The Vaal Inside track has a ten race meeting tomorrow and a lot of homework will be needed to land a slice of the exotic dividends as the racing is generally competitive.

However, the best bet of the day is selected to be Oceania, who runs in the first leg of the PA. She stayed on well from way back when drawn wide over this 1400m trip on debut to run third. She should be closer to the action down the straight and being by Ideal World will be improving.

The Assessment Plate over 1000m is next up. Scoop has been selected to win as he looks to be going places and the form of his two comeback wins has worked out well. However, if he is not bankered it is wide open. Topmast has some decent form and in a handicap would only be receiving 1kg from Scoop but is receiving 4kg so it might be wise to include him. The only older horse in the field, State Trooper, has always been well regarded and was highly tried as a three-year-old. His only two career wins have been over sprints so he can’t be ignored trying the minimum trip for the first time. Heavenly Risk is the joint second best in at the weights together with Topmast. However, he does looks held by Scoop on collateral form so some would want to leave him out. Basilius also has to be included as he is not only the best weighted horse on official merit ratings but on the evidence of his last start will appreciate the step down to the minimum trip and he might try and run them of their feet in his second run after a layoff.

The first leg of the Jackpot could be won by Colour Of Light who has pace and an accompanying kick, meaning she is ideally suited to this 1000m trip. She has dropped to a mark six points lower than her last win and showed signs of a form return in her third run after a layoff last time, so she should be cherry ripe. Lily Theresa has been most disappointing in her last two starts. However, she was found to not be striding out both times and if bouncing back she will have many of this field beaten on the form of her first run on the Highveld, which was over 1000m on the Turffontein Inside track. Those two are chosen to get punters through the Pick 6. However, for the less risky bet, the Jackpot, more runners can be included headed by See You Tyger, who won her maiden easily. Opera, Memphis Belle, Lady Of The World, Vine Street Star and Illegal are the others to consider.

In the next race Alpine Glacier is a consistent sprinter who has been given a two point lowering by the handicapper and he also has a 2,5kg claimer up, so can get it right over his ideal 1000m trip. Brigtnumberten had some useful earlier form and has plummeted 18 points down the ratings since last May so is also a must include in his second run after a layoff over an ideal trip. Sugoi looks a lot like his father, Noordhoek Flyer, who was a well muscled and athletic red chestnut who had a lot of speed. Noordhoek Flyer has been a disappointing sire but if Sugoi produces either of his best two runs he could be in the shake up. Those three are chosen to get punters through the Pick 6 but the former Cape Town horse Tarsus made a decent Highveld debut and can be included in the Jackpot.

In the seventh race over 1400m the top class SA Fillies Nursery and Starling Stakes winner Ronnie’s Candy was caught wide in the Fillies Mile but  showed how good she is by still managing to stay on for third. Then last time in the Three Troikas over this trip she cost herself by racing too strongly from a wide draw and she not surprisingly faded out. If Karl Zechner can settle her in behind horses this time she will be hard to beat, but on the evidence of those last two starts she is not an easy ride. Blossom is by Silvano out of the Triple Tiara winner Cherry On The Top and looks promising. She does still have a lot to prove but should be improving all the time and could be the chief danger along with Greener Pastures, whose recent form has been franked.

In the last leg of the Jackpot What A Joker brings decent Cape Town form and looks to be running off a suppressed merit rating so is the selection over a suitable 1400m trip. Lazarus Tree has run seven times and has won comfortably three times. However, he has otherwise run ordinary races. He has made respiratory noises in his last two defeats, so that might explain it. He will go close if all goes well. Lock Him Up has turned the corner since the blinkers were removed and has to be included. Rocky Path, Street Flyer and Old Man Tyme also make some appeal and can be included.

The last leg of the Pick 6 is competitive. Manhattan Cocktail looks to have some class and is the selection to beat the more experienced handicappers Sovereign Rein, Manitoba, Bold Coast, Judd’s Rocket and Master Boulder, who are all in form and distance suited.

By David Thiselton

Candice Bass-Robinson will have urgent discussions with Gaynor Rupert and Kevin Sommerville this morning to decide on the Met day target for Fillies Guineas fifth Santa Clara who had no problem in landing the odds in the Tab Telebet Handicap at Kenilworth on Saturday.

The Milnerton trainer said: “We have three options – the Bidvest Majorca, the CTS 1600 and the Cape Derby. I am leaning towards the Derby. I think she will get the trip and the race doesn’t look that strong – either that or the sales race but that is very strong and she is drawn badly.”

