The Vaal Classic track has an interesting eight race meeting tomorrow and the exotics look to be the way to play it.

In the first race over 1000m, a Maiden for three-year-olds, Big Blue Marble looks to be a Bipot banker. This Var gelding is a scopey sort with plenty of pace and after going close on debut he was declared a non-runner second time out when once again showing pace. The handler had impeded him at the start so he not surprisingly faded after losing a couple of lengths and then going to the front. With a better start this time he is going to be hard to catch. His stablemate Ocean City, a Var filly, lost ground at the start on debut before going to the front and fading so she can also improve. The most interesting of the first-timers is Ultra Boost, an Australian-bred gelding by the top sire More Than Ready out of an Encosta De Lago mare who is a half-sister to a Group 1 Australian Guineas winner. He provides a welcome back ride for former champion jockey Gavin Lerena.

Liverpool Lass (Candiese Marnewick)

The first leg of the PA is tricky, being a MR 90 Handicap over 1000m. Torre Del Oro disappointed last time over 1160m in a Pinnacle event but he had a slighter tougher task than he has here and was probably too handy too. He prefers being a little further off the pace and this consistent sort is the tip to win. Isphan was raised five points for his last win so is going to have it tough carrying 63kg but he can never be ignored over 1000m due to the pace he possesses. Big Mistake is interesting in his first run as a gelding as he had some good form in Cape Town, including finishing fifth in the R2,5 million Lanzerac Ready To Run over 1400m. He should be staying on strongly over a trip too sharp in his first run after a five-and-a-half month layoff.

In the first leg of the Pick 6 over 1000m Variety Moon is the tip, but it is a not a confident choice. She is speedily-bred being by Var out of the useful Silvano sprinter Romantic Moon and she was green on debut when running a fair five length seventh to the fair sort Casual Wear over 1000m. Red Tara is quick and last time was cut down by the like of the promising Nafaayes, so without that sort of class appearing to be in this race she can possibly hold on this time. Blonde Vision makes most appeal of the first-timers being a R225,000 filly by Visionaire out of Grade 1 Allan Robertson winner Legally Blonde. She is a half-sister to Grade 2 Senor Santa Stakes runner up Pure Blonde. Lady Jackson can be included in the Pick 6 as she has some fair sprint form. First-timer Tehuano by Dynasty out of a Peintre Celebre mare is interesting, although horses from the Lucky Houdalakis yard usually come on from their first runs.

The fourth is an Assessment Plate over 1600m and looks to be a match race between the two youngsters, Saints Alive and Fariha, unless the best weighted horse Tammany Hall can bounce back to her early form in which she looked to be most promising. Brigtnumbersix is 4,5kg badly in with Tammany Hall but has ability and is still unexposed. Tundra Taita should be staying on and is another worth considering.

In the fifth race over 1800m Noceur has always looked to be one who would get better with age and should be coming into her own as a five-year-old this season. She is distance suited but against her is a wide draw. Tigerlace was beaten five lengths by Noceur last time but is 2kg better off and will appreciate the 200m further trip. She has a fair draw too and if things pan out for her she is capable of a strong finish. Fragrant Miss has come into her own and from pole position might be able to stay this trip. She struck as one who would need further early in her career and two runs ago won going away over 1600m. Big Myth is a progressive sort who can improve over this trip if not using up too much to get to the front. Serendipity can also be considered being just three points higher for her course and distance win and now better drawn.

Mighty Magic is the one to beat in race six dropping back to a trip of 1800m which will suit. However, Condor Gulch looks to be a progressive sort and he will be finishing strongly over this trip. Visigoth is a big horse who showed some class in Cape Town so in his third run after gelding must be considered. Hidden Agenda is well drawn over a suitable trip. Streetwear has good form but has a slight stamina question mark. The same can be said of Trip To Paradise.

The seventh, an uninspiring maiden over 1800m, should be fought out by Sea Like Glass, Pachanga and Rhyme Or Reason, although Generoso can do well if it pans out well for her and Matanuska.

