Vaal Saturday Oct 29 (inside track) Race Previews by David Thiselton

Race 1:

Preview: EBONY KNIGHT is knocking on the door and looks distance suited. PLUM BRITISH has been backed both starts and showed good pace last time over 1000m to finish a fair second, so should make them all run from a plum low draw. KINGS LANDING showed some pace last time over 1450m and was probably sent for home too soon so he might enjoy this step down in trip and has a plum draw. (David Thiselton 1-11-3-5-6)

Race 2:

Preview: GOLDEN MAN has been competitive off this merit rating and has a chance from a plum draw over a suitable trip. FIELDMARSHALL FENIX has a chance if getting into the field as he should be improving and has a plum draw over a step down in trip he will enjoy. JUST A JAG ran a cracker last time out when hopelessly out at the weights in a Graduation late event and a repeat should see him winning this back in a handicap, but he has a tough draw to contend with. The speedy HARRY’S SILVER won his maiden in good style, albeit in a weak field, and should be improving being by Silvano. FLAG OF FRANCE is off a competitive merit rating and this is a suitable trip but he has a tricky draw. THEWAYWEMAKEM has a chance if able to overcome his high draw. WOTTAHOTTIE is well drawn and has a chance off a lowered merit rating. (David Thiselton 4-15-8-5-2)

Race 3:

Preview: FISH RIVER CANYON has been knocking on the door and on pedigree should enjoy the step up in trip. HALLUCINATION did well in both her first wo starts over 1600m despite over racing both times and she has a chance if settling here. STRUT YOUR STUFF will appreciate the step down to this trip as she has gone close over 2000m before, although the breathing noises she has made before are a concern. (David Thiselton 8-14-3-1-9)

Race 4

Preview: CHARMING CHARLIE’s full sister Duchess Kate has won twice over this trip and he looks hard to oppose in this weak field. STOOL PIGEON should appreciate the step up in trip and a 4kg claimer up will help his cause. YOURS AND MINE has run some fair races in his long maiden career and this appears to be his best trip. (David Thiselton 5-7-2-3-1)

Race 5:

Preview: CONSEQUENTIALLY was transformed by blinkers last time and is likely running off a capped merit rating having been given a maximum eight point raise and she can follow up. RUSSIAN STAR won well last time over 1800m and has another good draw so is a runner again considering she is by Silvano and likely improving. SILVER STRIPE, also by Silvano, is 2kg better off with Russian Star for a one length beating and has a plum draw. TOBESURETOBESURE has done well since a tongue tie has been fitted and is ideally course an distance suited and well drawn. BONDIBLU is well drawn and distance suited so can do well having come down to an attractive merit rating. CAMBRIDGE CHOIR has stayed on over this trip before and has a chance. (David Thiselton 11-6-4-1-3-2)

Race 6:

Preview: MYTHICAL MAGIC ran a good race from a high draw over 1450m last time and now has a plum draw. SHINE BRIGHT has been a touch disappointing in her last two starts but has come down two points and has a plum draw over a suitable trip. BECKONING ran a cracker in her penultimate over this trip and has a chance with an in form apprentice up. (David Thiselton 4-6-9-5-3)

Race 7:

Preview: TRIP TO PARADISE is 1kg better off with  Streetwear for a 0,2 length beating and this progressive sort can carry topweight to victory, although the breathing noises he sometimes makes are a concern and he will have to overcome a tricky draw. STREETWEAR is course and distance suited and this in form horse has the plum number one draw. MOVE LIKE JAGGER is in good form and has a reasonable draw over a suit able course and distance. (David Thiselton 1-6-2-3-7)

Race 8:

Preview: SLEEPINSEATTLE finished strongly last time over 1200m and might now be ready to step up to this trip so can go close from the plum number one draw. Hard knocking INTANDOKAZI is course and distance suited and well drawn. ZEN MASTER was raised only two points for his win last time and over a suitable trip could go close again, but he does have a tough draw to overcome. (David Thiselton 9-7-8-1-6)

Race 9:

Preview: ROQUEBRUNE has plenty of pace and should appreciate the step back to this trip from a nice low draw. ALL NIGHT FLIGHT won well last time and a six point higher mark might not stop him.     JUST AFRICA is very speedy and is drawn on the right side. MAGIC finished lame in his last start in July but has the plum number one draw and has the speed to do well. KAPITAN has the pace to do well here, although he has a high draw to overcome. (David Thiselton 8-4-5-9-7)

