RACE 1

(4) Coral Creek has been holding solid form and will be a huge contender. (12) Ice Cap has been consistent in the province and must be factored into all bets. She drops back in trip which should be no problem at all. (2) Dynamite Jet made good improvement and will get closer if building on that. (11) String Of Lights ran a cracker in the last start and won’t be far. ( Devonne Govender 4-12-2-11)

RACE 2

(6) Kohana ran extremely well in the last start and looks hard to beat. (7) Oliver Twist is improving nicely and will have a huge winning chance with a top rider up. (1) Storm Boulevard is never far back in recent provincial runs so will get much closer. (4) Come On You Spurs is holding form and can place. ( Devonne Govender 6-7-1-4)

RACE 3

(4) Anchor Mansteps is up in trip which could prove to be a winning move. He is well bred and has scope do well. (1) Oranjemund has never been far back and is another with scope to go well so deserves respect. (2) Global Reef gets an eye catching jockey booking in the form of Richard Fourie and will have to be taken seriously here. (9) Kamaria can fill in the placings. ( Devonne Govender 4-1-2-9)

RACE 4

(1) Makhachev ran extremely well in his last start and another big performance is expected. (6) Montelena has been running consistently and will be a huge danger to the top selection. (5) Captain Of Grit has the ability to win this contest on best form, if he brings his ‘A’ game it will be no race. (3) Holocene is capable of running into the money and can place. ( Devonne Govender 1-6-5-3)

RACE 5

(1) Cruise Control packs plenty of class and will be a tough horse to beat here. (2) Cliff Top has run close to the top selection in the past and will be right there in the mix. (3) Speed Machine hasn’t been far in recent starts and is capable running a big race here. (4) Evies First is a very honest type and can get into the placings. (Devonne Govender 1-2-3-4)

RACE 6

(1) Destiny’s Angel was very gutsy in the last start and a bold showing is expected. He is versatile as he has performed well on both surfaces. (7) Meetatthewindsor ran a cracker in the last start and will be right there. (8) Mr Molony was a gutsy winner in the last start and has a light weight so can feature and must be respected. (4) Empire Blue is never far back and can get involved into the placings. ( Devonne Govender 1-7-8-4)

RACE 7

(1) Knockout is a quality horse and will be the firm first selection in this line up. She represents strong Cape form and will be a big runner. (4) As Fate Has It is holding solid form and another decent run can expected. (2) Gideon’s Daughter is capable of a big finish and has to be respected. (5) Back For More is never far back and make it into the placings. ( Devonne Govender 1-4-2-5)

RACE 8

Open race. (2) Spin Doctor is holding solid form and has the best draw so must be respected. His last run was very good and if he can repeat that he will have a huge winning chance. (3) No Place Like Home ran an absolute cracker in the last start and another bold showing can be expected. (6) Painite is another who is in good form and will have a winning chance. (11) Electric Storm is holding soling form but does take on stronger here however cannot be overlooked. ( Devonne Govender 2-3-6-11)

Andrew Harrison

Only seven runners are carded for the Betway Pinnacle Stakes over 1800m that heads the card on the Vaal Classic track today.

The evergreen Bingwa heads the line-up but has the steadier of 62kg to shoulder and although rated head and shoulders above his rivals, the weights tell a story. Bottom weight Master Christmas will only shoulder 50kg and given the relative handicap ratings Lucky Houdalakis’ charge is on a par on straight handicap terms. But 12kg is a lot of pudding to give away and could be the difference between winning and losing.

Tony Peter sends out Meridius, an end-to-end winner over course and distance last time out. The son of Canford Cliffs was not short of market confidence that afternoon and was confidently backed into the red. Runner-up was Good Council who wasn’t making much impression at the death but stayed on resolutely. He was subsequently sent over 2600m by Stuart Pettigrew, finishing four lengths behind Raisahallelujah. Good Council carries 48kg courtesy of apprentice Nirvan Nastili’s 2kg claim which sees his mount 6kg better off with Meridius which should see the tables turned.

Supporting ‘feature’ is the Betway FM 91 Handicap over a mile and the much improved Across The Pond who was bidding for her third win on the bounce has been scratched which could leave the way for the top weight Betula and Pettigrew looking for a quick double. Rested for nearly seven months, the daughter of Danon Platina has come on strong and has her third run after a break which should see her strip at her peak. She was running on well when third last time out and the step up in trip should not be of concern and Calvin Habib will be hunting the first box rather than second having finish runner-up on 30 occasions so far this season with only 11 winners behind his name.

