Ground Control could be the value for punters

Ground Control may be able to make his weight advantage tell sufficiently to upset hot favourite Minnesota Dream in the opening Juvenile Plate at Kenilworth today.

The Vaughan Marshall colt was fractionally odds-on for his debut and ran a good race to go under by only a length to Double Alliance.

Six of the seven runners that day were newcomers but the winner made the form look respectable by going on to take fifth in the Listed race on Met day.

Minnesota Dream. a stable companion of Double Alliance, won in spectacular style on debut ten days ago, losing a good six lengths at the break but finishing fast to score by three-quarters of a length. However the jury is still out on the exact worth of the form.

All eight runners were first-timers, half of them were slowly away, most of them ran green and the favourite flopped.

There is no denying Minnesota Dream’s ability – he was a most impressive winner - and Joey Ramsden, asked if he had come on for the run, said: “I would hope so but I haven’t done enough with him to form an opinion.”

Khumalo

But S’Manga Khumalo’s mount has to concede weight all round and the 11-10 quoted by World Sports Betting is not giving much away. We all know how good the Marshall two-year-olds usually are and at 28-10 this one is preferred.

The chances are that the race will be fought out between the two market principals but it is worth noting that nine of the 12 Cape Town two-year-old races so far this season have been won by first-timers. There has been some money (8-1 to 6-1) for the Sean Tarry-trained Rock The Globe, presumably because the colt is down as Anton Marcus’s only ride of the day. However punters should watch for any jockey changes because the four-time champion said on Saturday that he would not be riding at this meeting.

. Salt, who looked sure to win last time until caught close home, has been backed from 3-1 to 2-1 favourite for the TAB Telebet Maiden.

He has a big chance but Vendee Globe is preferred at 5-2.

The Andre Nel gelding would have finished closer on Met day but for losing ground at the start and Inertia, a head behind that day, went on to beat Salt.

Middle Wood’s form is strong enough to suggest he will beat Nel’s Luxemburg in the Telllytrack.com Maiden and Brett Crawford can double up with St Vladimir in the Play Soccer 6 Handicap. Greg Cheyne’s mount is on a hat-trick and, although he went up 3kg for his last win, he scored comfortably and won easing up.

In the Betting World Maiden (race four) there is precious little to choose between

2-1 favourite Je Ne Sais Quoi and Transylvania who is available at twice that price. However the favourite is blinkered for the first time and that swings the balance.