Lord Silverio can mow them down
AMR 80 Handicap over 1600m heads a low key card on the Vaal Classic track tomorrow. Lord Silverio is a talented sort and had too much ground to make up last time over 1 800m.
The step down in trip is probably not ideal but from a much better draw he is likely to be closer to the pace and can mow them down. Alssakhra met Mambo Symphony over this trip on the Turffontein Inside track on May 20 and was beaten 2,3 lengths by him.
He is now only 1kg better off and if apprentice claims are included is 7kg worse off. A 4kg apprentice rode him that day and the same claimer is now on Mambo Symphony.
Strydom
However, Alssakhra is now being ridden by the maestro Piere Strydom. Strydom is a known good judge of pace and is tailor made for front-running types like Alssakhra.
Furthermore, he has a good draw of three and the prevailing fast going should also be suitable. The Seventh Rock gelding is coming off a good performance in a Graduation Plate where he was beaten 2,55 lengths by the 101 merit rated Royal Crusade.
He was receiving 3kg that day but is back in a handicap off an 85, so if he repeats that run he should be right there.
The downside is he has had quite a tough campaign, which included a trip down to Durban to be pacemaker for stablemate Majestic Mambo in the Grade 1 Daily News 2000. Mambo Symphony was caught wide without cover for most the way last time over this distance on the Turffontein Inside course.
He now has a 4kg claimer up, so will make his presence felt if it pans out better from a draw of seven out of 12.
Bush Pilot
Bush Pilot is drawn in pole and is ideally distance suited. He can earn again if repeating his penultimate start. Miss Bulsara is a full-sister to the Graded winner Bulsara and ran a good race over 2000m last time. This is likely a touch sharp but she is improving in the typical style of a four-yearold Silvano filly and could make her presence felt with a 4kg claimer up. Querari Viking is 4kg better off with Mambo Symphony for a 4,1 length beating on their meeting on May 1 over this trip, but the latter will have improved further being still a three-year-old so Querari Viking has a tough task from draw ten.
Dawn Flight
In the last race over 1 800m Dawn Flight showed she is competitively handicapped at present when going close over this trip on the Vaal Inside track 16 days ago.
She now has a plum draw and runs off the same mark so should get it right under a jockey she runs well for, S’Manga Khumalo. Empress Valley beat her last time by 0,2 lengths despite casting a shoe so will have a fine chance again from pole position, despite being 1kg worse off. The dark horse in this race is White Out, despite her having been well beaten by the aforementioned pair last time.
She did not have much luck in that race but is capable of a strong finish and gets on well with Karl Zechner, so if it pans out well from a wide draw she should be charging home late.