The South African  Tote plans to offer minimum-amount guaranteed Pick 6 pools on major racedays in future and kicks off with a R4.5-million guaranteed pool on the Champions Day race meeting at Turffontein this Saturday.

Champions Day is one of the “Big 4” race meetings on the SA calendar – it’s Joburg’s richest raceday and features Jozi’s richest race in the R4-million Premier’s Champions Challenge. The Pick 6 pool on the meeting starts with a R1.1-million carryover and should soar way over the R5-million mark (TAB’s official estimate is R5.1 million).

But to heighten interest and awareness, and to satisfy the requests of many customers, TAB is guaranteeing a total net pool of R4.5 million up front. “Many of our customers have said that only knowing the approximate pool a few minutes before the off hampers their play,” said TAB boss Vee Moodley.

“These customers tend to base the amount they spend on the Pick 6 on the actual pool size, not our estimates, and to encourage them to spend more we will guarantee minimum pool levels for major race meetings.”

Should a pool fail to reach the guaranteed amount, TAB will make up the difference subject to the condition that all commingling partners are able to bet into the pool as scheduled.

“Obviously if a local or international commingling partner is prevented from betting into the pool for whatever reason, for example a loss of connectivity, the guarantee will fall away. Once the pool exceeds the guaranteed amount, the actual pool total will be displayed and paid out as normal,” said Moodley.

TAB is also guaranteeing a minimum R2.7-million Pick 6 pool for the Daisy Guineas meeting at Greyville this Sunday, when the pool will start with a R750,000 carryover.

There’s a bumper TAB betting menu for Champions Day at Turffontein on Saturday May 6 with carryovers into several pools in addition to the Pick 6:

Race 2: BiPot ONE Leg 1 – R25,246 caarryover, likely pool R550,000

Race 3: PA Leg 1 – likely pool R1,250,000

Race 4: Pick 6 MEGAPOOL Leg 1 – R1,100,000 carryover, GUARANTEED pool R4,500,000 (estimated pool R5.1 million plus)

Race 5: Jackpot ONE Leg 1 – likely pool R1,000,000

Race 6: PA Blitz Leg 1 – likely pool R100,000

Race 7: BiPot TWO Leg 1 – likely pool R150,000

Race 8: Normal range of TAB bets

Race 9: Premier’s Champions Challenge – Jackpot TWO Leg 1 – R40,000 carryover, likely pool R750,000. Also M6 for Soccer GG

Race 10: Normal range of TAB bets

Race 11: Jackpot Quickmix Leg 1 – R22,950 carryover, likely pool R200,000

Race 12: Normal range of TAB bets

* Tote betting on the meeting opens Wednesday 3 May.

Marinaresco, second in last year’s Vodacom Durban July and second favourite this time, is reported in good heart for his reappearance in the Independent on Saturday Drill Hall Stakes although Candice Bass-Robinson points out that Sunday’s Greyville feature is very much a stepping-stone.

She said: “Marinaresco is doing quite nicely and he doesn’t need a huge amount of work but the 1 400m is a bit short for him and this is a prep for the Rising Sun Gold Challenge.”

Bernard Fayd’Herbe rides the four-year-old for the first time while Richard Fourie has been booked for Sail South, one of two high profile runners for Brett Crawford.

Crawford said: “Sail South is very effective over the trip but he has a bad draw. However he loves Greyville, he has been very competitive there. He is rated 114, well weighted and well in.

“You have got to respect both him and Captain America (Corne Orffer) who is in very good form at the moment. He has been on the grass twice and has tightened up nicely.”

Horizon, slashed from 20-1 to 12-1 joint third favourite for the July after his head defeat of Cape Derby runner-up Zodiac Ruler in a 1 400m allowance plate at Greyville nine days ago, will renew rivalry with the Snaith horse in Sunday’s Daisy Guineas. Mrs Robinson then intends going for the Daily News.

Fayd’Herbe is back in full swing after his Dubai stint and his punishing weight-reducing routine, involving running at least ten kilometres a day, proved to have spin-off benefits last week when his circuits of Kenilworth enabled him to spot that the ground on the stands side was faster. He steered widest of all on African Night Sky last Saturday to land his third (Highlands Stud) Winter Guineas and the 10-1 chance has been pencilled in for an ambitious target.

