It was tough going at Hollywoodbets Greyville last Friday night and it could be equally testing for punters on the poly at the same venue this afternoon. That said, the harder the going the better the rewards for those who do their homework.

There are no obvious exotic bet bankers on the card and race-by-race may be the way to go.

Tuscan Kiss and Duran could be the exacta in the card opener in what is a tricky race with thin form. Tuscan Kiss ran a fair race behind his stable companion Kingston Rock last start and meets weaker here. Duran has disappointed Gary Rich on more than one occasion as he has expected more from his charge that has shown ability at home. The Rich stable is in form and Duran can improve on recent showings. Of the balance, Shining Bright has found market support at recent starts and reverts to a sprint which could help.

In the second, Irish Pearl was backed at long odds last start and made good improvement in cheek pieces. She has drawn wide but this is only her fourth start so could have more to come and offers more scope than Amberbell and Retrial. This pair look the more obvious but Amberbell is a long-timer battler although not far back at recent outings while Retrial was a short-head behind Amberbell when last they met so there should not be much between the two again although Amberbell has the better draw. Enrapture improved nicely second time out and has a winning chance in a weak field.

The lightly raced Gwendolyn won well second time out and looks progressive in a modest field when she lines up in the opening leg of the Pick 6. San’s Dancer has run two cracking races for her new stable and the step up in trip should suit so she could prove the biggest threat. Of the balance, season veteran Royal Kaitrina is never far back and comes from a form stable and although S’Manga Khumalo puts up 1kg over-weight that should not be enough to stop her putting in a big effort.

Velvet Season has a bright chance in the fourth and is overdue a first win as he is rated way better than the majority of this field. He has a good draw to boot. Biggest danger could come in the form of Smart Sox who has only had two starts for Dean Kannemeyer. He made a promising debut on the poly and although he was a distant fourth on the turf next up he can do better back on the synthetic surface.

The fifth is wide open but recent maiden winner Royal Kitty has shown ability and won unextended. That was a moderate maiden line-up and she meets a lot stronger this time around. Such A Rush has excellent form on the poly and Lowan Denysschen’s yard is in good form of late while Arrabiata, Stormborne Thunder, Blue Flower and Fire Faerie all warrant consideration in a difficult race.

Candle Rock showed signs of returning to form last start and Jeff Freedman’s filly was backed at long odds. She is down in class and although drawn a little wide she should put in a big effort. Track & Ball have her at 10-1 which are attractive odds. Smiley Kylie has been rested but Garth van Zyl’s filly has put in two smart efforts on the poly and if not short of a gallop will be right there. La Valette has been rested but was not far back in strong feature company last outing while Purple Persuasion is at the top of the ante-post boards with Smiley Kylie.

The seventh is another open handicap but Made In Hollywood has had two outings for his new stable and has made marked improvement. At 12-1 in the ante-post market he looks fair value. Favourite is recent winner Graduate who scored comfortably at his last two. He got a four-point penalty for that last win but should still be competitive. Hey Boy is quick and goes very well on the poly and gets weight from most of his biggest rivals.

Kom Naidoo sends out a steady stream of winners from his Ashburton yard and he could round off the meeting with Fives Wild who takes a big drop in class and with 4kg claimer Xola Jacobs up should have a big chance in this line-up. Others to watch are Jerry The Juggler, Alphamikefoxtrot and Ninotto in another wide open contest.

By Andrew Harrison

To take a bet go to www.tabgold.co.za or www.trackandball.co.za

Mike de Kock said Hawwaam would definitely be avoiding the Gauteng Summer Cup, for which he is the ruling favourite with bookmakers in the ante-post market.

De Kock said the champion Silvano colt was being targeted at the L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate and the Sun Met.

He plans to run him in two Pinnacle Stakes events in Johannesburg before taking him down to Cape Town.  

De Kock’s charge

Mike de Kock runs four horses in Saturday’s Grade 2 Peermont Emperor’s Palace Charity Mile, including topweight and favourite Buffalo Bill Cody.

This talented Irish-bred entire cost himself any chance last time in the Grade 2 Jo’burg Spring Challenge over 1450m, dwelling and losing a few lengths. 

De Kock said, “He has been flying out the gates at home and always works well and this is probably his best trip. But he is becoming quite coltish and we have no intention of gelding him as he has great potential at stud. So if he misbehaves again I will have to sit down with Mary (Slack) and reconsider his future.”

The Redoute’s Choice five-year-old is unbeaten in four starts over a mile and in his first attempt at black type in last season’s strong Grade 1 Champions Cup over 1800m he wasn’t disgraced, finishing 2,90 lengths behind Rainbow Bridge.

He is merit rated 125 so has to give 1,5kg to the second top weights on Saturday and he has to jump from a tricky draw of 12 too, so his odds of around 2/1 look a bit cramped.

All three of De Kock’s other candidates, Barahin, Cascapedia and Noble Secret, have the Gauteng Summer Cup as their main target.

De Kock said about Barahin, who carries 58,5kg off his merit rating of 122, “I was happy with his last run, although he wants a bit further and could do with another run under the belt. He is doing well but is another who needs gelding.”

He said about his six-year-old Irish-bred mare Cascapedia, “She needs another run to reach her peak as she had a long holiday on the farm. But I expect improvement on her last run.”

He said about Noble Secret. “His last run was his first after a wind op so he needs another run and he needs further.” 

By David Thiselton

Last Winter will have his second race in Britain in a 2 400m Listed event on the all-weather at Kempton next Monday.

