There is an eight race meeting on the Vaal Outside track tomorrow, where high draws are favourable by trends, and there look to be some good opportunities for punters.
The first opportunity comes in race two, a Maiden over 1200m, where Bockscar is the choice. He jumped from a favourable low draw on debut on the Vaal Inside Track over this distance and was continually shuffled backwards as the field jostled to get over to the far rail. The King’s Chapel colt was angled outward when it eventually became possible and with daylight finally in front of him he ran on strongly to finish just 4,25 lengths behind his promising stablemate Matador Man.
Gavin Lerena
He looks likely to reverse form with the exposed Amber Flash, who had the run of the race that day from a good draw. The main danger could be Clever Guy, who has the very much in form Gavin Lerena up. This good looking Argonaut colt also made a good debut over 1200m. He is drawn only one inside of King’s Chapel and may get first run on him, as he was handy throughout on debut, but Bockscar is still the choice due to the impression he created when finishing so strongly.
The best bet comes in race four, a Maiden for fillies and mares over 1000m, where Lady Of The World is fancied as hard to beat. This improved daughter of the promising sire Great Britain has both pace and the ability to stay on. She ran a cracker on Grand Heritage day from the worst draw of all. She followed up with another fine run over this trip from a good draw on the Vaal Inside track.
Unfortunately, an unheralded first-timer called All Over The World mowed her down. The latter remains unbeaten after two starts, so the form has been franked. Lady Of The World is drawn close to the favourable side and regular rider Marco van Rensburg is up.
The danger will be the KZN horse Rainbowinthesky, who finished just five lengths back in a feature on debut over 1200m, and then was well clear of the rest when mowed down by a first-timer over 1000m at Scottsville. She has a plum draw, unlike the bad one she had in that last race, so it won’t be easy for Lady Of The World. Rainbowinthesky did hang inward in that last race. However, she was being brought over from the high draws to the low, so the hanging antic might just have been due to her inexperience.
The highest rated race on the card is the sixth, a Graduation Plate over 1200m. Angel’s Power is the joint-best in at the weights on official merit ratings with Sporting Monarch. Angel’s Power, merit rated 89, was raised to a 92 after a cracking effort from a tough draw in the Gr 3 Spring Spree Stakes over 1200m on the Turffontein Inside track, where she was a 1,75 length second to the top class Kangaroo Jack.
He was unsurprisingly fancied in his next start in a handicap over the same trip at the Vaal so he was disappointingly unplaced. However, the draw that day palpably favoured the low draws and he was drawn wide. Last time Angel’s Power was over a too sharp 1000m against classy sorts in the Golden Loom handicap and he was unplaced again.
He is now favourably weighted and drawn on the right side over a suitable course and distance with Piere Strydom up, so should go close. The Stone Thrower has class and won comfortably last time from a favourable draw in a Novice Plate over this trip on the Vaal Inside track. It would be no surprise to see him follow up despite being officially 1,5kg under sufferance with Angel’s Power. However, against him is a low draw. Sporting Monarch is also drawn low but could come on from his last race, which was his first after a layoff.
Oracle Of Delphi could get punters off to a good start in race one over 1600m if taking his place. He ran third behind two promising sorts on Saturday when stepped up to this trip and faces an uninspiring field.
In race seven over 1400m Analyse This is drawn on the right side and might enjoy the step down to this trip, as he did hit the front in the Grand Heritage over 1475m before being run out of it. Gavin Lerena has kept the ride, an obvious bonus.
By David Thiselton
