Lerena’s the Turffontein Crowd Pleaser
Newcomers to win Races 1 and 2
When it comes to picking winning rides, few jockeys compare to former champion Gavin Lerena, who has registered no less than six winners and eight places from 20 rides since returning from injury. He has a high win strike rate of 30% and is currently trading at a tempting 11-2 to win the jockeys’ championship. Get on! Lerena has four rides booked at the Turffontein Inside track meeting this afternoon and all having winning chances. It could pay to indulge in a Tab All To Come bet. The suggested multiple includes Places on Xplosive Kiss in the opener and Lady Jackson in the second, a Win on Crowd Pleaser in Race 4 and, finally, a Place on Royal Utopia in the fifth. Trainer Johan Janse van Vuuren saddles six of the eight runners in Race 1, a Maiden Plate over the minimum trip. Jockey arrangements and the betting market suggest that R1.1-million Captain Al filly Xplosive Kiss is the stable elect. At the time of writing, she was trading at 8-10. An advantageous No 1 draw adds weight to the first-timer’s case. For Swingers and Exactas, punters should include at least one other Van Vuuren horse, Avantgarde, a R1-million daughter of Frankel who is also making her debut. Lerena rides Lady Jackson in Race 2 over 1000m and the only reason we’ve decided to go the Eachway route is because Sean Tarry saddles Mythical Bolt, a Captain Al debutant who could be anything. Keep an eagle eye on the betting. Lady Jackson has experience on her side and is yet to run out of the money in six appearances, with her last four boasting three consecutive thirds and a second in her most recent effort when she finished 3.10 lengths behind Dalai’s Promise. With exception of the last, each of her form lines has produced winners. This three-year-old daughter of Jackson should reward her loyal supporters with a decent payday, courtesy of the No 3 draw she jumps from and the fact that she tops the best-weighted column, shouldering 2.5kg less than Tarry’s charge at 57.5kg. Mythical Bolt is also drawn worst of all. Quartet players should float the pair with as many runners as the budget allows. Crowd Pleaser has run with some of the best horses the country has to offer and should have no issues outclassing his five rivals in Race 4, a MR 104 Handicap over 2000m. He has recently been gelded and is returning from a 61-day layoff – the only chink in his armour. He is far better than his recent performance, when he finished eighth behind Captain America in a Grade 1, suggests. Expect tremendous improvement. The good news is that the last time he ran at this track he finished second. Also, he has Sabina’s Dynasty and Dawn Assault held on form, having run well ahead of them in his penultimate when 0.10 lengths behind Head Honcho in a very tough race over 2200m at Greyville. If he can reproduce that performance, he will beat this field despite jumping from the worst draw of all and shouldering 60.5kg.