The highlight of the weekend is the GR 1 Laurie Jaffee Empress Club Stakes over 1600m at Turffontein On Saturday and it will see an intriguing clash between three leading lights of probably the best female crop in South African racing history.

Inara (Liesl King)

There is also plenty of other highlights on both the Highveld and in KZN to look forward to.

The Mike Bass-trained Inara is a three-time Gr 1-winner who is ideally suited to the course and distance of the Empress Club Stakes and she is well drawn. She has never run to her best around a right hand turn but that probably had more to do with a lung infection she was incubating in the Champions Season in KZN last season. She has had to travel from Cape Town to Summerveld to prepare for the race and then travel up to Johannesburg this week. However, the Bass yard are already showing signs they are in for a fine season in KZN and she is undoubtedly the one to beat.

The Frank Robinson-trained Olma has not run well in three outing at Turffontein. However, she has matured and the use of a tongue tie has made a big difference. She is also proving to be best suited to the 1600m trip so as one who is getting better and better she is an interesting contender.

Trophy Wife will pick up the pieces if the top two go missing as she is an ultra consistent sort and as a Gr 1 bridesmaid deserves to one day be in the winner’s enclosure.

Later the Listed Spook Express Handicap over 2450m could see yet another marathon race win for the Weiho Marwing yard, who excel at these events and their up and coming stayer Zafira has snuck into the handicap with the minimum weight.

The meeting also sees the return of top class sorts Carry On Alice and Rabada.

Carry On Alice (Nkosi Hlophe)

Carry On Alice should hold too many guns in the fifth race over 1100m. An interesting runner for a place here is Winter Al as she is way out at the weights, but is well regarded and one day when this difficult customer  finally gets through the preliminaries unscathed she could pop up at long odds.

Rabada has had to come back from a couple of setbacks so might be beaten by Prospect Strike in the 1400m event as the latter has class and has had a good preparation.

Another intriguing race is the fourth where three classy types, Rainy Day Blues, Smart Mart and Jubilee Line clash over 2000m and they are slected in that order although it should be a mammoth tussle.

In KZN the exciting sprinter Natal appears in a race over 1200m, but might be ousted by Captain Alfredo. The latter has to give Natal 2,5kg but will relish the 1200m trip of Scottsville and has Gr 1 Tsogo Sun contender written all over him.

By David Thiselton