Much will rest on the shoulders of Victoria Paige and young Luke Ferraris at the Vaal tomorrow. On an eight card that looks none to easy, Sean Tarry’s filly will be top of the boards and also a popular exotic bet banker when she lines up in the fourth.

The daughter of Captain Al has not been out since the end of July where she finished just over two lengths behind the highly rated Gabor in the Gr1 eThekwini Stakes. However, she did not enjoy the best of draws after winning her first two races and a wide draw on the tight Hollywoodbets Greyville track can be problematic especially in top class company. She drew 13 out of 14 in the Gr2 Golden Slipper and nine out of 14 in the eThekwini.

The four month break is of concern but Victoria Paige appears to have scared off most of the opposition as she only faces six rivals in the Betting World Graduation Plate and should prove difficult to beat as her logical next mission will probably lie at Kenilworth given that the African Horse Sickness issue has been resolved.

The opening leg of the Pick 6 could rest between Atiaaf and the year older Midnight Top. Mike de Kock’s filly ran like she needed a good blow-out when fading late in his first run back after starting favourite on debut back in January. She is almost certain to have come on from her recent effort.

Midnight Top is a long-time battler and has been up-and-down in trip in a career spanning 17 starts. However, St John Gray appears to have got to the bottom of her as she has put in two stout recent performances and will be a threat to Atiaaf.

Three Peaks is another possible contender. Paul Peter’s filly finished a distance second at her second start but given the stable record she cannot be over-looked with any certainty. Three winners have since come out of that race.

Mike de Kock holds a strong hand in the fifth. Vaseem returned from a lengthy lay-off to win well over a distance that appears shot of his best. He can put one over stable companion Your Pace Or Mine who does return from a long break and gelding. Although winning his maiden at his second start, he may just need this outing. Leopold has put in two smart efforts since his maiden win and just beaten last time out. Gavin Lerena, who rides Your Pace Of Mine for his retained stable, will know just what he is up against.

The sixth is a mighty difficult race with any one of ten runners in with winning chances. A tentative vote goes to Malteza. Although she shed her maiden in a work riders race followed up with a cracking effort first up in handicap company when coming from the clouds. Her stable is in form and apprentice Philisande Mxoli will be dead keen for his first win. Empress shed her maiden at second time of asking and appears to have some scope while Decadent Lady caught all with their pants down when winning at 100-1. She was coming off a break and with a blue-blood pedigree one could expect her to find form at some time.

The advice in the exotics is to fill up.

The seventh s another tricky event over 2400m but Master And Man seldom puts in a bad effort and goes well over this trip. He is 2kg better off with At Hand who boasts a win and three seconds in his last four outings and should stay the extra. Before Noon was running on smartly over the trip last run last run and is 2kg better off with Skiminac who is in mustard form of late but could be hard-pressed to confirm the form. Major Return sports blinkers for the first time but does have a tricky outside draw.

Cairon, Ideal Man and Numberninteynine stand out in the last with the majority of the opposition short on any meaningful form.

By Andrew Harrison

Glasses will be raised at Flamingo Park today as those connected with the Kimberley course celebrate Phumelela’s decision to lift the axe that for the past three months has been hanging over the track like the sword of Damocles.

Few are more entitled to celebrate than Cliffie Miller who apparently played a major, and largely unheralded, part in saving the course which has been his life for more than four decades.

Miller, leading trainer at Flamingo Park last season and second on the log at the moment, said: “When they announced at the end of August that the course was to close after this week’s meeting I said ‘Nonsense. It can’t happen like that. We have our houses here, it’s not simply a matter of packing up and going somewhere else. I personally have been at Kimberley for 42 years.’

“I decided to get the ball rolling and I went to see the people who have stepped in to save the course (Gold Circle, Mary Slack and Hollywoodbets) and thankfully they decided to get together to keep us going for at least another year. They are the real heroes of all this.”

Miller is confident that, thanks to the new backers, the course has a future well beyond the next 12 months – “They say that they are looking at much further than a year.”

When Phumelela announced the closure they pointed out that the course was losing R23.5 million a year and had the lowest TAB turnover in the country at around R3 million. But without Flamingo Park’s 36 meetings a year, mostly on a Monday, the country could struggle to race every day in times of bad weather. South Africa would be down to just seven racecourses – at one time there were more than 90 racing clubs, each with their own racecourse.

