There is a low key meeting on the Turffontein Inside track tomorrow and Rumbavar should give punters a good start.

This Var filly caught the eye in a couple of sprint starts in Cape Town and in her Turffontein debut she led from the off over 1400m and was only cut down late by the smart Aurelia Cotta. The latter has remained unbeaten after two starts. Rumbavar now has a good draw of two and should also have benefitted from her previous outing.

Weiho Marwing

The only winner in the field, Desert Rhythm, jumps from pole position and on pedigree should handle the step up in trip. She won her penultimate start over 1200m and ran an unthreatening fourth in the Gr 3 Pretty Polly Stakes over 1100m last time out. She was beaten a length by Celestina in the latter race, although she was giving away 3kg, and Rumbavar beat Celestina by a length over 1000m down in Cape Town. Rumbavar will also be receiving 3kg from Desert Rhythm tomorrow and that should swing it in her favour.

In the second race Seventh Of June looked outpaced over 1000m last time and should relish the step up to this trip, so can win from a good draw. Soldat doesn’t come out too well on formlines here as he was beaten by Valado the last time they met over course and distance, but a lot of use was made of him that day and from this better draw can go close. Seventh Of June and Soldat are the fancies for the Bipot.

There looks to be a fair opportunity for punters in the third, over 2600m, with Frikkie. He is from the yard of Weiho Marwing, who is known as an outstanding trainer of stayers. The top class veteran Weichong Marwing is aboard, a further plus. Frikkie doesn’t have much luck with draws and jumps from out wide again but his style should make him tailor made for the Turffontein Inside track. He has an instant turn of foot, but has been seen to be out-lasted by other stayers over the long Standside track straight. On recent form he has the measure of his possible main danger here, Fortune Fella. The latter beat the up and coming stayer King Of Blues narrowly over 2400m in February and if weight for age changes are taken into account he is only 0,5kg worse so there is nothing between them.

In race 5 over 1000m Royal Variety kept up with a furious pace in a maiden down the straight over this trip last time out before sprinting into the lead and winning easing up. He has a chance of following up off a reasonable 70 merit rating from a good draw. However, Approval Mode is unbeaten in two starts over course and distance and has dropped to a competitive merit rating, so will be a danger.

The sixth is an interesting Graduation Plate over 1450m. The beautifully bred Di Mazzio, by the three-time Gr 1-winning middle distance horse Bernardini out of a half-sister to the European and Australian champion sprinter Starspangledbanner, drifted alarmingly in the betting on debut over 1160m but still won in courageous style. The drift was probably on the grounds he needed more ground so he can’t be ignored here despite a wide draw.

In the second of the Graduation Plates State Star is selected as she impressed on debut and should relish the step up in trip, while being from the Alec Laird yard she should come on from the run too.

She could be going places and so could Oh My Darling, a robust filly who impressed in her maiden last time out. The Western Winter filly can follow up in her first handicap start in the eighth from draw three over a suitable 1600m.

By David Thiselton

Although a model of consistency since joining the Laird yard, Monte Christo still gives the impression of being something of an under achiever but the poly could see the best in him the Hollywood Bets Handicap that heads the Greyville card tonight.

After a relatively quiet spell with stable runners few and far between in recent months, Charles Laird has returned with a vengeance and his runners dominate the race – in numbers at least.

Charles Laird (Nkosi Hlophe)

Laird saddles three runners, all at the bottom of the handicap, the best of the trio possibly Monte Christo. The Trippi gelding has been a beaten favourite at his last two outings but the switch to poly over his optimum trip could make him the horse to beat.

Further in his favour is a pole position draw and Serino Moodley’s claim sees him jump with only 51kg on his back.

But he does face a competitive field and the likes of Celtic Captain, Sea Fever and Never Settle will be lively threats.

Never Settle showed some promise when in KZN last winter and although winless in two starts during the Cape summer, he was a close-up second in a handicap sprint where he carried 61.5kg. However, the Kannemeyer yard suffered from a low grade virus all through the summer so it may prove prudent to ignore that form.

Kannemeyer runners generally go well on the synthetic surface and Never Settle could be a major threat to the chances on Monte Christo.

So too Celtic Captain and Sea Fever. Celtic Captain’s best recent form has been over ground but he has been effective over Friday’s trip but Sea Fever is in cracking form and has gone well on the poly. He also finished ahead of Monte Christo when last they met but is 3.5kg worse off in the weights which will make his task difficult.

Monte Christo (Nkosi Hlophe)

Just Ask Me, Mr Roy and Rikitikitana are also not without hope but Monte Christo has a lot in his favour.

The World Sports Betting Middle Stakes has attracted a competitive field of sophomore fillies and with the Cape raiders already having made their presence felt one may need to tread cautiously.

However, Duncan Howells saddles Accidental Tourist who made good improvement in blinkers last time out and she has run some cracking races in stronger company. She has the benefit of pole position draw which is always a bonus over this course and distance.

Silver Willow has been in good form for Glen Kotzen and has yet to run a bad race. She was a beaten favourite over the Kenilworth ‘mile’ last time out and can make amends even though this will be her poly debut. She has also drawn alongside Accidental Tourist so Anthony Delpech and Keagan de Melo will be watching each other’s every move.