Jonathan Snaith said: “He will now go for the other two legs of the Winter Series and next year he might run in the Sun Met.”

Turbulent Air, the 7-2 favourite, could finish no closer than fifth and, although Anton Marcus reported that the gelding did not stride out freely, the course vet could find nothing wrong.

Whose That Girl, who led over a furlong out under Domeyer in the Sweet Chestnut, will go in search of the R150 000 Winter Series bonus in the Stormsvlei Mile (May 21) and the Winter Oaks (June 24) but Mrs Robinson will adopt a new approach with stable companion Silver Mountain who managed only a disappointing fourth of five behind South Side in the 1 000m conditions plate.

The Milnerton trainer said: “This was way too short for her and the track is running very fast. It was a prep for the Tibouchina but she is not quite reproducing what she did as a three-year-old. Maybe she wants further and that is what we are going to look at.”

By Michael Cower

The three-year-old Joey Ramsden-trained Western Winter gelding Attenborough scored a victory at Scottsville on Sunday in the Listed In Full Flight Handicap over 1100m which could prove to be of importance to more than just the connections and there were some other notable performances on the day too.

Attenborough is owned by Mayfair Speculators who provided some important news yesterday about two other SA Champions Season three-year-olds campaigners, Table Bay and Just Sensual, who were surprise scratchings from the Gr 2 Daisy Guineas and Gr 2 Daisy Fillies Guineas fields respectively.

Derek Brugman, racing manager of Mayfair Speculators, said of Table Bay and Just Sensual, “We just didn’t want to start their campaigns over a mile and have looked for shorter races to bring them back.”

Attenborough was held up off the pace by Anton Marcus on Sunday before running on strongly to beat a competitive field by one length going away.

Importantly, he did it from the very outside draw of 16 in the 16 horse field, a draw which in the past has often been seen to be impossible to win from.

Last year a measure was taken at the Festival Of Speed meeting, which features four Gr 1 races, to bring the inside rail inward in order to alleviate the draw bias. However, this meant the field sizes had to be reduced to 14 runners. Attenborough’s win went some way to proving that this year these measures will not be necessary.

From the connections point of view Attenborough’s win was a tremendous preparation for the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint over 1200m, specially as it was his first run after gelding. Marcus confirmed riding the horse “cold” looked to be the secret to him. He won off a 101 merit rating and faces a maximum raise of eight points, but should get away with less as there was a blanket finish for second led by the Brett Crawford-trained three-year-old Purple Tractor who carried 52kg as opposed to Attenborough’s 56kg. Of the Tsogo Sun potential winners, the four-year-old Crawford-trained Search Party showed good cruising speed from a wide draw of 14 off his 106 merit rating and stayed on well for a 1,5 length fourth. He looks likely to come on from the run too.

The next race was the Gr 3 Strelitzia Stakes over 1100m for two-year-old fillies and was marred by a false start. However, encouragingly the outside drawn horses stuck to their stations and the winner and runner up both came from that side of the track. The Duncan Howells-trained Antonius Pius filly Neptune’s Rain won in fluent style under Keagan de Melo to beat the Ramsden-trained Made In Hollywood by 1,25 lengths. Both of these horses put their hands up for the Gr 1 Allan Robertson Championship.

Cape trainer Vaughan Marshall and his stable jockey MJ Byleveld then scored a feature double, winning the Gr 3 Godolphin Barb Stakes for two-year-olds over 1100m by a length with the Jay Peg colt Woljayrine and then the Gr 3 Poinsettia Stakes over 1100m with last year’s Allan Robertson winner The Secret Is Out. These two races proved horses could win from any draw as Woljayrine was drawn on the extreme inside in one and Captain Al filly The Secret Is Out was drawn on the extreme outside in 14. Woljayrine showed good cruising speed and quickened well but as a maiden he was receiving 4kg from both the runner up Sir Frenchie, who ran on well, and third-placed Varallo, who jumped sideways into the starting gate and lost his unbeaten record.  The Secret Is Out showed pace throughout and kicked well in the finish. The Paul Gadsby-trained Visionaire filly Vision To Kill showed she can mix it with best by running on strongly for a 0,5 length second, although she was receiving 3kg from the winner. The US$500,000 CTS Sprint winner Live Life made a good KZN debut to run third.

