Welcome rain over the weekend will have drawn some of the sting out of the Scottsville turf for tomorrow’s meeting and with the weather set fair we should be in for some cracking racing.

The smart juvenile Redcarpet Captain makes his handicap debut when he lines up in the eighth and just how he fares could shed some light on the strength of the current crop.

Gavin van Zyl’s runner has shown a touch of class, having beaten two top gallopers in Mogok Master and Gr1 SA Nursery winner Arabian Beat in his first two starts. He has been racing against the best in feature company and is only a few lengths inferior to the best of his generation, strong Equus contender Seventh Plain. Redcarpet Captain finished just over two lengths back to Seventh Plain in the Tsogo Sun Medallion and then four lengths back in the Golden Horseshoe where a wide draw compromised his chances.

In spite of this form, he will have his work cut out tomorrow as he faces a more than useful field of older horses.

Mark Dixon saddles two smart three-year-olds in Gumbi and The Poet while Dennis Bosch’s pair of Jet On Fire and Gemini Gold will have their supporters. Gumbi’s regular pilot, Keagan de Melo, has switched to The Poet, however, given the weights this is not a surprise and Ian Sturgeon has landed the ride on Gumbi. The chestnut gelding has won twice over the course and distance and has been far from disgraced when stepped up to 1400m. However, at this stage of his career tomorrows trip appears optimum and he should give Redcarpet Captain plenty to do.

Gemini Gold is talented but obviously a gelding with issues. After four wins on the bounce, three on the poly, he was given a lengthy break and made his first start this year with a fair effort behind Tuscan last week. That run should have brought him on and with the going expected to be on the softer side of good he has a lot in his favour.

But the list of possible winners is a lengthy one as Nineteen Fourteen, Astro, Clear Sailing and The Poet are all in with chances and if Jet On Fire can reproduce his effort when beating Muscatt a year ago, then he too comes into the equation with a chance.

However, Redcarpet Captain may just have too much class and is taken to get home ahead of Gumbi and Gemini Gold.

Dixon will have been hoping for an earlier strike when he sends out Charles My Boy in the seventh. Relatively lightly raced, Charles My Boy has been slow to find his feet but ran two excellent races in blinkers, culminating in an almost end-to-end maiden victory over the Scottsville “mile” – not an easy feat.

First time out of the maidens he took on a tough handicap field and did well enough behind the hard-knocking Joshuas Crown. He takes a big drop in class tomorrow and given a chance he should be running at them over the final furlong.

Princess Beach is the only filly in the race and caught the eye with a late effort behind Mambo Master over the course and distance last time out and could trouble the judges and Charles My Boy.

Andrew Harrison