The highest rated race at the Greyville polytracks’s nine race meeting on Sunday is a Pinnacle Stakes event over 1600m and the Duncan Howells-trained Wild Wicket looks the horse to beat.
Wild Wicket (Nkosi Hlophe)
Howells said about the Dynasty gelding before the SA Champions Season, “He is decent and progressive and the Guineas and Daily News will be on his agenda if he shows us he’s that quality as he has been difficult to place with his high merit rating.”
He is now even higher in the merit ratings on 90 after another win over 1600m, but that makes him the best weighted of the male runners in this contest. He is drawn well and being by Dynasty looks cherry ripe to start showing the class the yard believe him to have. In his last start on the poly he finished third behind two decent sorts in What A Poet and Unbelievable Chad, a good effort considering it was his first run out of the maidens. The best weighted horse is Lala, but she is a female taking on the boys. She does enjoy the course and distance though and has a plum draw of two with a 2,5kg claimer up.
Seventh Plain has been a disappointing sort after winning two Grade 1s over 1200m and 1400m respectively in fine style as a two-year-old. It is interesting to see Dennis Drier now trying him over a mile as he did fight on in that Grade 1 1400m win on the Greyville turf. Mumsy’s Jet goes for a polytrack hattrick and has a good record over this course and distance, so this honest sort has a chance from pole position with in form 2,5kg claimer Ashton Arries up. Nicklaus finished second in the Listed Darley Arabian over course and distance last time and Anthony Delpech is up, albeit from a tricky draw. Breakfast Club can’t be ignored either, as he loves the poly and is distance suited.
The meeting opens with a Maiden Plate over 1600m, where Might Mississippi is the form horse but returns from a layoff. He is still the one to beat and Turf Conqueror and Zenzero are the dangers.
Seventh Plain (Nkosi Hlophe)
In the second over 2000m Lucky At Last ran a good race last time from a wide draw over 1800m and is the one to beat here from a good draw under champion jockey Delpech. Francesco could be a threat under the same 2,5kg claimer who went close on her last time over 1600m.
Roy’s Kaitrina and Miss Ferris could fight out the next race over the same course and distance, although the former is preferred.
Ideal Winter could be the one in the first leg of the Pick 6, but it is competitive and Star Of Caesour, Iced Up, Crystal Ball and Osprey have to be included too.
Eina is interesting in the next with Delpech riding for the Wright yard and could be dangerous despite a wide draw. Peggy’s Dream makes the most appeal of the rest.
Princess Analia makes appeal over a likely suitable step up in trip in the seventh, Colour Your Dreams could follow up on her maiden win in the eighth and the topweight The King Of Random makes appeal from pole position in the ninth.
By David Thiselton