Today is also important in Brett Crawford’s quest for the answers to what went wrong with Mushi Sterek in the Interbet.co.za Handicap. The 9-10 shot started going backwards after only 300m and she finished some 60m last. “She went exactly a furlong and then she wouldn’t raise a gallop,” said a mystified Anton Marcus.

The veterinary examination requested by the stipes found nothing but senior stipe Ernie Rodrigues said: “It was too bad a run for something not to be wrong and we have asked the trainer to report back.”

Brett Crawford, more concerned than anybody, went straight to the racecourse stables after the race. When he eventually re-emerged, seemingly completely baffled, he said: “There has to be a reason. You can’t win a race by five lengths and then run like that. I will get her scoped and also get my vet to check her out.”

Could it be something in the filly’s mental make-up? After all, she is known to be far from easy. “I don’t think so,” said the trainer. “She is very forward and all the time we are trying to slow her down.”

Another possibility is her tender mouth. When she won so impressively first time out Marcus said that he had never before ridden a horse with such a sensitive mouth. For most of that race he sat motionless with his hands on her withers and the lightest possible hold on the reins.

On Saturday she was tossing her head about as she went down to the start with a companion. Maybe, despite her rider’s best efforts, she had felt pain in her mouth on debut and she was remembering it.

The winner, almost unnoticed in all the fuss over the favourite, was the Keagan de Melo-ridden Evelina who has won three of her last four for Andre Nel. It wasn’t all puzzlement for Crawford either as he went home with a treble.

Joey Ramsden saddled two for the opening two-year-old race and won with the 13-1 outsider of the pair, the Donovan Dillon-ridden Double Alliance. Stable companion Ibra (third) was found to be making an abnormal respiratory noise. There must be a bug going round because no less than six other runners during the day were found to be suffering from the same complaint.

Piet Steyn’s problem was a wonky knee. He had it replaced last Wednesday and so missed seeing Brave Tiger justifying favouritism in the Tabonline.co.za Maiden. Satchmo Mathen, who owns the appropriately named Amazing Satchmo in partnership with Glen Kotzen, had an even more-needed tonic when Liam Tarentaal brought the colt home in front in the mile maiden. Mathen is recovering from a triple bypass operation.

Justin Snaith elected to spend the afternoon with his Met day armada and so father Chris deputised, successfully saddling Stan Becker’s Hurricane Silva for the 1 400m maiden. Snaith snr recalled winning two Mercury Sprints and the 1992 Gilbeys at Scottsville with Signor Amigo for Becker.

Greg Cheyne, successful on Brave Tiger and St Vladimir, has less pleasant memories of the star sprinter – “He went through the rails with me at Clairwood when I was an apprentice and broke my back!”

By Michael Clower

Nobody will be studying the sahorseracing website in the run-up to today’s 11.00am Sun Met declaration deadline more closely than Billy Prestage as he debates whether to run last season’s Premier Trophy winner Milton.

He said: “I am not stupid enough to think he can win (Milton is a 100-1 shot) but I want to see what my chances are of finishing in the first ten, and of getting my money back before I put mine down. I reckon there will be about 15 runners but I would like to see a few more come out.”

It costs a VAT-inclusive R46 000 to declare with stakes being paid up to tenth place – R50 000 for those finishing sixth to tenth.

Prestage adds that it is 43 years since he last had a runner in the great race. “I owned Foreign Agent. Syd Laird trained him when he was third to Sledgehammer in 1975 and my father Robert was the trainer the following year when he was fourth to Gatecrasher.”

No current trainer has won the Met more times than Brett Crawford, the first of whose three wins came with Angus 16 years ago, and he reports Undercover Agent in great shape.

He said: “Undercover Agent came out of his Queen’s Plate run well but the trip is a question mark.”

No such doubts about Eyes Wide Open who beat Do It Again when winning last year’s Cape Derby and Glen Kotzen points out that the four-year-old is much better than his disappointing Peninsula Handicap sixth would suggest, even allowing for top weight. The horse was promptly marked out to 33-1.

The Woodhill trainer said: “Gavin Lerena was caught three wide – the local jocks wouldn’t let him in – and then he got bumped and was knocked out to five wide. Gavin apologised for the ride when he got off but promptly added that he would like to ride the horse in the Met.”

By Michael Clower

Five-times SA champion jockey Mark Khan was in devastating form on the Greyville poly yesterday and brought home four winners on the trot early in the eight race meeting.

