Gold Circle Pty (Ltd)

Today's Racing :

Allez! Allez! Saltwater Girl

Chad Cooke
At the time of writing the weather Gods had been kind to racing but the weather man had forecast more rain and if that is the case and his crystal ball proves him right then Friday's Turffontein card could become a punters worst nightmare.
But horses on the Highveld will have had their first week of uninterupted preparations and they will be ready for racing on Saturday which takes place on the Turffontein inside track.
There is a nine-race programme that awaits racegoers with the main event of the afternoon being the seventh race, the Allez France Handicap over 2 200m for a stake of R125 000.
Ten of the fairer sex line up to contest this non-black type ‘feature’ and it has all the makings of a classic battle.
Topping the list of potential winners is the Gavin van Zyl-trained Saltwater Girl. This five-year-old daughter of Modern Day has some very good form to her credit and last time out put up a sterling effort under 60kg when she lead from the off over 2 600m at the track only to be beaten into second by Paul Matchett’s Precedent who shouldered 8kg less.
Saltwater Girl has no stamina doubts, enjoys the course and can run from both handy and off the pace giving her rider Marthinus Mienie all the options he may need.
Sure to be pressing her all the way are Opera Cloak, Ginger Hill, Precedent and Tigress, each of these runners having lively claims at the first prize.
The biggest danger to Saltwater Girl could come from veteran trainer Ormond Ferraris’s Opera Cloak.
Owned and bred by Ferraris, this daughter of Labeeb has shown that she is no slouch and she was full of running late last time when coming from well off the pace over 2 000m on the old track here. She stays well and on the basis of her last run she has to be respected.
Precedent, as said, ran out a good winner last time out but she has to concede 1kg to Saltwater Girl which makes this a tough test but she has scope and is getting better all the time.
Battle up front
Ginger Hill did well coming off a break last time out and will strip a fitter horse now. She too stays well and will look to race handy so could get into a cutthroat battle with Saltwater Girl, negating both their chances.
Jockey Anton Marcus could have his work cut out.
Three-year-old Tigress has won two of her last three runs and tries this trip for the first time but she has scope
for improvement and with just 52kg to shoulder could prove to be the dark horse in the race.

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