Race 10:

Preview: SCOTLAND has come into his own and off a three point higher mark than his win over 1800m and from a good draw he can claim a hattrick. BUSH PILOT won his maiden in good style and should relish the step up in trip so can follow up off a 70 merit rating. SKYNIGHT is well dawn and has struck as one who would enjoy this trip. (David Thiselton 10-1-12-7-2)

Greyville Friday Oct 28 (polytrack) Race Previews by Andrew Harrison

Race 1

MOMO has gone close in both starts over course and distance. She takes on males but looks to have a big chance in this line-up. DOUBE VISION has finally come to hand with a much improved effort last time out. He has a strong chance here.  MASTEROFMYDREAMS has been much improved on the poly and should go close in this field. ROY’S DISPREN should also be right there if repeating his last effort. (Andrew Harrison: 12-2-3-4)

Race 2

SUN DYNASTY has had two starts for his new stable. He was close-up over course and distance last time out and rates a strong chance in a very poor field. PINBALL improved nicely at second time of asking and can feature. SARACEN KING has run his two best races on the poly and should have a chance here. RAINBOW FOREST has not been too far back in his three outings to date and can place. (Andrew Harrison: 1-10-4-5)

Race 3

NORTHERN STORM has shown some useful form in strong company. The blinkers go back on and this is another weak field. At best she rates the one to beat. BUBBLY NIGHT has had two comeback runs on the turf. His best efforts have been on the poly. SHE DONE GOOD has improved without blinkers. She has a good draw and a handy weight.  IMPERIAL TOPAZ has her first run for a new stable. She returns from a break. (Andrew Harrison: 7-8-5-9).

Race 4

FLORRICK has come good on the poly in blinkers. She was a beaten odds-on chance last time out and can make amends. ARCTIC SWIFT found good market support at her second start and is likely to improve with Marcus jumping ship from Florrick. BLACK HALL BAR has been disappointing. She tried further from a bad draw last run and now has a good draw over a more suitable trip. ARGONOVA improved nicely over course and distance at her second outing and can feature. (Andrew Harrison: 8-1-4-9)

Race 5

Wide open. RUBY GEM has a difficult draw but has good form on the poly and comes from an in form yard. COASTAL SPELL has her third run after a break and takes a drop in class. With a claiming apprentice up and a good draw she should feature.  SEEK THE SUMMIT has been knocking at the door. She has dropped eleven pounds in the handicap and should be competitive now. LA VIDA BANCO takes a rise in class but has improved of late and seems best over this trip. (Andrew Harrison: 3-5-10-8).

Race 6

ASHTON PARK has a big weight but has drawn well and he can improve over this trip. CELTIC CAPTAIN didn’t feature in the 28-horse field of the Grand Heritage but made a smart poly debut before that.FRENCH REVOLUTION has come good of late. He does take a rise in class but has a handy weight. PRINCESS VARUNYA is a smart filly and caught the eye when returning from a break. She has a fair weight but should feature.  (Andrew Harrison: 1-6-9-3)

Race 7

Wide open.LUCKY LUCIANO has been up against stronger on the Highveld. He makes his poly debut and from a good draw should be thereabouts. FOR EVER has finally come to hand. He only got a three-pound penalty for his last win and with a claiming apprentice up this time around he can go in again. ROCKEFELLER was close-up to For Ever last time out and he too now has a claiming apprentice up which should make him competitive. SMART WORLD does his best on the poly and although draw wide he also has a light weight. (Andrew Harrison: 2-7-10-9).

Race 8

PRINCIPATE was close-up behind Black Forest in the race won by O’Neill and is much improved since trying the poly. BLACK FOREST was much improved at his second start. He has a tricky draw here but a repeat showing should see him close again. There should be little between these two. PLAY THE LAFF improved at his second outing and will much prefer this trip. ROY’S FLYER needed his last start badly after a long lay-off. He has shown ability. (Preview: 8-11-12-1)

 

The Vaal classic track stages an eight race meeting on Thursday and there look to be a few opportunities for punters.

