Strike it rich with Strydom
TOUGH: FINDING WINNER TRICKY BUT STRYDOM HAPPY WITH HIS RIDE
Yamoto looks best bet on Turffontein card.
There’s just a week to go until the Vaal Racecourse’s biggest race meeting of the year and the final field for the R750,000 WSBetting Grand Heritage over 1475m is out already.
There’s going to be a full field of 28 runners so picking the winner is going to be a nightmare. But on the positive side, no matter who your fancy is, you’ll get a decent price when you put your money down.
We’re all hoping for a little bit of rain before next weekend because that will benefit both the track and the horses.
Apparently the track is currently in a good state and I once again have to praise those who made the important decision to move all our Vaal meetings in the last month to Turffontein to allow the track to rest.
I’m riding Arctica, who must be one of the fancied horses. Looking at the draws, I am happy to be on the outside of the track because in general the better going has always been on the far outside or inside. Of course, the track has been treated, so I’d suggest punters watch the early races to ascertain whether there is a bias.
There is a downside of being drawn on the outside rail and that is if you don’t have early speed with the field being that big, other runners could come round you and destroy your chance of getting a clear run.
That said, the Azzie yard and I are hoping to get the ball rolling for the rest of the season.
Loading 28 horses is quite a drawn-out process and we’ll all be trying to keep our mounts calm in the stalls because if our ride becomes fractious, it could wreck our chances completely.
The race meeting at Turffontein today is on the Inside track and once again the draw will play a huge factor.
Race 1 is over 1200m where the draw is even more vital because you’re already cornering as you jump and the lower draws have an advantage. Jockey room talk is that first-timer Silver Maple is a good sort and with a draw of No 1, he surely has a lot in his favour. The dangers must come from the raced horses because on this track experience helps a lot. So consider Combat Muster and Son Of A Legend, who unfortunately has drawn wide.
Of the raced horses in Race 2 Red Indy looks the right one, especially because he’s drawn at No 1. Quite a few Randjesfonteinbased horses have suffered from respiratory problems in the last week or so which is why we’ve got to consider Ekuseni, Double Tap and Samurai Dragon.
There is a possible Place Accumulator banker in Race 3, Torrey Pines. She’s drawn well and also ran during the Durban feature race season when quality horses compete and she should be good enough to win this. If you have any concerns regarding Torrey Pines, consider Tigerlace and Holiday Romance.
Race 4 is a poor-looking 2000m Maiden Plate with Innovation standing out as a possible banker in Place Accumulators because he has got more scope for improvement than his opposition. You could also banker him in the Pick 6 but his danger could be Llandudno, who over-raced in blinkers last time so ignore that run.
There’s another possible banker in Cavalleria in Race 5. But if you are not confident she has the ability to win, put in Serene Countess, Ma Amour and Culture Queen for both the Pick 6 and Place Accumulator.
There is yet another possible banker in Race 6, Flying Free. He is coming in off a bit of a rest but is not taking on the strongest of fields and is drawn No 1.
There are a number of horses who have just won Maiden Plates and it’s hard to gauge whether they will make improvement. However, if you want a backup in the Pick 6 or Place Accumulator, Cedrus Libani could be the right one.
Race 7 is over 1450m and the horse who has the best form and most scope for improvement is Well Connected. He won his first race and in his next two starts took on some quality opposition, getting well beaten last time out.
His dangers are the more exposed horses like Timeofthevikings and West Coast Warrior - my only ride on the day. Those three should be good enough for the Place Accumulator, but for the Pick 6 consider loading this leg with Captain Chips, Blazing Winter, Edisson and Neuf De Pape as well as the top three.
Some quality horses take part in Race 8 but I think a horse like Yamoto, who’s fit and well, could be another Place Accumulator banker. His obvious danger is Aurora Australis but he hasn’t run for quite a while. Pick 6 players not convinced about Yamoto should consider also including Aurora Australis, Cash Time and Crazy Vision.
Race 9 is a fillies’ handicap and such races are often difficult, but on this occasion Royal Utopia could be a very hard horse to beat, especially from draw No 1. Unfortunately she hasn’t run for a couple of months and if you doubt her level of fitness, you should also consider including fit and welldrawn Parisienne Chic in Pick 6 permutations.