Marwing faces being upstaged by ‘dark horse’
THERE is no question trainer Weiho Marwing holds the strongest hand in tomorrow’s R600,000 Emerald Cup at the Vaal, but his duo might be upstaged by the only filly in the race, Tayba.
Marwing will saddle both Uncle Tommy and August Stakes winner Here Comes Billy, and the latter has moved to the top of the betting boards at 3-1 replacing the early favourite, Pylon.
Here Comes Billy will be ridden by S’manga Khumalo who has been in hot form in feature races this year with his highlight being his Vodacom Durban July victory on Heavy Metal.
The 28-year-old will have been delighted when his mount drew favourably at barrier six at last week’s draw.
Stablemate Uncle Tommy, the mount of Kevin Shea, also drew a good gate and gives Marwing strong backup in this Grade 2 race, which is being sponsored for the ninth time by Emerald Casino and Resort.
Pylon has gone walkabout in the market with many punters believing Michael Azzie’s runner will find top weight of 64.5kg too much of a burden. “He’s friendless in the market — all the support is for Here Comes Billy while Tayba is also pretty popular,” Lance Michael said yesterday.
Tayba represents the powerful stable of Mike de Kock who is seeking his third win in this 1450m contest. The champion trainer has kept faith with 19-yearold apprentice, Julius Mariba, who has struck up a good understanding with the filly.
The extra distance Tayba has to travel this time should not trouble her although Mariba will have to be at the top of his game to overcome a fairly wide draw.
Two other runners with outside draws to overcome are Contador and Storm Surf. Anton Marcus rides the first-named who can contest the finish provided he stays the trip. Although Storm Surf, the mount of another top jockey in Anthony Delpech, has won five of his six starts on sand, he must bounce back from a disappointing last run.
In A Rush makes the journey from Gavin Smith’s stable in the Eastern Cape and is one of the longshots at 33-1. At least he has a good draw and will jump from pole position. Sean Tarry saddles three runners in Across The Ice, Mr Tobin and Tiger’s Retreat, but this looks unlikely to be another memorable big race for owner Chris van Niekerk. Tarry’s team is yet to hit top gear this season.
Best bet on the 10-race card should be Killua Castle who ran out a facile winner here recently and can follow up in the hands of jockey Robbie Fradd.
The Australian import’s only threat is Mike de Kock’s representative, Red Barrel.
Nice Stride, a reserve for the main race, might not get a run but he is the one to be on in the seventh race, the Hampton Handicap over 1000m. It is a competitive sprint with Maji Moto, Yukon Gold and Be Assured all likely to have their supporters. Another horse possibly worth a flutter is trainer Corne Spies’ recent course winner, Campbell Black