‘Ball’ has the ability
FEATURE: SHE HAS ACQUITTED HERSELF WELL IN FEATURE-RACE COMPANY THIS YEAR
Port Elizabeth challenger Rock Deejay could be second best.
Wrecking Ball would just not go down last time out, when winning a similar race to Race 7 at Turffontein tomorrow, a 1000m Pinnacle Stakes, and she could swoop again to score the double.
This Grant Maroun-trained filly is a five-time winner from only 16 starts so obviously has loads of ability. So far this year all but two of her races were in feature-race company and she acquitted herself well in winning the Tommy Hotspur Handicap under a light weight in February and placing second in the Senor Santa Handicap. She is in form and will be ridden by Ryan Munger.
Port Elizabeth trainer Dorrie Sham brings three horses to Johannesburg for the meeting including Rock Deejay, who is bidding for his fourth win in a row. The most recent was last month, when he beat Vous Et Var by 0.50 lengths in yielding going over 1000m at Fairview. He and his stable companions will not be making the trip for the scenery. He will be ridden by Marco van Rensburg, who already has winning form on this son of Seventh Rock.
Coenie de Beer-trained Talktothestars, a Tsogo Sun winner, has been in a relative wilderness in the last year but finished second to 1.30-length winner Rafeef in the Computaform Sprint and, while a little erratic, has some good form to his name.
He made good late progress when beaten only a long neck in a photo finish over 1000m at Scottsville last time out. Gunter Wrogemann takes the ride.
Isphan and Riverine looks the other two to consider.
A small but classy field lines up in the Three-Year-Old MR 92 Handicap over 1400m, Race 2 on the card. Recent debut winner Sir David Baird, who hails from the Mike de Kock stable, could be hard to beat if he comes on as expected with that experience. He cruised on by and won a 1200m Maiden Plate going away from Red Indy.
Surcharge will have many supporters, with a second and two wins from as many career starts to his name. He beat subsequent winner Zerodarkthirty by a neck over 1200m at the Vaal second time out and followed up with a better win, by 1.40 lengths, in a 1400m Novice Plate. Piere Strydom takes the ride.
Snow Boarding will be turned out quickly after running at Turffontein yesterday but Tony Nassif’s runner has good credentials and should make her presence felt, while any of the other three runners in the race could place.
Horses or banker will be a question some punters ask about Race 6 over 1160m. A good few will be tempted to rely on Mohallela winning this 1160m FM 84 Handicap and they might well be correct to do so. The Mike de Kock-trained filly has run two good races to date, last time beating Carmalita by 0.40 lengths over 1200m on the Inside track at the Vaal.
Her main danger seems to be fellow four-year-old Twelve Oaks, but this St John Gray filly might just be the stable’s second string behind Shivering Sea.