Banker Rip It Up in everything
Aldo Domeyer is the man to follow at Durbanville
You can’t argue with statistics and the statistics show you make money when backing the jockey-trainer combination of Richard Fourie and Justin Snaith. The pair have an impressively high 35.82% win strike rate, and should increase it when Rip It Up lines up in Race 6 at Durbanville today. This smashing R240 000 Querari colt was all the rage on debut and went off as a 14-10 favourite, but was victim to inexperience and had to settle for third place, beaten 2.25 lengths by Bellingham Bay over the minimum trip. A meritorious run nevertheless, considering he was drawn poorly (at No 8 in a nine-horse field) at this very course, and he gave the winner 2.5kg. That form line boasted two follow-up winners, and Rip It Up made no mistakes on the second time of asking, skipping an encouraging 0.50 lengths clear of Shadowing over 1000m at Kenilworth. “He’s not a sprinting type of horse,” admitted Fourie, suggesting Rip It Up will relish the extra 250m of this contest. “He’s still green, but he is a lovely horse. He ticks all the boxes and has got a bright future head,” he concluded. This three-year-old colt is clearly far better than his merit rating of 84 suggests, plus he has an advantageous No 2 draw to jump from this time and comes into this race with a decent 57kg to shoulder – 2kg less than his main danger Jardin whose recent ninth place finish behind superstar Chimichuri Run in a Grade 3 isn’t a true reflection of his ability. Prior to that performance, as a twoyear-old, Vaughan Marshall’s charge was unbeaten in two efforts. If he can reproduce that brilliance he will give the favourite a run for his money. Quartet players should float the pair with as many runners as their budget allows in the relatively small field. Jockey Aldo Domeyer has booked a plethora of mounts with winning chances, and it could pay to take a TAB All To Come featuring three of his rides – places on Vikram in Race 2 and Orakal in Race 4, and lastly a win on Crome Yellow in Race 8. The latter has improved with each race run and recently finished second in two consecutive outings over 1600m. He now steps up to 2000m in this Maiden Plate, and is the joint best weighted runner in the field with Cedar Man who has been well beaten in last two outings, finishing over three lengths behind the victors on both occasions. This will be Crome Yellow’s third run after a lengthy layoff so he’ll be in fine fettle. He was also only 0.75 lengths behind Potawatomi last time out – a great run considering the winner was 3kg better off. It’s advised you take boxed Swingers and Exactas featuring the pair. Orakal showed absolutely no signs of ring-rustiness when cruising to a comfortable one-length triumph despite returning from a short rest. If that performance is any indication, this four-year-old son of Oratorio is unlikely to lose when he lines up in Race 4, a MR 88 Handicap over 1400m. He is in fact yet to taste defeat at this track and should confirm superiority despite carrying 3kg more than he did last time out at 59kg.