There are varying opinions on the National Horseracing Authorities recent announcement that local merit ratings will be raised by six pounds on March 1. But what ever your opinion, and they are varied, merit ratings do mostly work to punter’s advantage in races such as maiden plates.
The Soccer 6 Maiden at Greyville yesterday was a case in point. None of that field will get their names on jam tins but the two highest rated horses in the race, Mutawaary and Fire Song, hooked up at the two-furlong marker but it was the higher rated Mutawaary, rated seven pounds superior to Fire Song, who drew off to win comfortably with the balance left gasping for air.
Warren Kennedy
Geoff Perkins, “Jeffries Bay” to his friends is nothing if not patient and it paid off with the six-year-old Secret Service finally getting off the mark at his 29th attempt in the card opener.
“Patience takes on a whole new meaning with this horse but we finally got there. We were very confident. The race was perfectly set up and Warren (Kennedy) delivered.”
In further confirmation that the merit rating system holds some merit, top-rated The Private, in spite of having little obvious form to boast of, ran out and easy winner of the third. Queensbury Rules came in for some inspired market support but failed to deliver a knock-out blow as apprentice Ashton Arries slipped the Michael Roberts-trained The Private up the inside rail and Queensbury Rules arrived too late on the scene to make any difference to the result.
Quakeshake looked to be one of the better best on the card (7-10) and Dean Kannemeyer’s filly duly arrived in the Track & Ball Gaming Qualified Maiden although Sweet Shayna made her work hard in the latter stages.
The call by Mark Dixon to fit blinkers to the filly Parallelogram has paid dividends as she pushed Arries to within two winners of losing his claim. In spite of taking the scenic route in the straight in the Rugby 5 Qualified Maiden, shifting from inside to out, Parallogram was never in danger and won as she liked.
The Greyville poly track can be a tricky surface with horses, who look certain winners with 100m to go, treading water the last bit and being snaffled on the line by something coming from the clouds.
Yaas was a case in point in the Interbet Handicap as she led for every step except at the line as Je Suis Silver arrived with a late flourish. It was a tremendously game effort from the runner-up who had fought off most of the opposition but Anton Marcus is an acknowledged master of the synthetic surface and got Tony Rivalland’s filly up on the line.
By Andrew Harrison
