be hoping that the recent 10-day interruption to J J's training schedule will give them a chance of victory. Three horses that will be suited to a big-field Clairwood sprint at this level will be the Herman Brown-trained Intellectual, the Darryl Hodgson-trained Casey Cool and the Joey Ramsden-trained Bush Pirate.
Intellectual loves Clairwood and three of his six victories have come at this course. He produced a typically late challenge in his last start over 1 000m here, failing by a short-head to beat Cruso, giving the latter 2kg. He also reversed Grade 1 Computaform Sprint form with Noble Heir in that race.
In the Computaform Sprint over 1 000m he travelled very badly up to Johannesburg but still flew late for a 1,75 length second to Noble Heir.
He does seem better over 1 000m, with five of his victories coming over that trip, but his form over 1 200m is not far behind.Furthermore, his style of racing and his maturity suggests that the extra 200m shouldn't bother him. One concern is that at barrier five he might be on the unfavourable side of the track. Frank Robinson said, "He is very well. He took his last run well and looks great. He did some pacework with Orbison on Tuesday and they stuck together. “He is fit from his last race so we've just kept him ticking over. We will give him a sprint up later this week. It all depends on how J J is, if he's right on the day it will be no race, but we could be next best. " Casey Cool won the Grade 2 Post Merchants over 1 200m at Greyville last time out, showing a fantastic turn of foot. As that race was slow run, he was able to afford to go for home early. However, he is normally a horse that needs to be held up for as long as possible as he has a short, but devastating, finishing burst. He is an exciting horse to watch and Kevin Shea, with his superb hands, suits his style very well. If he gets cover early in what should be a very fast race, he should be finishing strongest of all at the line. Hodgson said, "He came out of the Merchants well, I just hope he's good enough at this level." Bush Pirate finished 0,25 lengths behind Casey Cool in the Post Merchants and is now 3kg worse off which makes it tough on paper.
However, he came from way back in a slow run race on that occasion, so it was a commendable effort. Furthermore, he has what is normally a favoured high draw of 15. The Geoff Woodruff pair, Private Jet and Earl Of Surrey, are both Grade 1 winners and will arrive from the Vaal on Saturday. Woodruff said earlier in the week to journalist Michael Clower, "Private Jet was a bit in need of his last run and he will definitely strip better from it. He has been doing well. Earl Of Surrey fractured his pelvis immediately after winning last year's Golden Horse Casino Sprint but has been back in work a long time."
"He and Private Jet did a gallop over 1 000m on the Vaal sand and finished only short heads apart so I am pretty comfortable with him.'' The Dennis Drier-trained Clearly Silver has an outside chance as a three-year-old that has filled out into a strongly built, out-and-out sprinting type. Drier said, "He is improving all the time and I think he will run well. He was running on very well from a wide draw last time in the Merchants." He was beaten 2,75 lengths by Casey Cool there and now faces him on 2,5kg worse terms, but he does have quite a high draw of eleven. The Colin Scott-trained Extinct finished third in this race last year. His form this season has been mostly uninspiring but the forecast of a bit of rain over the next three days will be welcome news as he is not the soundest horse and loves soft going. The Glen Kotzen-trained Thunder Key is a definite contender too and seems to find his best form in big races. This season he won the Grade 2 Diadem Stakes over 1 200m, finished third in the Grade 1 Cape Flying Championships over 1 000m and in his last start was a 1,75 length fifth in the Post Merÿ¿OLts.

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