Miller points out that the course’s importance to the racing industry should not be measured purely in terms of betting turnover, saying: “We are the only sand track left in South Africa and it is one that is very kind to horses. We buy horses that are bred to race on sand and many of those we get here would only win on sand – you can count on the fingers of one hand those that can also compete on grass. Also there is nowhere else that they can race. We couldn’t take them to Johannesburg because many of them come from there and they did nothing at Turffontein or the Vaal.”

By Michael Clower

Very often when a track has been out of commission for some time it takes the riders a little time to adjust. That was probably the cause of some of the pain punters had to endure as favourites fell short of their billing and riders wandering all over the track hunting the best going, that two months back proved to be a distant memory at Hollywoodbets Scottsville yesterday.

But as Mark Dixon pointed out after 20-1 chance News Stream had held off favourite Gimme Peace; “the second horse was unlucky but in this game, you take your luck when you can.”

Gimme Peace found traffic as the field bunched up the centre of the track in the 1600m KZN Summer Challenge final and only got out when it was too late. Special Blend found even more trouble. “I was following Keagan (Gimme Peace) but then got carried out,” explained S’Manga Kumalo. “There was nowhere to go so a had to switch in.” Desperately unlucky are words that spring to mind.

Also riding his luck was Merlin From Berlin that benefitted from an incident that nearly saw High Altar and apprentice Thabiso Gumede disappear over the outside fence. Sean Veal on Wealthy hunted a tight gap between Paths Of Victory and High Altar in the straight resulting in Wealthy cannoning into High Altar costing her any chances she had.

Wealthy got off relatively lightly and chased hard but Merlin From Berlin got home by a neck.

The stipes had the incident on multiple video replays and will be looking into the incident.

Master Keys, touched off in a PE raid last time out, was back in the winner’s circle as she put in a sustained finish to win the River Indigo Handicap (Non-Black Type). Helped by a solid early gallop, she was always handy under Khumalo, and the top weight quickened like a good horse.

This was her fifth win from ten outings in the colours of Alderman Rob Haswell and Nathan Kotzen has the Gr3 Flamboyant Stakes at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Boxing Day pencilled in as her next target. Her win was the first of a Kotzen double with Merlin From Berlin the second leg.

Yogas Govender saddled the first juvenile winner of the current KZN season as Harlington Express out-gunned the filly Magicallee in a tight finish much to the delight of rider Billy Jacobson who is on a hot streak at present. Visiting colt Accomplishment was sent out favourite but was not match for the first two home, beaten a furlong out.

Govender was back in the winner’s box soon after as Quatro Five Six made full use of the fresh Scottsville turf. Starting from the widest draw only to finish up on the inside fence. Seasoned jockey Sherman Brown was content to let his mount drift for fear of breaking his stride as his mount was clear of the opposition. Experience is an invaluable asset in race-riding.

Favourite Avro Lancaster scraped home to keep many PA punters alive but the Bi-Pot nose-dived in the first leg as rank outsider’s filler the first two places.

In A Minute, paying just short of R70 a win on the tote, and Fateful Mistress, R8.90 a place, got home ahead of favourite Explosive Beauty, consigning most Bi-Pot tickets to the bin.

Denis Schwarz, soon to drop his apprentice tag and fresh from his victory in the Gr 1 Gauteng Summer Cup, is riding at the top of his game, and flew home to Gauteng with a double. He rode a pearler on the Gareth van Zyl’s filly Slievanorra in the fourth, coming from way back to snatch victory to follow up on Celebration Rock, getting Paul Lafferty’s import home by the shortest of short heads from the filly Marsanne.

By Andrew Harrison

The Vaal straight track features one of the most exciting races of the season tomorrow, the WSB Grand Heritage over 1475m, and a field of 28 will go to post.

The one to beat is the highly regarded Riverstown, who was staying on strongly over 1450m last time to be beaten just 1,25 lengths by the classy Ikigai. Riverstown has a merit rating of 104 but has earned it and even then, as a three-year-old, he only has to carry 53,5kg. The draw always plays a part in this big field race but if there is a bias it is usually on the outside and that is where Riverstown is drawn. Against the Grain is talented and as one who had an interrupted three-year-old campaign he is lightly raced and could still be ahead of the handicapper. This is an ideal distance and he will be cherry ripe having his third run after a layoff.

Social Order has some class and has recently proved himself useful over sprint distances so as one who stays a lot further this trip should be ideal. These three could get punters through all of the exotics. For those who want to go wider the two in form mares Aurelia Cotta and Florida Quays are drawn on the right side and are distance suited. Fired Up is proving useful and is distance suited but the unknown is whether his low draw will be a disadvantage. Danza can never be ignored over this trip and last year’s winner of the Grand Heritage match race final, Dan The Lad, also has a shout off a competitive merit rating. 