Veteran KZN track manager Ralph Smout has not been in his current specialised role as the dedicated Scottsville track manager for long and his nous already appears to be making a difference. Hopefully, the notorious  Scottsville draw bias will soon be confined to the memory banks.

By David Thiselton

Are you passionate about Horticulture?

Are you enthusiastic and eager to learn?

Are you capable of performing physical and practical work?

Do you possess excellent communication skills?

Have you just completed your 3 year diploma in Horticulture?

If you have answered ‘yes’ to all the questions above, then we have the perfect opportunity for you.

Gold Circle (Pty) Ltd is recruiting Interns in the Horticultural field.

The duration of the programme is 12 months.

Gold Circle has a wide range of horticultural opportunities available as the company has some of the best turfgrass facilities in the country. With six top class grass tracks spread among the four fantastic centres there is no shortage of learning and training.

Students get to learn irrigation and drainage first hand from experienced individuals, they use horticultural mechanization machinery first hand including boom sprayers, vertidrains and all types of the latest mowers used in turf industry. They practice spring treatment and learn about fertilizer programmes, mowing heights and programmes and race track preparations. Hedge-trimming, pruning, planting and designing racecourse gardens, tree felling, sod cutting, light construction work and handyman assisting are among the many techniques and practices experienced.

Interested students to email their CV and academic record to Nirvana Doodhram – Nirvanad@goldcircle.co.za by Wednesday May 17.

There exotic races at the Turffontein Inside track on Saturday are generally competitive although there are possible bankers for the brave.

In the first leg of the PA two-year-old Twice A Dancer is an impressive specimen who can build on his eye catching debut as he is a robust sort who should have come on from the run, so he looks to be a banker. Another two-year-old Pillaroftheearth made a good debut and with Gavin Lerena up from a good draw should also go close. Pretty Wendy is by Dynasty and is a half-sister to Gr 1 SA Oaks winner Pine Princess, who won her first two starts over 1200m and 1000m respectively, so she is an interesting runner. Island View found support last time over 1450m and moved up well before finding little extra, so he might have needed it and might also appreciate the step down to 1200m. Artax made a fair debut in a strong field and is well draw.

The second leg of the PA is likely to be a straight fight between Only To Win and Boudica. A-Rod has been consistent but has been racing in weak Greyville polytrack maidens.

In the third leg Front Club is three months younger than her contemporaries being Irish-bred so should be improving and on pedigree will relish the trip, being a half-sister to Gr 2 Gold Circle Oaks winner Front House. Generoso ran on well to beat Front Club last time over 1600m and is another to include alongside the consistent middle distance horse Eversilver. However, King’s Creek, Advance To Go and Musette must be considered for the Pick 6 and Jackpot.

In the next leg the well-bred Consequentially has risen through the ranks since blinkers were fitted, while Snowdonia has been acquitting herself well against stronger. For the Pick 6 and Jackpot the promising Cold Cash and the improving Russian Star can’t be ignored.

In the fifth leg of the PA Zouaves is selected to win as he produced a powerful finish from off the pace to win his maiden over course and distance and hasn’t been punished by the handicapper. However, Silver Sails is an exciting prospect and is also well drawn in his first run for the Joe Soma yard. Raasmaal, Bonnie Prince and Crazy Vision, and maybe even Tendre, have to be considered for Pick 6 and Jackpot bets too.

In the next leg the powerfully built and well bred Alileo is a banker consideration, but this is only her second start and beyond her Lumya, Easy Game, Lady Of The World, Heavy Metal and Favour’s Pride all look to have winning chances.

The last leg is tricky, but topweight Beckoning has dropped to a competitive mark and can be effective from a good draw. Ponchielli was a touch unlucky last time and so was Allora, who has dropped to an attractive merit rating. High Seas Beauty has ability but has to overcome a wide draw and Always A Lady and Queen’s Jet can also be involved.

By David Thiselton