The Turffontein Inside track stages a nine race meeting on Saturday and it is tricky so the exotics look the way to go.

In the first leg of the PA over 1450m the Philanthropist filly Vivir looks to be a promising three-year-old in the making and in her first handicap off a 95 merit rating she has the advantage of 2,5kg claimer Luke Ferraris up. She has a tricky draw which is a concern as she raced quite strongly until another horse had slotted in front of her last time. On the other hand Ferraris might be happy to allow her to stride out in front as her last race was on the Standside track whereas this tighter track can play into the hands of front runners. Gimme Hope Johanna is a progressive sort who likes to be handy as she has a resolute finish and she can go close off just a three point higher mark than her win over this trip last time.

Whosethebossnow (JC Photographics)

In the first leg of the Pick 6, an Assessment Plate over 2000m, Forest Express is the obvious horse as he is best in  at the weights on official merit ratings and went close in a handicap and a Graduation Plate over this trip in May and July respectively. He might need it having likely come off his AHS vaccinations and is the sort who would prefer the Standside track as he likes to build a finish from off the pace. Therefore, the second best weighted horse, Royal Utopia, and Master Of Magic, who will relish the step up in trip, can be included. Two outsiders who can be considered are Big Parade, who ran some good races in Cape Town and now has his third run after gelding, and Wheel Of Time, who is drawn in pole and could be better than his form suggests.

The first leg of the Jackpot over 2000m is an uninspiring race and the promising sort The Rising Legend could be the one to side with despite not having run for 83 days. He is capable of a strong finish from off the pace and could rise above his 84 merit rating this season. Come The Day is 1,5kg under sufferance but this resolute galloper is progressive and should appreciate the step up in trip. Secret Captain has the class to carry topweight and at this stage of his career should get the trip, although he is a quirky sort who is difficult to predict.

In the sixth race over 1600m Elegancia is taken as the value bet on a tricky card. Last time the trip rather than the handicapper likely got her as the jockey couldn’t hold her in last and decided to rush her around horses coming around the final bend at the Vaal. She not surprisingly faded late in the long straight and should relish the step back to a mile.

The seventh race over 1200m is one of the trickiest races of the exotics. Brave Zndaya is the pick due to his recent liking of front-running tactics and a nice draw over an ideal course and distance. Kissmeinmydreams is an improved sort who could also go close, but going as wide as possible is the suggestion.

The eighth over 1450m is an Assessment Plate where Rings And Things is chosen as the day’s best bet despite being considerably under sufferance on official merit ratings. Her third place finish in the CTS 1600 was a performance way above her current 89 merit rating and she will probably be fitter than the other lively contenders Rose In Bloom and Ghaalla having had a recent run.

The last race over 1450m is the trickiest on the card as many are returning from layoffs. Whosethebosnow has had two grass gallops and could be the one to side with from pole position but the suggestion is to go as wide as possible.

By David Thiselton

It happens often. Just when you are about to give up on a horse they come and surprise you. None were more surprised than Alyson Wright as Iknow finally brought his homework to the track in the card opener at Greyville yesterday. “You don’t know how frustrating this horse has been,” Wright revealed. “He’s a really nice horse with a great temperament but he just wasn’t putting it in on the racetrack. In fact I was so busy shouting for our other horse that I didn’t notice him.

“We were contemplating scratching him and trying for a 1900m next week. But we phoned the owners and they said to run him.” Craig Zackey, showing no ill effects from his bad tumble last week and down to ride Amor Ardiente at the request of Belinda Impey, confirmed Wright’s assessment.

“He’s good looking and has a beautiful action. He will probably be better 1200m to a mile.”

Favourite Chiron was under pressure early and never in the hunt.

London Night (Anneke Akal)

Three winners last Sunday saw Dennis Drier take his tally of winners to eight for the month and it was number nine as the gelded Blackburn Roc doddled the second in spite of Drier having reservations before the race. “I some doubt before the race because there were some fancied runners but the little horse has done nothing wrong. I said to Eric (Stephenson) he’s a huge runner.”

And so it proved as Sean Veale took him to the front early and extended his lead with every stride. “He was unlucky last time. He was green with Mandla,” said Veale.

Things didn’t quite work out for the stable in the third as Hole In One took a bump out of the gate and was shuffled back to last while stable companion Walterthepenniless was caught wide for much of the race.

Donovan Dillon took full advantage on Doug Campbell’s runner Farland, pinching an early lead in the straight. At one stage Walterthepenniless looked certain to reel him in but Dillon extracted more from his mount and held off the challenge by a head.

It was a 1-2-3 for Ashburton trainers in the fourth but not quite in the order that most punters would have liked.

Fleek was well supported to crack a string of runner-up berths and 100m out, although under pressure, the favourite was holding on. However, Muzi Yeni extracted more from Lowan Denysschen’s filly Such A Rush and she pulled clear of a game Fleek with Lola Crawford’s Spring Lightning getting up for third.

