With the Vaal sand a thing of the past, the next best surface for the confirmed sand larks appears to be the Greyville poly track. Many an older horse with mileage on the clock has been given a second chance as the more forgiving surface seems to be a little kinder on aging legs.

Further, given that the polytrack ratings are the same as turf ratings, most of the horses with high sand ratings and low turf ratings appear ‘tossed’ in at the weights in their first few outings on the poly.

This has been a valuable point to consider when hunting winners on the poly and Jade Vine is an example. She was unlucky not to make a winning poly debut behind stable companion and poly specialist Chennai Babe and looks set to run another big race this evening.

Across The Ice (JC Photos)

With a sand rating of 96 she made her poly debut off a 67 and came in for a ton of market support, backed in from 10-1 to start 28-10. However Andrew Fortune made a rare error of judgement running up a blind alley and she finished fourth beaten less than two lengths. Sean Tarry’s runner jumps off the same mark in the sixth at Greyville tonight and Fortune will be looking to make amends.

Jade Vine takes on a progressive filly in Way Out Front looking for her third win on the bounce but although she is probably running off a capped merit rating after getting the maximum six pounds for her last win in a Novice Plate, she still has to give Jade Vine 2,5kg which could be beyond her.

Another interesting runner tonight is the veteran Across The Ice. Tarry does not give up on his horses because of age and if he thinks there is still potential he keeps them rolling. Nine-year-old Across The Ice is an accomplished sprinter on the sand with a peak rating of 106. Recent form has seen him drop to 100 but he jumps off an 88 turf rating this evening. That coupled with apprentice Eric Ngwane taking a further 4kg off his back he could well prove to be the joker in the pack in spite of his indifferent recent sand form.

Likely favourite here is the Glen Kotzen-trained Hip Hop Dancer. The lightly raced gelding pulled up lame last run after making a smart return to the track from a three month break. This will be his third outing since and with a handy weight and inside draw he should be a factor.

Another to have found his form on the poly is the American-bred Nicklaus. Unbeaten in two starts for his new stable he takes a further rise in class when he contests the fifth. However, he showed no signs of stopping when beating Last Tiger recently jumping from the worst of the draw. He has pulled gate 2 tonight and he can row in again in spite of the stronger opposition.

By Andrew Harrison