Mac De Lago is the outsider of the party in the TAB Telebet Handicap at Durbanville today and he has to concede both weight and age all round yet he may prove the best value.

You might say that he is yesterday’s man – two years ago he won the Rising Sun Gold Challenge and was third in the July – but he has come down 8kg in the ratings since the glory days and he ran a cracker in the Jet Master last time. He lost lengths at the start but finished like a train to take a length and a half third to Perovskia. He is 1.5kg better and will be suited by the extra furlong.

Mac De Lago

Admittedly a repeat of the slow break would be fatal – you can’t afford to give away weight and distance on this course – but nobody knows that better than Greg Cheyne and Dan Katz reports the gelding in good shape.

“He has to give away a lot of pudding to some up-and-coming three-year-olds so it won’t be easy for him but he is doing well, he is in a good space and I am happy with him,” says the Milnerton trainer.

The three-year-olds he is referring to are both under sufferance when you take weight-for-age into account, although only by a kilo in Spring Man’s case but by 3.5kg with Commander Bond. The former ran well above his rating when fifth in the Cape Derby but proved expensive when dropped back to a mile last time.

“That was too short for him and they didn’t go very fast,” recalls Brett Crawford. “I also think he needed it a bit. He will be better over this 1 800m and he has no weight on his back.”

Kampala Campari is a useful sort but he hung badly to the right last time whereas the in-form Perovskia is on a hat-trick. “He is well and, although he has to give 7kg to the three-year-olds, I am sure he will run another good race,” says Harold Crawford.

On the betting it could hardly be closer. Spring Man and Commander Bond are both on 28-10 with World Sports Betting while Perovskia is 3-1, Kampala Campari 33-10 and Mac De Lago 7-2.Go The Distance belies her name by stepping up in trip in the opening Maiden Juvenile Fillies and she has the form to beat Victorious Girl although Harold Crawford says that the latter has come on a bit.

Two-year-olds take on the older horses for the first time in Cape Town this season in the Tabonline Maiden but Spam Alert is taken to beat Negma assuming in the in-form Grant van Niekerk can overcome her poor draw. Ladysmith is a prohibitive at 4-10 for the Play Soccer Maiden but Richard Fourie’s mount is hard to oppose.

By Michael Clower