Gav, Mardi Gras will Soldier On to victory

Lerena to score aboard Insignis

While inspecting the Vaal track and unfortunately discovering it has not recovered, the organisers seem to have stepped on a goldmine, replacing the World Sports Betting Grand Heritage with an innovative event – the WSB Grand Series – to be contested at Turffontein’s Inside track tomorrow. The 28-horse final field has been split into two Legs (or races), offering stakes of R500 000 for each race, and to make it entertaining, the victors of the two Non-Black Type events will qualify for a match-race at the Vaal in early December, to determine the king of the series. You have to admit, this idea is brilliant! Our good friends at TAB have promised a R470 137 Pick 6 carryover that’s estimated to reach a spine tingling R2.6 million. Get on. The jockey-trainer combination of Gavin Lerena and Johan Janse van Vuuren top the betting boards in both events – Divine Odyssey (9-2) in Leg 1 and worthy Pick 6 banker Mardi Gras (2-1) in Leg 2. Mardi Gras, an expensive R3.2-million son of Oratorio, oozes class and wasn’t disgraced when beaten a credible 3.50 lengths by Vodacom Durban July winner Do It Again in the Grade 2 Daisy Guineas three runs back. This four-year-old was returning from a fourmonth layoff when beaten a tight 0.10 lengths into second by Africa Rising in his penultimate effort, and then produced a devastating turn of foot in the dying stages when a rapidly diminishing 2.70 lengths into second behind Mr Flood over 1200m. I advise you ignore that performance. He was last passing the 400m marker and Lerena didn’t use his crop once! So the fact Mardi Gras got so close to the winner is in itself a run full of merit. This grey gelding comes into the event with a light 56.5kg to shoulder, and a wide No 11 draw to jump from which shouldn’t raise too many red flags considering he is a horse who loves coming from off the pace. Stuart Pettigrew-trained Soldier On should have Divine Odyssey’s (favourite) number when they renew rivalry in the WSB Grand Series Leg 1, having finished 0.75 lengths ahead of him in a 1600m contest at the Vaal in their most recent encounter. Regular jockey Marco van Rensburg will not be riding on the day, and as a result, the equally-talented apprentice jockey Diego de Gouveia will replace him. A son of Brave Tin Soldier, Soldier On will sports blinkers for the time, shoulder 1kg less than Lerena’s mount at 57kg and will be aided by an advantageous No 2 draw. Plus that last form line has produced a winner. Divine Odyssey was in desperate need of a run following a two-month stint off the racetrack on that occasion so should spark a lot of improvement. Prior to that fourth-place finish, he was on a two-run winning streak, defeating a field featuring the likes of Arctica, Dame Kelly and Jubilee Line in his penultimate run. Soldier On and Divine Odyssey are all you need in your Pick 6. However, if you can afford going a bit wide, add Lake Kinneret and Hakeem. Lerena also rides one of the best bets on the card, Insignis for trainer Geoff Woodruff in Race 3, a FM 91 Handicap over 1600m.