In the last over 1800m Rockstar Child looks the one to beat with Festive Linngari and Proud Dynasty the main dangers. Those three can get punters through the exotics, although for wider Limestone Mass and Cinnabon can be considered.

By David Thiselton

Ryan Munger intends to continue with his have saddle-will travel approach to life – at least so far as his new job as first jockey to Glen Kotzen permits – when he moves to Cape Town at the end of the month.

“I will still do PE on Friday, Zim on Sunday when I get the chance, and Kimberley on Mondays,” he says. “I always have a full card there, riding for Stephanie Miller.”

Ryan Munger

Flamingo Park might as well be Outer Mongolia so far as most Cape Town jockeys are concerned. They have heard about the long bus trip to and from Johannesburg and quietly shuddered. “I now fly there and there is a flight from Cape Town to Kimberley so there shouldn’t be a problem,” says Munger, making light of the logistics. The fact that it leaves at 6.15am, necessitating arriving at the airport shortly after 5.00am, is greeted with a smiling “No problem – that won’t worry me. Anyway I would rather ride every day. I love what I do and, if I were to sit around, I’d get bored.

Surprisingly, he had never ridden at Kenilworth until May 26 this year. “It was the big day at Scottsville and I got offered rides by Mrs Bass-Robinson so I came for the day. She has supported me since.”

The association with Kotzen came two months later. “I rode Lanza for him, the horse won and a week later he said I must call him. It (the job offer) happened just like that.”

Now Munger is searching for somewhere to live – “I want to be in or around everything – I don’t want to be too far out – so I will probably stay in somewhere like Blouberg.”

Munger, 23 on Saturday week, is a nephew of Stuart Randolph and reckons to have ridden between 400 and 500 winners “including 60 in Zim.” Few people have been busier. He had over 1 200 rides in the season he finished his apprenticeship and more than 1 300 in the two subsequent seasons.

He rides at 52kg quite comfortably and without any form of diet. “Jeez, if I tell you what I eat people wouldn’t believe me.” So what does he eat? He grins: “Anything – and that includes takeaways.”

His biggest win so far was last year’s Caradoc Gold Cup on Ilitshe but he is confident his new association with Kotzen will bring him several at the highest level. But he wants even more. “The ambition is to win the July, naturally, and by next season to put myself into contention for the championship, or the top three at the very least.”

By Michael Clower

Jockey Gavin Lerena returns to race riding riding on Thursday after a long break. Lerena reported to Gold Circle Media Centres racing analyst, Warren Lenferna, that he is going for final x-rays tomorrow (Wednesday 5 September) and he is hoping for the go ahead. Gavin sees no reason why it should be any other way.

Gavin’s biokineticist is happy with his progress and the strength of his shoulder, commenting that the bone won’t be 100% healed but it should almost be. “I am looking forward to a good and positive outcome tomorrow,” reported Lerena.

Gavin has been riding work for four weeks already and feels strong and fit enough to start riding in races. He is looking forward to Thursday and cannot wait to get back into the saddle and be competitive in races. Gavin has decided to take only one or two rides for the first few meetings back, to allow himself to ease back into full swing.

Gold Circle look forward to having Gavin back riding and have very little doubt that it will not be long before the masterful and balanced rider is back in the winner’s enclosure.

By Warren Lenferna

Featured Image: Gavin Lerena (Nkosi Hlophe)

A few set-backs last term, including a virus that affected many horses in the yard, saw Duncan Howells behind the eight ball for a couple of months at a crucial time in the season.

“The virus set me back and I was way behind with my two-year-olds,” said the Ashburton trainer. That’s all behind him now and his newly turned three-year-olds are starting to show their worth.

Thanksgiving, an impressive winner at Scottsville on Sunday, finished fourth on debut behind lessor fancied stable companion Rocket Fire who arrived on the scene just too late to catch Flying George.