The Gavin van Zyl-trained Mogok filly Komeshan’s Flight in race five has been selected as the best bet of the day. She won her maiden easing up over 1600m on the Turffontein Inside track. She now races over the same trip from a good draw of six. In that last start she relaxed beautifully at the back of the field and made up the ground quickly with an effortless turn of foot. The form has been franked and she looks above average, so will be hard to beat off a mere 77 merit rating. My Cherry drops back to a more suitable trip and is back against her own gender, so could earn from a good draw. Pearl Valley looks to have come into her own, so can earn too if able to overcome yet another tricky draw. Andrew Fortune should help her cause.

The nomination for value bet of the day goes to the Lucky Houdalakis-trained four-year-old Tiger Ridge gelding Netflix. This horse has always struck as one with a touch of class who would start progressing in his second full season of racing. He is a robust horse with a fine turn of foot and the 1800m trip of tomorrow’s sixth race, a MR 83 Handicap, looks to be right down his alley. He has to lug 60kg but has the pole position draw and looks capable of rising above his current 85 merit rating. His last run in the Grand Heritage can be ignored as the trip of 1475m was too sharp and after initially sticking to his stations, he tracked right over to the favourable stand side but never found the ideal cover or the best going.

There is another progressive sort in this field in the form of the Irish-bred Fastnet Rock colt Enbahrr. He was born to Northern Hemisphere time in March 2013 and this has been taken into account when allocating the weights. However, he is likely improving rapidly now, still being a three-year-old in real terms. He was far from disgraced last time when finishing 5,2 lengths behind Mogok Master over 1450m as he was 8kg under sufferance on official merit ratings. Before that he won well over this trip at Turffontein, so will enjoy the step back up to this trip. Furthermore, the Mike de Kock Highveld yard is in good form at present.

Frappachino has come into his own, not surprisingly as he is by Ideal World. He could be a threat off a four point higher mark after two wins over 2000m. However, on paper Boy Boy has him beaten at the weights and has pole position draw as opposed to Frappachino’s wide draw, so Boy Boy is preferred for third. Kanonkop is the dark horse as he has plenty of ability, but the breathing issues he suffers from are a touch off putting. The latter issue did not stop him from winning over course and distance last time from a wide draw. He has another tricky draw, but is only two points higher in the merit ratings.

The meeting starts with an intriguing tussle between two horses who could prove to be fair sorts, Secret Star and Biblical Susan. Secret Star by Pathfork was backed into 22/10 on debut over 1160m but disappointed. However, on Grand Heritage day she ran a meritorious fifth in a race where the form has worked out very well. She showed a lot of pace that day and stayed on, so the 1200m trip of tomorrow’s event should be ideal and she has a good draw of four. Biblical Susan flew up for second from a tricky draw over 1000m at Scottsville on debut, so will also enjoy the step up in trip. She has a plum draw, one inside of Secret Star, and it would be no surprise to see her taking the honours for the De Kock yard.

The De Kock yard could follow up be winning race two with Al Hamd. He looks a solid sort and is better drawn this time over the 1600m trip than he was last time over the same course and distance.

Rhyme Or Reason and Flipflash are two eyecatching sorts who could fight out the third, a Maiden for fillies and mares over 1600m. The former comes from a good race on Grand Heritage day over 1400m, where she finished a decent fourth. The latter is by Golden Sword and will relish the step up in trip after making an eye catching debut over 1200m. She could provide good value from a plum draw, as it is quite a competitive race so the market should also reflect that.

Let It Rain in race four over 1600m is an intriguing runner as he could well be running off a capped merit rating.

The highest rated race on the card is the seventh, a MR 104 Handicap over 1200m, and the speedy Donny G is the selection as his exceptional speed could help him overcome a high draw.

The last race, like the first, is an intriguing affair and looks to rest between the up and coming sorts Gimmethemoney and Little Swift.

David Thiselton

Despite the wide draw, trainer Brett Crawford has opted to run Rabada in the R1-million Peermont Emperors Palace Charity Mile over 1600m at Turffontein on Saturday 5 November.

The final field for the Grade 2 race on the Standside track was unveiled at a function at Emperors Palace yesterday, when the charities and their celebrities met for the first time.

Top weight is Grade 1 Gold Challenge winner Mac De Lago, who also finished third in the Vodacom Durban July and he will be ridden by Weichong Marwing for his brother Weiho.

Rabada was one of the best three-year-olds in the country last season and won the Grade 1 Daily News 2000 at Greyville. Sadly for the connections the son of Brave Tin Soldier he has drawn No 17 but is likely to come in to No 14 after the removal of the reserve runners.

