Guv and Gav to be victorious
Owl in the tree to finally leave maiden ranks
The jockey-trainer combination of Gavin Lerena and Geoff Woodruff have teamed up 31 times for 10 triumphs and 21 places this season which has resulted in them building an impressively high 26.32% win-strike rate. They are likely to increase it when Place Accumulator banker Sunshine Silk lines up in Race 3, a FM 86 Handicap over 2000m on the Turffontein Standside track today. Considering this four-year-old daughter of Silvano was having her second run after a layoff of almost four-months, she wasn’t disgraced last time out at the Vaal when beaten just 0.40 lengths into third place by Goede Hoop over 2400m. And it didn’t help that she also gave the victor 5kg. Sunshine Silk will be in peak condition today and considering she shoulders 2kg less than her main threat, Cold Cash, she has a massive chance of remaining undefeated over this course and distance. Lerena could be seen in the winner’s enclosure with Mike and Adam Azzietrained BiPot banker Orpheus following the running of Race 2, an Assessment Plate over 2400m. Perhaps going the TAB double route, featuring Azzie’s charge and Sunshine Silk, could also pay decently. This smashing son of Western Winter is the model of consistency and is yet to run out of the first three this year. He showed tremendous heart when fending off Gone With The Wind by a gutsy 0.40 lengths over 2000m in his latest offering, a performance that strongly suggests that he will relish the extra 400m. He tops the best-weighted column and is dropping in class. The average merit rating of this contest is 70 while Orpheus runs off an 87. As a result, this four-yearold gelding should have absolutely no trouble outclassing this lot. Assessment Plates have been very good to punters as favourites have been winning and the same can be expected when Alec Laird-trained Green Haze lines up in Race 6 over 1600m. This son of Gimmethegreenlight ran his heart out in the Grade 2 Dingaans when beaten 5.20 lengths by superstar three-yearold Haawaam (Mike de Kock) over this course and distance. Jockey Raymond Danielson’s mount is the best handicapped runner and if he can reproduce anything close to that last performance will be very hard to peg back. Pick 6 players can banker the Woodruff-trained Owlinthetree in Race 8, a Maiden Plate over 1800m. He was his own worst enemy in his most recent appearance when restless prior to the race and ended up in second-place – beaten no less than 1.20 lengths by Vontreo over 1400m. The good news is that form line has produced a winner, which strengthens the three-year-old’s case.