Murray to play a Township Melody
THE Justin Snaith-Callan Murray combination, two winners at Kenilworth a week ago, can take advantage of a favourable draw to score with 5-1 shot Township Melody at the Cape Town course today.
This filly has a fair bit to find with 12-10 favourite Sequined on handicap ratings in the Betting World Maiden, and she is assessed three points below Heart Of A Legend, but she is drawn four and they are going to start towards the outside.
Over this 1 400m that can count for a lot and the lightly-raced Township appears to be on the upgrade.
The It’s a Rush Welcome Maiden makes for a difficult start for punters but Danger Rock opened 11-2 favourite with World Sports Betting and at that price Grant van Niekerk’s mount makes a lot of appeal.
True, Cot Campbell beat him easily last time but he should confirm the placings with the Snaith-trained Magnificent Seven (10-1).
Dayonaut
The sahorseracing computer has Dayonaut (backed from 10-1 to 7-1) dead-heating with Danger Rock but the Paul Reeves runner is six-yearsold and hasn’t managed to win in nine starts.
The three-year-olds receive only 2kg whereas they should be getting 5.5kg more under the weight-for-age scale.
That represents four and a half lengths at the distance of this race but the handicappers reckon Danger Rock is over 10kg better than Dayonaut so he should prove the better.
Incidentally three-year-olds won half the Kenilworth all-aged maidens in August last year and the older horses tended to do better in the longer distance races.
The Joey Ramsden-trained Rommel has been nibbled at and he is capable of better than his last run (in April when he started third favourite) would suggest.
Newcomers don’t win a high percentage of Kenilworth maidens but it is worth noting that Emperors Tractor is out of a half-sister to star sprinter Shea Shea. That said, he has drifted from 10-1 to 14-1.
Sabbatical (14-1) is bred to need further.
Orakal
Orakal has ben supported from 11-1 to 7-1 and Mike Robinson, who has booked Weichong Marwing, can win the Tabonline Handicap with King Of The Corn who is 2-1 favourite and should win by three lengths according to the computer.
The main negative is that his winning run came to an end when the going changed to yielding. Waiting For Rain (5-2) finished a neck in front of him last time but the main danger could well come from Murray’s mount One Direction (22-10).
Pumeza is only first reserve for race two and, although a bit disappointing last time, she stands out on her previous two runs. Tough Love, who wears ear muffs for the first time, has been backed from 6-1 to 15-4 and, if Pumeza doesn’t get a run, this one gets the vote to beat 6-1 shot Waterbaby.