Fly me to the moon
SHANE HUMBY scored a double at Scottsville on Sunday and can add to his tally at the same venue today when he runs Moon Bird in the Natal Property Consultants Handicap. The lightly raced gelding has had two runs since a lengthy break and both were on the poly track with blinkers. Moon Bird reverts to turf this afternoon, the blinker come off and he also steps up in trip in a race that looks tailor-made.
He will however, face strong opposition from The Poet who fell victim to Humby’s runner Waywood over course and distance last time out and who franked that form with another success last Sunday.
The Poet
The Poet has been a touch unfortunate in his last two outings, his first in blinkers.
He was decidedly unlucky behind Haylor and last time out, coming from too far back in a slow run race when third behind Waywood and stable companion Burra Boy, who is also in today’s line-up. MJ Byleveld jumps from Burra Boy to The Poet with Kegan de Melo tied to the Dean Kannemeyer yard for the season and he partners marginal favourite Benfontein for his retained yard.
Track & Ball have The Poet at around 33-10 in the market with The Poet around 4-1.
Benfontein put up a smart barrier trial behind stable companion Meryl and was probably in need of the outing behind The King Of Random over 1000 on the poly. He is likely to prefer this trip. At longer odds is Tommy Grand who caught the eye in a recent barrier trial and although this trip may be a touch in the short side, Nathan Kotzen has declared blinkers and he could be the joker in the pack.
Neala
With top weight Neala and Valedictorian scratched from the opening leg of the PA the field has been trimmed to four runners that could turn into a match race between Winter Blues and Swakopmund.
Louis Goosen could have the inside edge here as Swakopmund finished nearly five lengths behind Goosen’s speedy filly Hashtag Strat who has since come out and won again.
Swakopmund has 4kg-claiming Luke Ferraris aboard and earmuffs but that may not be enough to peg back Winter Blues.
He is a little horse with a lot of heart and Bernard Fayd’Herbe could be tactically too canny for his younger rival.
To Woo is the only winner in the opening leg of the Pick 6 but Vaughan Marshall’s filly Charge D’Affaires, runner-up in both starts and a beaten 6-10 favourite last time out, can make amends for that defeat. She is currently odds-on with Track & Ball.
Beat It faded out badly in the Allan Robertson but judged on her earlier form, that was a showing way below ability.
She stretches to a ‘mile’ this afternoon with current ante-post favourite Mitra Music the filly to beat.