Grey Light, the highlight at Greyville
A FTER flattering to deceive on a number of occasions, Joey Ramsden resorted to blinkers for Grey Light and they appear to have done the trick. The mare starts in the fifth, a handicap over 1600m and the highlight of a nine-race card on the Greyville poly, that looks particularly tricky given the number of lowly rated handicaps.
After finishing a distant third behind the cleverly ridden Zante in the Queen Palm Stakes, Grey Light was declared in blinkers for her next outing with Anton Marcus aboard. Whether it was the blinkers or Marcus or a combination of both, Grey Light turned in her best effort for some time, kicking at the top of the straight and pulling away to win as she liked.
She was given a five-point penalty for that win, back to her highest MR, but she now appears to have found her feet again and Marcus has stayed with his mount.
But it will not be an easy ride as champion trainer Sean Tarry has lined up three poly track specialists, each in with a chance. Lady Of Kildare carries top weight and comes off a smart win over course and distance beating Enchanted Silk.
She enjoys racing handy and from her inside gate she should have every chance of finding position.
She has however, been lumbered with a six-point rise in the weights which could make things difficult.
Chennai Babe turned her fortunes around when sent on the poly but after a string of victories the handicapper appears to have caught up.
She was four lengths adrift of Lady Of Kildare when they last met but Tarry has declared apprentice Diego de Gouveia who is full value for his 4kg claim.
The third of the Tarry runners is Wandies who has come into her own with a hat-trick of recent victories, the last over course and distance.
She takes a steep rise in class here but takes a corresponding drop in weight and she can go in again under Muzi Yeni who rode her to her last victory.
Ashburton-based Belinda Impey has turned around the fortunes of Music World. In three outings for the yard the filly reeled off two on the trot over course and distance before finishing a close-up third on the turf at Scottsville. Anthony Delpech has kept faith and she must have a decent chance of a fourth win.
To add to the puzzle, the other three runners in the race, Reigning Wave, Terepova and Vogue Idea are far from no-hopers in a competitive event.
Exotic bet bankers are few and far between and punters may have to wait until the final leg of the Pick 6 and hold their breathes for the Alyson Wright-trained Diamond In The Sky.
After winning on debut, Diamond In The Sky was deemed good enough to take on feature company but although putting in a couple of decent performances in minor features, she was down the field in both the Gr1 Allan Robertson and Gr2 Golden Slipper. She jumped from a difficult draw in the Slipper and her drift in the market from 25-1 to 70-1 just about summed up her chances.
She is back in handicap company today and although shouldering top weight she jumps from a plum draw and has Marcus aboard.
The Duncan Howells yard has hit form and his runners have chances in three legs of the Pick 6. Lady Linda was third behind Grey Light last time out and while Ramsden has gone the classier route, Howells has gone in the other direction and Lady Linda takes a big drop in class. She will also wear blinkers for the first time and Lady Linda looks a live contender in the sixth.
Juds Express in the seventh also takes a drop in class after finishing three lengths back to Music World in her last outing which was a big improvement on her previous two starts. She has a favourable draw and can make the frame.
Howells’s final runner on the day is Silken who races in the silks of Barry Irwin’s Team Valor in partnership with film magnate Anant Singh. The daughter of Silvano has been lightly raced and was probably in need of her last outing after returning from a three-month break. But this is another competitive field where top weight Nina Katrina and Aventurine will have their supporters.