Khan’s first winner was aboard the Duncan Howells-trained Mr Greenlight, who was officially 6kg under sufferance with the filly Twice As Smart according to official merit ratings in the Graduation Plate event over 1600m. However, he has not yet had the chance to prove himself like the latter has and showed yesterday he will be a force to be reckoned with when he is given those opportunities.

Khan had him handy on the flank of the leader and in the straight he simply drew away as he pleased to obliterate them by 2,8 lengths. He started at odds of 11/2 but won like an odds on shot and won’t be let loose by the bookmakers again. Howells will send him down for the US$500,000 CTS 1600, presuming this impressive win will see the final field selection panelists giving him the nod.

Khan rode an enterprising race from the front in the next race over 1600m on the Lezanne Forbes-trained Ato filly Easy Ginger to win by 4,10 lengths.  The favourite Roy’s Novice proved in need of the run as the Wright yard had stated beforehand.

In the second leg of the Pick 6 over 1200m Khan did exceptionally well to win comfortably on the Forbes-trained Special Force as this Crusade gelding was barged off course in the early stages.

Khan made it a four in the next over 1200m on the enigmatic Kumaran Naidoo-trained Roy’s Magic as this Foxwedge Australian-bred gelding needs things to go his way before producing his good turn of foot and Khan ensured he was covered up and relaxed throughout.

The meeting began with an easy win for Marzipan Path in his first run for the Nathan Kotzen yard. Anton Marcus converted 11/10 odds which proved generous as this Eightfold Path filly has plenty of substance and won by 2,7 lengths without being hard pressed.

The sixth race over 1200m looked the most open on the card and the Sean Tarry-trained Seventh Rock filly In Full Bloom held on from a handy position under Luke Ferraris to convert 9/1 odds.

In the seventh the in form Andre Nel and Gareth Wright combination had another winner when the Black Minnaloushe gelding Dance Off came from off the pace to catch the favourite High Green close to home.

In the last race over 1900m the favourite Moschino went out like a light when asked for extra in the straight but luckily for Pick 6 punters the market rival Paybackthemoney, a long-striding Marchfield gelding, swooped to win comfortably under Donavan Dillon to give Nathan Kotzen a double.  

By David Thiselton

The exotics will be the way to approach Sunday’s Greyville meeting as there are five plate races on the card, although there are three tricky handicaps in the middle legs of the Pick 6.

The highest rated race is the fifth, a MR 78 Handicap over 1200m. The selection to win is the promising Solid Gold, who has a fair draw of six in the ten horse field, and is distance suited. He finished within a length of the 97 merit rated Desolate Road over this trip on the turf last time at level weights in a Graduation Plate, which gives him a fine chance on paper in this handicap event. However, if the second horse is taken into account he merely ran to his 77 rating, which puts a different light on the performance. This will also be his second run after a layoff. Beyond him it is a nightmare and he will either have to be bankered or the entire field will have to be included.

In the first leg of the PA, a Graduation Plate over 1600m, the promising Mr Greenlight is chosen as the best bet on the card, although he will be better suited to further in time. He looks to be above average and has an exceptional turn of foot.

In the first leg of the Pick 6 over 1600m Roy’s Novice has fine form over this trip and has a good draw of two. Easy Ginger was cramped when being stepped up to this trip last time and with better luck in running has a shout and should be included.

In the first leg of the Jackpot over 1200m Lucara has been knocking hard and has a 4kg claimer aboard. His draw of two will suit his handy style. Solsbury Hill has run well against two fair sorts and will be a big runner too with Anton Marcus up. Special Force has a form chance too but does have a wide draw to overcome.

In the sixth race over 1200m Snow Path is an interesting raider from the Highveld. She sneaks into the handicap with the minimum weight of 52 and has a 4kg claimer up too. Her form on the Highveld is not bad in the context of this race and the only concern is her wide draw. Sarabi ran on strongly over 1000m last time and only just failed so should do well here. Innocently Naughty was making late headway over 1000m and will appreciate the step up in trip. Flamenco Dancer can be included from a good draw off an attractive merit rating. Everlasting Love and Carfree should also be put into the Pick 6.

In the seventh over 1900m High Green is a banker consideration with a 4kg claimer up over a step up in trip he will relish. The form of his last two runs looks strong and he has the perfect draw of five for this track.

In the last race over 1900m Moschino has Marcus up having come from last with the great rider aboard over 1800m last time and run out of race track. He would have learnt from that outing so will go close, although Paybackthemoney made a fair debut when green and should also be included.

By David Thiselton