As speculated in this column last Thursday, Piere Strydom would likely coax improvement out of Littlemarysunshine after the mare had showing little interest at her two previous outings. She didn’t quite make the winner’s box, finishing a close-up second to well-fancied Olivia’s Way and Mike de Kock has backed her up relatively quickly. If Littlemarysunshine can build on that effort she will be a runner in this line-up.

Matchett will have taken a dim view of the handicapper’s assessment of Vulcanite’s maiden win, lumbering her with a hefty rating of 96. Granted, it was her first run over a mile beating Lacewing by over eight lengths but this is a far cry from a maiden event. 

However, if Vulcanite is as good as the handicappers deem her to be then she will also be a serious runner as this will only be her fourth visit to the racetrack and one can expect a little further improvement.

It could pay to follow the money in the opening leg of the Pick 6 where four runners make most appeal. Greenhouse and Faithful Mistress both showed up well in their debut sprints, Greenhouse relatively short in the betting but Faithful Mistress friendless. Both step up to what should be a more suitable trip although both have wide gates. Explosive Gift finished a distant fourth on debut but did find some market support. Like the afore mention pair, she too should enjoy the step up in trip. Sean Tarry saddles Saudi Sweep who has placed in all three starts and the form of her last run has been franked.

Hat Trick Or Treat is likely to start at cramped odds for the fourth. He made most of the running at his last start but found one too good for him in Red Legend. He drops back in trip from a good draw and should make a bold bid. Drawn alongside is Exceedingly Glam who was rested after making a fair debut. She comes from a strong stable and she can improve while Arctic Owl makes her debut for Tony Peter and is one to watch in the market.

 Gray has a strong chance in the last two races where Raymond Danielson takes over from Muzi Yeni on Twostep Queen after the scratching of Free In Seattle. Twostep Queen finished a close-up third behind stable companion Across The Pond last time out and looks the part in this line-up..

In the last, Risky Business, a daughter of the champion mare Dancewiththedevil, who tries for her fifth win in succession. It will not be an easy task as she garnered an eight-point rise in the handicap for her last effort. But it was a win full of merit and although up in class she does look capable.

Should she not run up to expectations, Kotinos had the form of her last run franked with the second placed horse winning while Confederate is a lightly raced colt who showed up well in his handicap debut.

Soccer10 ADD-IN: R100 000 on Friday 4 October 2024 – Pool Closes at 20h00, Sport 8 and Pool 1 – Estimated Pool: R1.8 Million

Rugby 8 Win Margin on Friday 4 October 2024 C/Over R 27 411 – Pool Closes 20h35, Sport 65

Soccer10 ADD-IN: R100 000 on Saturday, 5 October – Pool Closes at 16h00, Sport 15 Pool 1 – Estimated Pool: R1.8 Million

Soccer13 Guaranteed Pool on Saturday, 5 October, Guaranteed Pool: R30 Million 13 of 13 Pool Closes at 15h15, Sport 10 and Pool 1.

Soccer Any 13Xtra C/Over R100 000 on Saturday, 5 October 2024. Pool Closes at 13h30. Sport 13 and Pool 1. Estimated Pool: R400 000

Local Quartet pools with fractional betting on selected UK race meetings will return to the TabGold betting menu from this Thursday following a mixed reception from customers to the introduction of commingled Quartet pools on all UK and Irish race meetings last month.

Such commingled Quartet pools have been welcomed in some quarters, but many TabGold customers have complained that this has resulted in them being unable to play fractional Quartet bets on UK races.

TabGold have taken note of the complaints and from this Thursday 12 September customers can enjoy the best of both worlds. As before local Quartet pools with fractional betting will be offered on two UK meetings most days with commingled Quartet pools on all other UK and Irish meetings.

Whether an Irish or UK meeting has local or commingled pools will be displayed clearly on Tab sheet race cards in store and online.

Unfortunately for several reasons, including vast differences in exchange rates, it is not technically possible to offer fractional bets on pools commingled internationally.