The one-eyed mare Gorgeous Guest was game in his last win over course and distance and she turned in another brave performance when making all the running to win the fifth to give Alyson Wright a double. Apprentice Ashton Arries had no hesitation in taking his mount to the lead and was never seriously challenged. Luke-warm favourite Dunzie was given every chance but appeared reluctant to go on with her effort and held on narrowly for second from top weight Amber Furst.

The Garth Puller/Khanya Sakayi combination have been red-hot in recent weeks and they added another to their fast-growing list of winners when London Knight went back-to-back in the sixth. Front runners, helped by a tailwind, were not stopping at Greyville yesterday and London Knight kept rolling under Sakayi. This was Sakayi’s 15^th win of the season and Puller’s 10^th.

Q The Music finally made it to the winner’s enclosure in the seventh but it was only just as he was hard-pressed by stable companion Winter’s Coming with a short-head in it at the line.

Q The Music was running on empty the last 100m but Garth Wright kept him hard to his task to deny apprentice Jabu Jacobs the first winner of his career.

Seasoned galloper Emperor Niarchos has been a soldier for Frank Robinson and has taken a new lease on life in the twilight of his racing career. But it was just not enough in the last race as he was nailed on the line by Samsonite who came from the clouds under Sherman Brown. Emperor Niarchos was still going great guns at the wire but it just wasn’t enough.

By Andrew Harrison

Dennis Bosch’s KZN Champion two-year-old colt Cue The Music will be aimed at the lucrative US$500,000 CTS 1200, but will raid to prevent a repeat of Billy Silver’s aborted mission last season.

Billy Silver, who picked up allergies and bruised the sole of his foot while in Cape Town last year forcing his CTS 1200 bid to be abandoned, might also raid Cape Town.

Dennis Bosch

Bosch said, “You can’t be in two places at one time. So this year we will set up the quarantine here and truck the horses down.”

Cue The Music, a colt by Master Of My Fate, is a half-brother to the Equus Champion Sprinter Val De Ra, whose Grade 1 victories included the Cape Flying Championships.

He has a similarly laid back temperament and looked to be the real deal when winning the Godolphin Barb over 1100m by three lengths in his second start to remain unbeaten. The Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion over 1200m did not pan out well for him next time out as he saw daylight the whole way, but he was only just touched off. He then found the Grade 2 Golden Horseshoe over 1400m a touch far at that stage. In the final start of his two-year-old season in the Umkhomazi Stakes over 1200m he was most disappointing. Bosch was reluctant to make excuses but pointed out he had hit a patch that day and “knocked himself”, although it was “nothing serious.”

He has since had his African Horse Sickness vaccines.

Bosch said, “He has come out of the inoculations well, so we will see a different horse this season. The CTS 1200 will suit him well so we must take our chances.”

Bosch has not yet finalised a preparation schedule for Cue The Music.

Meanwhile, Billy Silver has been gelded.

The sprint division was not strong last season and Bosch will be aiming this speedy Silvano four-year-old at races like the Grade 1 Computaform Sprint and Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint if he proves up to it. The Cape Flying Championships might also be on the cards.

Bosch said, “He has only raced seven times so can’t be written off yet. He needed gelding and is a proper horse.”

By David Thiselton

The early races at the Vaal offer some fair opportunities for punters tomorrow but the exotics also look attractive as some races have bankers and others can be played narrow.

In the first race, a workrider’s maiden over 1600m, the Bold Silvano colt Major Return stayed on well on debut over 1450m after being dropped out from a wide draw and he was only 3,15 lengths behind Big Voice Jack. The winner and runner up went on to win their next races, whilst the third-placed horses has finished runner up in both of his subsequent starts so the form looks good and he should relish the step up in trip. He hasn’t run since June 24 but is well drawn and has the good workrider Goodman Dadamisi aboard. Rockstar Child and Royal Pursuit are both exposed but have the form to be a threat.

Make Your Move (JC Photographics)

In the next race the big Philanthropist filly Virginia should make amends for her unplaced run as hot favourite over 1400m last time. She did not have the best of luck in that race and was still green. She will relish the step up in trip and Raymond Danielson will know her well by now. She looks to have the beating of the raced horses so the biggest threat could come from the first-timer Sixth Form. She is a R130,000 National yearling Sale purchase by Visionaire out of a half-sister to Icy Air and Ice Axe. It is not surprising she is making her debut over a mile as Icy Air won five Graded races from 1800m up to 2450m, including the SA Oaks.

The best bet of the day comes in the next race in the form of Perfect Pursuit. This three-year-old King Of Kings gelding was ignored on debut and went off at 22/1 as only a few realised he was a full-brother to King’s Temptress, who won the Grade 2 SA Fillies Nursery on debut at massive odds. Perfect Pursuit did not impress in the preliminaries as he is quite plain but he displayed a fine action in the race and was staying on strongly in the closing stages of the 1200m event. Over that same trip and from pole position he is going to be hard to beat, although Dancing Flame and Chipofftheoldblok could give him something to think about.