He will have the services of Anton Marcus who has ridden him in all nine of his runs. “We knew long ago he was going to be drawn wide,” said Crawford. “Unfortunately that’s what is. Fortunately it is Turffontein on the long course and I’d say that will help a little bit.

“Anton knows Turffontein well. We will have to see if there’s speed in the race and decide on how best to ride him – whether we place him or give him a chance.”

He missed his first run this season through injury and Rabada will go into the Charity Mile without a warm-up run. However, that does not seem to be too much of a problem for Crawford. “He’s still doing very well.”

Among the fancied horses are Champagne Haze for the Gary Alexander yard, New Predator, trained by Johan Janse van Vuuren, and Mogok Master, who is doing well at home according to trainer Joe Soma.

“He had an excellent comeback run after a year’s layoff and he is doing well. I was a little concerned about his second run after such a long layoff, in case he went flat. But I have been giving him gallops at home and they seem to be doing the trick.”

Mogok Master beat Africa Rising in his comeback run and the runner-up franked the form with a very easy win next time out. Anthony Delpech takes the ride.

Champion trainer Sean Tarry will saddle Bulleting Home, who has Piere Strydom up, and filly Intergalactic with S’manga Khumalo in the irons. However, he is a little disappointed Wukkin’ Up is only the second reserve runner. “I’m sad she didn’t make the final field. She has won lot of races in her short career. With bottom weight she would have been a massive runner.”

The charity who draws the winning horse will receive R150,000, the charity represented by the runner-up will receive R100,000 with the other 14 charities getting proportionate amounts of the total donation, depending on the allocated horse’s placement. No charity will go home with less than R20,000.

Final field for the R1-million Peermont Emperors Palace Charity Mile (Grade 2) over 1600m at Turffontein on Saturday 5 November:

1 – 5 MAC DE LAGO (W H Marwing) W Marwing 62.0 – 114

2 – 7 NEW PREDATOR (J A Janse van Vuuren) G Lerena 58.5 – 107

3 – 10 CHAMPAGNE HAZE (G M Alexander) L Hewitson 58.0 – 106

4 – 2 DEO JUVENTE (G V Woodruff) C Maujean 58.0 – 106

5 – 17 RABADA (B Crawford) A Marcus 58.0 – 106

6 – 15 THE CONGLOMERATE (J Ramsden) C Murray 58.0 – 106

7 – 3 NO WORRIES (van Zyl) W Kennedy 57.5 – 105

8 – 19 CAPTAIN ALDO (S J Gray) …………… 56.5 – 103

9 – 4 SARATOGA DANCER (D C Howells) C Zackey 56.5 – 103

10 – 6 BULLETING HOME (S G Tarry) P Strydom 56.0 – 102

11 – 13 INTERGALACTIC (S G Tarry) S Khumalo 56.0 – 102

12 – 18 ROMANY PRINCE (O A Ferraris) S Brown 56.0 – 102

13 – 12 TEN GUN SALUTE (D C Howells) G van Niekerk 56.0 – 102

14 – 11 MOGOK MASTER (J A Soma) A Delpech 55.5 – 101

15 – 8 ST TROPEZ (J Ramsden) R Danielson 54.5 – 99

16 – 16 IRISH PRIDE (J A Janse van Vuuren) R Simons 52.5 – 95

Reserve Runners

17 – 9 MASTER ‘N COMMANDER (G V Woodruff) Reserve 1 53.5 – 97

18 – 14 WUKKIN’ UP (S G Tarry) Reserve 2 52.0 – 94

19 – 1 MOOFEED (M F De Kock) Reserve 3 55.0 – 100

Same Trainer: (2,16) (4,17) (6,15) (9,13) (10,11,18)

Scottsville new race times – Wednesday Oct 26:

Race 1 [12:00] Race 2 [12:30] Bipot
Race 3 [13:05] PA
Race 4 [13:40] Pick 6
Race 5 [14:20] Jackpot
Race 6 [14:55] Race 7 [15:30] Race 8 [16:05] Race 9 [16:40]

Kenilworth new race times – Wednesday Oct 26:

Race 1 [14:05] Bipot
Race 2 [14:40] PA
Race 3 [15:20] Pick 6
Race 4 [15:55] Jackpot
Race 5 [16:30] Race 6 [17:10] Race 7 [17:40] Race 8 [18:15]