By Andrew Harrison

The future stars are beginning to emerge in the two-year-old races. On Tuesday it was the turn of R6 million purchase Silver Coin and in the first at Kenilworth tomorrow keep a close eye on Cot Campbell.

This R3.3 million Trippi colt is the first foal of Ebony Flyer who won the Cape Fillies Guineas, Majorca and South African Fillies Sprint for Justin Snaith and much is expected of him.

“We rate him and he is going to be a top horse,” says Chris Snaith but seemingly, for tomorrow at any rate, this is one to put in the notebook rather than back. “He is going to need it here. Bernard Fayd’Herbe rode him on Tuesday and said he wasn’t ready.”

Justin Snaith (Nkosi Hlophe)

Joey Ramsden, who has won half the last 12 Cape Town two-year-old races, introduces Rommel. This Var colt is out of the Cape Fillies Guineas third Joshua’s Mistress but apparently he is also not expected to make a winning debut – “He will run well but he is no star at the moment,” says his trainer.

Unless there is a real market move for any of the other newcomers – What A Summer cost R850 000 and is a half-brother to the 2015 Cape Guineas winner Noah From Goa while Brett Crawford introduces the Captain Al colt Dollar Tractor – the finish looks like being fought out between Pen-Chan and Royal Marine. There was only three-quarters of a length between them when they both made their second starts here a fortnight ago and Greg Cheyne’s mount gets only fractional preference.

It’s a different story 40 minutes later when the Ramsden-trained Lily Theresa is likely to start odds-on and is well-nigh impossible to oppose. She was second to Regal Ruby in a field of 18 nine days ago – prominent throughout and kept on well – and has mostly newcomers to beat.

Kingston Passage is on a hat-trick in the Itsarush.co.za Handicap and looks smart enough to go in again despite not having raced for almost two months. He has only had three runs and was a close second in the first of them. He went up 2.5kg for scoring on his first time out of the maidens but still receives weight from all except Mount Keith.

Ovar and Starflash are obvious dangers. They are close on their running over this trip here at the end of February and Ovar then finished second in a hot pinnacle over the same distance, avoiding a penalty in the process.

By Michael Clower

The Robbie Hill pair Red Chesnut Road and Kilmokea were travelling down from Johannesburg to their home base at Summerveld yesterday (Wednesday) ahead of their Graded race engagements on Sunday.

Red Chestnut Road (Nkosi Hlophe)

Shannon Hill said both horses were laid back types, so he expected them to travel well. He was looking forward to good respective runs in the Gr 3 Byerley Turk and Gr 3 Umzimkhulu Stakes, both over 1400m on the Greyville turf. Red Chesnut Road ran a decent fourth with topweight in the Gr 3 Man O’ War Sprint over 1100m at Turffontein last Saturday.

The best fillies had a big weight advantage in that race and duly finished first and second. Shannon said Red Chesnut Road had only been doing “good, solid work” for about five weeks before the Man O’ War. He admitted the preparation had not been ideal, but was not concerned about the second run after a rest syndrome and believed last Saturday’s race would have been the equivalent of a good gallop.

He said on pedigree Red Chesnut Road would comfortably stay Sunday’s 1400m trip and further. He revealed Gavin Lerena, who rode him on Saturday, had got off and told him he wanted to stick with this horse right through the season. His wide draw is a concern, but Shannon concluded, “He’s top class.”

Shannon rates Kilmokea a “smart filly” and expected a “very big run” from her over a trip she would like. He said her penultimate start could be ignored as she had dropped almost to her knees just before the jump and had returned “full of pharyngitis”. She had needed her last run too, when a close second in a 1200m handicap.

By David Thiselton

Alistair Gordon believes there is not much between the classy 96 merit rated Captain Al gelding My Pal Al and the recently gelded son of Fort Wood, Marshall That, both of whom are running in the Gr 3 Byerley Turk over 1400m at Greyville on Sunday.

My Pal Al (Nkosi Hlophe)

He also has another runner in the race, the consistent Tiger Ridge gelding Scarrabeast.

Gordon said, “My Pal Al has got a bad draw but you have to take your chances and he is fit and well and I hope he will be competitive. There are horses which bring good Johannesburg and Cape Town form while he has just been running on the Greyville poly, so this is a big step up, it’s a different kettle of fish. Marshall That (also drawn wide) has come on a lot since gelding and there is not a lot between him and My Pal Al.  It will be tough for Scarrabeast and I expect the other two to beat him, but there aren’t many 1400m features and he has the draw in his favour. I think a mile would be the maximum for both My Pal Al and Marshall That, so we will see how they go on Sunday and take it from there.”

The tall and rangy My Pal Al is certainly an eye catching horse with plenty of speed, class and scope and on paper Marshall That will have a tough task getting close to him.

Gordon said a line could be drawn through My Pal Al’s unplaced run in the Gr 2 Investec Dingaans over 1600m last November as he was still too immature and the ground had been very soft that day. He benefitted from the break he was given after that race and has won both of his starts since.

By David Thiselton