The Poet (Nkosi Hlophe)

Rocket Fire, another purchase out of the Mayfair Speculators dispersal, lines up in the All To Come Maiden plate at Scottsville today. He is likely to start at cramped odds and victory will set him up for a tilt at the lucrative CTS sales races in January.

In opposition is the Paul Peter-trained Copenhagen.  Peter is a rare visitor outside of Champions Season so one needs to sit up and take note of his two runners on the day. He has booked Anton Marcus for Copenhagen and Marcus will know exactly what he is up against having ridden Rocket Fire in work.

Dennis Drier took the wraps off a smart filly in In The Stars on Sunday, the daughter of Master Of My Fate losing valuable ground at the start but finishing off with an emphatic victory. Drier saddles Golden Chance in the card opener and she looks to have been set up nicely for her debut. Rested after her first barrier trial, her next trial was a better effort behind subsequent winner Monte Christo.

The majority of the field come off trials but two who caught the eye were Shock Victory and Song Of The Forest who contested the same trial. Song Of The Forest is a nicely balanced filly with plenty of scope. Wearing ear-muffs, she was always handy and stayed on nicely towards the end without any urging.

Shock Victory caught the eye in the paddock as a filly with plenty of scope but she galloped very green and that may be a concern.

La Duchesse made marked improvement at her second start when starting at long odds but Paul Gadsby’s filly will be way shorter than 36-1 in the third. She finished with a rattle under Sherman Brown, beaten under a length, and Marcus was quickly on the blower after acceptances to jock his rival off.

Brown will be on Carefree for Dennis Bosch who finished down-field on debut but has shown some ability in her three barrier trials. A better proposition could be Wisp Of Glory. Two winners have come out of her trial behind Mela Stregata and she will definitely prefer the extra two furlongs.

Mutawaary makes his debut for Bosch in a tricky handicap in the opening leg of the jackpot and it will be interesting to see just how the gelding has progressed from his trial. For a horse that has shown his better form over a mile and further, he showed excellent pace as he matched the speedy Doing It For Dan in his trial run in 58secs flat with the balance of the triallists some four lengths back.

Peter sends out Defy Gravity in this race who takes a drop in trip and gets 2.5kg relief in the saddle courtesy of apprentice Luke Ferraris. That may not be enough and even if Mutawaary does not run up to expectations the likes of Steam Ahead and The Poet will have their supporters.

Antony Hotspur looked to be going places after a delayed start to his career but was rested when finishing out of the money for the first time when tried over 1700m. He had excuses however, having cast a shoe in the race, and he has not been out since June. But he does show good pace and Alistair Gordon’s charge could prove a little too classy in the fifth where Archilles, Drageda and Rockcliffe look threats.

By Andrew Harrison

Agent Of Fortune, the forgotten man of last season’s two-year-olds, is on the way back and is being targeted at the R2.5 million Lanzerac Ready To Run at Kenilworth on November 18.

The What A Winter colt, then owned by Mayfair Speculators in partnership with Bryn Ressell and Marsh Shirtliff, was considered good enough to make his debut in the valuable Kuda Sprint on Met day and he beat the Sean Tarry-trained Cirillo by a short head. But he has not been seen since.

Vaughan Marshall said: “He chipped a knee when he got to Durban and it will be another six to eight weeks before he runs but he will make the Ready to Run.”

Agent Of Fortune and Cirillo are both rated 102 and jointly top the log for the rich 1 400m race, 2kg clear of the filly Can You Feel It.

Horizon, who had a knee-chip operation following the Sun Met when he was reported not striding out, reappears in the 1 250m Supabets Pinnacle Stakes at Durbanville on Saturday. Aldo Domeyer rides him and Bernard Fayd’Herbe will be back on stable companion Tevez. Fayd’Herbe won a Pinnacle on the veteran at Kenilworth in June.

The MR 96 mile handicap attracted only four runners and has been scrapped but the 1 400m maiden, which saw 27 declared, has been divided.

By Michael Clower