Order has some class and has recently proved himself useful over sprint distances so as one who stays a lot further this trip should be ideal. These three could get punters through all of the exotics. For those who want to go wider the two in form mares Aurelia Cotta and Florida Quays are drawn on the right side and are distance suited. Fired Up is proving useful and is distance suited but the unknown is whether his low draw will be a disadvantage. Danza can never be ignored over this trip and last year’s winner of the Grand Heritage match race final, Dan The Lad, also has a shout off a competitive merit rating. 

In the Non-Black type WSB Sophomore 1000 Spring Break returns from a 133 day layoff but in her previous start on Gold Cup day in the Grade 3 Umkhomazi Stakes over 1200m against the boys she only just failed to hold on from the classy African Warrior. Her ability can pull her through here. Rio’s Winter was unlucky last time in a feature and could also be in the shake up. Basadi Faith is unbeaten in four starts on the Highveld and her class will help her carry topweight. For wider Donderweer will appreciate the step back in trip and Land Of The Brave looked to be useful over this trip last time. 

In The WSB Consolation the ex-Zimbabwean horse Oden looks useful and should enjoy this 1475m trip, judged on her last start in which she ran on effortlessly over 1200m to win cosily. Putontheredlight will go close if bouncing back from his Graham Beck run, where nothing went right. Mr Greenlight has shown touches of class and enjoys this distance. Lake Kinnaret has ability and will be finishing well and In Cahoots has a drop in class over a suitable trip so could earn.

The first leg of the Pick 6 is an uninspiring contest over 2400m and Martha is the obvious horse. These staying maidens can produce upsets though and Irish Dame, The Joceleyn Tree, Carry Me Carrie and Alicante also warrant consideration.

In the fifth race over 2000m Evening Bell is a scopey sort who will relish stepping back up to the 2000m trip of her maiden win. Jacko Boy is improving all the time and goes for a distance hattrick and the talented Jet Start also has to be included, despite having her second run after a layoff.

The last leg of the Pick 6 over 2000m could be won by Sammi Moosa who is drawn well and is capable of a strong finish. She enjoys soft going too. The biggest threats could be Smiley River and Itsmydarlin, but Tehuano, Perfect Light and Jive Express also warrant consideration.      

By David Thiselton

Brett Crawford, in tremendous form this season, can start the ball rolling at Kenilworth tomorrow with Sing Out Loud in the first.

The Philippi trainer has had 53 winners – only Alan Greeff (60) and Justin Snaith (57) – have sent out more and Sing Out Loud went into the notebooks after her promising debut over this 1 200m three weeks ago. She was little fancied that day, despite being ridden by Anton Marcus, and she was no match for comfortable winner Queen Of Quiet but she beat everything else in a manner that suggested she would come on enough to beat tomorrow’s opposition.

There are really only two negatives – firstly whether the trip might be a bit sharp for a daughter of Dynasty and secondly that the bookmakers also noted just how promising that first run was and have opened her at odds-on.

Forget O’Girls (9-1) should make the frame and the other main danger is 6-1 second favourite Lady Of The Lake who is returning after a five-month break and is dropping back in trip after two runs over 1 400m.

Crawford also has good prospects of taking race three, the 1 400m Betting World Maiden, with 2-1 favourite Smart William who didn’t start racing until he was four. He meets his rivals on terms 4kg better than weight-for-age and has finished a promising fourth on both his starts. He steps up a furlong here but Corne Orffer has to overcome a poor draw.

That apart, he probably has most to fear from 33-10 second favourite Fade To Black, over three lengths behind last time but again ridden by Marcus and well drawn. Mr Fergie and 4-1 shot Themadirishsheriff would not need to improve all that much.

Sing Out Loud’s running in the first should be a pointer to the chance of Academic Gold in race four because the Andre Nel filly started a warm favourite when a length and a half behind her last time and is taken to win this.

It could be worth siding with Priceless Ruler in the last even though he has to give 4.5kg to the highly regarded Liberty Hall. The Dennis Drier four-year-old ran significantly above his rating in the Cape Mile and the handicappers were limited to a six point increase. On the debit side he has top weight and 4-1 is plenty short enough

Liberty Hall (also 4-1) ran way below his good Durban form on his return in a sprint handicap and looks a major threat.

By Michael Clower