Huge weekend for punters across SA

PORT Elizabeth gets the ball rolling today in a historic weekend of horse racing in South Africa.

It is going to be a huge weekend for punters, with the highlight the Sun Met meeting tomorrow at Kenilworth in Cape Town.

Fairview starts the action today with a full meeting of nine races.

The Merchants is the feature race, and although it is a small field of eight runners, it is full of quality.

The main players will be Villa Del Largo and Juan Two Three, but expect Sir Duke and Normanz to be right there.

The favourites have been doing quite well at Fairview but the one or two huge upsets did not stay away.

Trainer Yvette Bremner delivered a few of those at recent meetings but the king of upsets, Hekkie Strydom, was back at Wednesday’s polytrack meeting to show his mettle.

He won the fourth race with the five-year-old gelding Talca – paying R62.20 on the tote for a win and R11.40 a place.

And guess who owns this winner? It is the first winner as an owner for legendary jockey Piere Strydom, Hekkie’s son.

Piere started his illustrious career as a jockey at Fairview many moons ago and now the PE track has got him off to a good start as an owner also.

Hekkie, Piere and Jonel Britz own Talca in a partnership.

Jonel and her husband, Johan, have been long time supporters of the yards of Hekkie and his other son, Jacques.

After Fairview, the action continues in Durban with a Greyville night meeting.

Kwa-Zulu-Natal is not holding back this weekend and is making racing history with the first ever three-day racing carnival.

They follow the night meeting up with a day meeting tomorrow and then the action will be at Scottsville in Pietermaritzburg on Sunday.

The Met will be included in tomorrow’s meeting because the big one at Kenilworth cannot be missed.

The headliner on Africa’s richest race day should be a cracker on a day that will probably see record betting pools. It will be the first time in South Africa that the tote will offer two Pick Sixes for punters.

Punters’ Pal tips:

Fairview: PA R 486 1-4-8/4-5-15/2/4-8-10/1-2/4-5-11/1-2-9 PICK 6 R 1 750 1-4-5-9-15/2/3-4-8-9-10/1-2/2-4-5-11-13/ 1-2-3-8-9-13-17 Kenilworth: PA R 432 2-4-18-19/1-2/1-12/1-5-14/2-7-15/4/1-4-8 1ST PICK 6 R 1 800 1-2-4-8-9/1-3-11-12/1-2-5-9-14-16/2-7-15/ 4/1-4-6-8-14 2ND PICK 6 4/1-4-6-8-14/1/1-2-4-6-10-11/2-5-6-7-9/3-6 -7-10-14-15