In the next race over 1200m Dream On looks to be a PA banker as she was staying on well last time over this trip and trainer Stuart Pettigrew gets them to improve slowly but surely. She has a nice draw and Marco van Rensburg stays aboard. Samoa made a good debut and with expected improvement will be the chief threat. Miss Pinkerton will enjoy the step down in trip after running out of steam late over 1450m last time when just failing against the hard-pulling Deerupt. Both the latter pair can be included in the Pick 6 and Jackpot.

The next race is a tricky sprint handicap and Singaswewin is taken to win it, but he can’t be a confident choice. He is capable of staying on well and has a good draw over and ideal trip, but he will need to behave better at the start than last time. Quattro is off an attractive merit rating and should go close despite a wide draw. Time To Great ran well over 1450m on Saturday and this front-running sort will be dangerous over this 1200m trip from a plum draw with a 4kg claimer up. However, others have to be considered as it is wide open.

The sixth race is an Assessment Plate over 1450m and Hakeem is not only best in at the weights but is ideally distance suited and well drawn. He should have come on from his last start too. Yamoto is a rangy sort with some class and although this is on the sharp side he could earn in his comeback from a three month layoff. The filly Strawberry Pavlova is an honest sort who should be staying on. Make Your Move looks to be progressive and could surprise. Senor Lizard is another one to consider.

In the seventh over 1000m the filly Casual Wear looks to have plenty of scope and can continue to progress. She faces some fair sorts like Hampton Court and Topmast but is 1,5kg better off than any other horse according to official merit ratings.

The last race is another tricky sprint handicap and going as wide as possible is the suggestion although the obvious ones are Rebel Renegade, That’s Life, Singfonico, Minnesota and Roman Evening.

By David Thiselton

It doesn’t get any easier for Q The Music but the step up to a mile at Greyville today may finally break the shackles for him to earn a third career win. Unplaced only three times in a career spanning 14 races, Q The Music has been nothing if not consistent and as a result the handicappers have been reluctant to lower his rating – and many a trainer averse to the current handicapping system, would add, ‘in case he wins another race”.

That’s an argument for another day but Q The Music was game in his recent defeat to Sylvester The Cat where he looked a beaten horse even before turning for home. Pace-making Sylvester The Cat had his rival off the bit early but Q The Music refused to give in, in spite of racing three wide for much of the contest, and stayed on, beaten less than a length.

Andre Nel’s runner has only once been a mile, that early in his career where he registered one of his three unplaced runs, but he is now two years older and on the evidence of his last start he could well be looking for today’s trip and further.

Sylvester The Cat (Nkosi Hlophe)

However, he gives weight to all and his two biggest dangers could come in the form of Changing Seasons and Amore Ardiente.

Changing Seasons is unbeaten since being tried in blinkers and made a winning debut over course and distance in a KZN Breeders contest. He took a hefty shunt up the ratings for that win but here he gets 2.5kg relief courtesy of apprentice Luke Ferraris and he should be competitive again.

Amour Ardiente seldom runs a bad race and Belinda Impey’s charge should be in the mix again. The 1400m of his last race now appears to be on the sharp side as he was one-paced under pressure and today’s trip would be more to his liking.

Six months back, Fleek was in danger of a career-ending injury with a badly jarred fetlock but time and TLC has seen Louis Gooden’s filly back and ready to win when she lines up for the Qualified Maiden.

She has made steady improvement since her return to racing and came from off the pace to fail narrowly behind Ripe Tide over the Scottsville 1400m last time out. “She is probably an 18-10 shot but with Anton (Marcus) up you have to take what you get,” said Louis Goosen. With Track & Ball yesterday, Fleek was a solid even money chance but there was some market support for Roy’s Marlin who was trading around 8-1 from an opening call of 10’s.

Walterthepenniless, Hole In One and Just Dixit were yesterday all vying for favouritism in the opening leg of the Pick 6 and exotic bet punters may be wise to include all three in their perms and also Linnger Longer, Goosen’s filly on top of most of the Computaform rating tables.

Dennis Drier has got his season off to a rollicking start and both his runners, Walterthepenniless and Hole In One, will have their supports. The latter has the services of stable rider Sean Veale, but Mandla Ntuli stays aboard Walterthepenniless after the combination come within a length of a major boil-over behind Flying George. Friendless in the market at 100-1 he finished with a rattle over the Scottsville 1200m.

A string of visits to the second box has been a bugbear for Duncan Howells but Dunzie, his only runner on the day, can move him up a slot after the fifth. Dunzie has been threatening of late and the switch to the poly with blinkers could see her home for her second win.

The sixth is something of a punter’s minefield but Honest Prince, well-named considering his recent form, has been given a two-point relief by the handicappers after his last run and Alyson Wright’s gelding looks competitive off his new mark.

The two recent Gauteng imports, Tour Of Duty and Led Zeppelin could pose threats while the blinkered Phoebus, who showed improvement last time out, is another to warrant serious consideration.

High Green and Samsonite renew rivalry in the last and the latter could turn the tables although the list of possible winners is a long one.

By Andrew Harrison