According to Lady Laidlaw’s racing manager Jehan Malherbe, Sir Michael Stoute has yet to finalise riding arrangements as Ryan Moore – who rode last year’s Sun Met second on his British debut – will be in Australia for the Melbourne Cup.

The now six-year-old’s previous British run was in last month’s Chasemore Farm Fortune Stakes, a Listed race over a mile at Sandown, when he finished last of six but was beaten less than seven lengths – a reasonable effort considering he had been off for 20 months. He took a keen hold, was ridden two furlongs out but was unable to make much impression.

Bernard Fayd’Herbe, sidelined on medical advice since the end of last season, resumes at Kenilworth on Saturday when he has been booked for the first seven of the eight races including, somewhat appropriately, Bernie in the Tellytrack.com Handicap.

Kampala Campari, ruled out of the Durbanville pinnacle won by stable companion Head Honcho a fortnight ago because of a temperature, has been given top weight of 61kg in the Woolavington Handicap at Kenilworth on November 9. Candice Bass-Robinson, bidding to win the 2 400m test for the third year in a row, has the biggest entry with three – Pacific Chestnut, Celestial Prince and Ballad Of The Sea.

The Milnerton trainer is also responsible for nine of the 29 entries for the Laisserfaire Stakes on the same card including three of the four highest rated – Santa Clara, Freedom Charter and Nous Voila.

By Michael Clower

Sean Tarry has saddled the runner up for the last two year’s in the Grade 2 Peermont Emperor’s Palace Charity Mile and will be hoping to go one better this year with one of his four contestants.

Tilbury Fort made his seasonal reappearance in this race last year and finished a short-head second and he comes in fresh again. 

Tarry said, “He is doing very well but I would have liked another week or two with him. He is slightly underdone and I feel he was a little fitter last year but this can’t be quantified and we are mindful that he runs well fresh.”

The six-year-old Horse Chestnut gelding ran off a 103 merit rating last year, so off a 118 this year is effectively five points higher if the ten point across the board raise is taken into account. He is drawn one lower than last year in eight.

Four-year-old Zillzaal is merit rated 114 so carries 54,5kg, 2kg less than Tilbury Fort, and he is drawn well in seven. He is by Silvano so should be improving all the time and Tarry said recent gelding has also helped. He said, “He has always had the ability but he wasn’t producing in his races. Although he was running decent races he wasn’t finishing them off. So, it was nice in his last race to see the gelding had the desired effect. He was well weighted there but he did what he had to do at the business end of the race. I think he is competitively weighted on Saturday and has a lot in his favour. This is part of his preparation for the Summer Cup but that doesn’t mean to say he can’t win.”

Tarry’s exciting four-year-old filly In The Dance, merit rated 111, has as good a turn of foot as her half-brother Capetown Noir and being by miler Gimmethegreenlight should relish the step up to this trip. Tarry was not concerned about her draw of eleven, saying she was likely to be dropped out. He said, “We haven’t got to the bottom of her yet and she’s fit and well, but it would have been nice to have another run under the belt going into this tough mile.”

He runs the six-year-gelding Pilou from a draw of nine and he sneaks into the handicap with bottom weight off his 109 merit rating.

Tarry said, “He showed at Greyville he doesn’t have to lead, although he will like to be handy. He is doing very well and was short of his best in his last run so he has had a nice preparation.”

By David Thiselton

Celestial Storm at 11-2 could be the answer to the Interbet.co.za Pinnacle Stakes at Kenilworth today, particularly as the M.J. Byleveld-ridden bottom weight is so well treated.

The weights in pinnacles are determined by merit ratings, but in bands of five points at a time, and the best horses tend to come out marginally better than in a normal handicap. However fillies and mares receive a 2.5kg allowance which they don’t get in a handicap and on adjusted ratings here the selection comes out equal top with Bold Respect – and the pair are 2kg clear of the next best (Sergeant Hardy who doesn’t seem to be quite the force he was).

Bold Respect has not raced since the Mercury Sprint three months ago whereas Celestial Storm won a conditions race at Durbanville before taking third to Pacific Trader in a pinnacle there a month ago. She would probably have finished second had she had a clear run.

The danger could well be Bold Respect’s stable companion Traces, the mount of Anton Marcus. This one suffered serious interference in that pinnacle, not once but twice, and Brett Crawford said: “He was in need of the race – it was his first run since having a wind op – and he has come on a hell of a lot since.”

What A Flirt caught the eye on debut at Durbanville earlier in the month and gets the vote to reverse the placings with Silver Tiara in the Play Soccer 6 Maiden (race two). It might seem folly to suggest she can turn the tables on the in-form Glen Kotzen/ Morne Winnaar combination. However Greg Cheyne, who rode Silver Tiara last time, is now on the Paddy Kruyer runner who is bound to have come on from the run and has only half a length to make up.

It could pay to follow the Crawford-Marcus-Ridgemont combination in races three, four and five. It is unlikely that all three will win but they all have chances and the Crawford stable is in tremendous form with 14 winners at the last seven Cape Town meetings.

Duke Of Cards (33-10) in the 2 400m maiden (race three) has the weakest chance of the trio and, being out of a Trippi mare, there must be doubts about him getting the trip but his trainer says: “He is a big horse and he is relishing to go this type of distance.”

In the next Water Spirit (28-10) will be having her second run after an enforced rest (a bad sign!) when she had problems behind the saddle but apparently she has come on since her fourth-placed return seven weeks ago.

Flame Tree (22-10 for race five) was good enough to win first time out but lost ground at the off when tried in handicap company on Matchem day. Her trainer says: “Her work at home has been good.”

By Michael Clower