The minimum unit for commingled bets is R1 (more in the case of countries like the USA) and this is itself a fractional bet in international tote pools.

As an example, the unit of a UK Tote Quartet is one Pound and a customer playing a R1-unit Quartet with TabGold on a UK race is buying about 1/24th of the bet, depending on the exchange rate on the day. And if that bet is the only winning ticket, the customer will get 1/24th of the pool and the remainder will be carried over. To get the full UK Tote payout on a commingled Quartet requires playing the bet to a R24 unit.

That aside, the introduction of commingled Quartet bets has given TabGold customers many more opportunities to play Quartets on UK and Irish races, and access to bigger pools and payouts.

David Thiselton

The KZN Racing awards will be held on 30 August in the Classic Room at Hollywoodbets Greyville and there is going to be a quandary this year about the KZN Horse Of The Season just as there was last year.

The Horse Of The Year award, unlike the other awards, are open to horses from the yards of trainers who are not domiciled in KZN as long as the subject horse has had three or more runs in KZN. It can thus be won by an out of province horse who has excelled in KZN during the season. The other awards can only be won by horses from KZN  yards, although Glen Kotzen and Dean Kannemeyer count as KZN yards because they have had satellite yards in KZN for many years.

The Horse Of The Year exclusion was probably made due to there not being a suitable candidate for some seasons in recent times. However, should not genuine KZN-trained horses like the Michael Roberts-trained See It Again last year and the Nathan Kotzen-trained Royal Victory this year be acknowledged in some way? Everybody in the industry would have viewed the former as the best horse from KZN in the 2022/2023 season, although the Peter Muscutt-trained Isivunguvungu could also have laid a claim, and this season Royal Victory is viewed by all and sundry as the best horse from KZN, although the Gareth van Zyl-trained Flag Man could also lay a claim having performed better on paper than Royal Victory in both the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Durban July and Gr 1 wfa HKJC Champions Cup.

The Highveld racing awards could also potentially lead to an out of province horse being named Horse Of The Season. They are actually called the Highveld Feature Season awards as they go on performances of horses on the Highveld in features races during the season. Royal Victory was thus named the Champion Middle Distance Horse and Champion Older Male in the Highveld feature Season awards this year and he was only ousted in the Horse Of The Season award by the outstanding Mike de Kock-trained Gimme A Nother.

However, the big difference is that the Highveld features only have a sprinkling of out of province horses competing in them. The Horse Of The Season award will virtually always be won by a Highveld horse and was this year it went to the outstanding Mike de Kock-trained Gimme A Nother, even though Royal Victory became the first out of province horse in history to win both of the Highveld’s biggest races, the Gr 1 Betway Summer Cup and the Gr 1 World Pool Premier’s Champions Challenge.

The KZN horses, on the other hand, have to compete with every champion from every province, because all champions from around the country descend on KZN for the three month long world famous racing festival, The Champions Season.

Last year the Horse Of The Season was won by the Sean Tarry-trained Princess Calla, who won three Gr 1s in KZN during the season.

This year the favourite must be the Mike de Kock-trained Dave The King. He qualifies because he ran in KZN three times in the season and he won two open weight for age Gr 1s in KZN. He was in fact the only horse in the country to have won two open wfa Gr 1s last season.

However, Royal Victory is a history-making KZN horse. On top of being the first out of province horse to do the Highveld double of the Summer Cup and Premier’s Champions Challenge, he is in fact the first out of province horse to have ever won the Premier’s Champions Challenge and the second out of province horse this millennium to have won the Summer Cup.

He could well go home empty-handed on KZN Awards night. If Dave The King is to be named Horse Of The Season then he must also surely be named Champion Older Male. Furthermore, the Dean Kannemeyer-trained Green With Envy ran three times in KZN during the season, so qualifies for awards as explained earlier by Kannemeyer’s KZN status, and like Royal Victory he won two middle distance Gr 1s during the season and one of them was in KZN, so he must be in pole position to win the Middle Distance award.

So the widely acknowledged best horse in KZN, Royal Victory, might be completely unacknowledged in his home province.

There are special awards occasionally put on at racing award ceremonies and this might be a case in point of creating one.

However, what would probably be better considering the realities of racing in KZN during any given season, would be to create a new permanent award to acknowledge KZN’s best horse of the season. The award should only be open to horses from KZN yards.