Pay your money and take your chances

TRAINER Mike Azzie is one of the legendary characters of South African racing who has had many top-class horses pass through his hands.

He is also renowned for the immaculate condition in which he turns his runners out for races.

He is also a man who wears his heart on his sleeve which is a character trait that endears him to many in racing and beyond and the industry is all the better for it.

Abashiri

So it must have been difficult for him to maintain his composure after Abashiri won the Gauteng Guineas last weekend when he praised the three-year-old Go Deputy gelding as one of the most exciting horses he has trained, not quite in the league of his ill-fated star National Currency but right up there with the best.

At Turffontein tomorrow he will be stepping out two juveniles that appear to have promising futures in the Listed Storm Bird Stakes and the Listed Ruffian Stakes, both over 1 000m on the testing standside track.

But like Abashiri last week, both the Var colt Rivarine and the Var filly Star Burst Galaxy will face stiff opposition where there are runners that have also shown considerable potential and a lot could depend on the progress they have all made since their last outings.

One runner about which nothing is known, however, is the Sean Tarry-trained Trippi colt Flying Myth that makes his debut.

Coming from the Tarry stable one can assume that he is a useful sort and together with the Var filly Exquisite Touch in the Ruffian Stakes, they could be the two to thwart any plans by Azzie to complete a juvenile double.

The Storm Bird Stakes is a highly competitive event and one would need to include at least five runners in the Pick 6.

Rivarine

However, Rivarine is well bred, being out of the Jet Master mare River Jetez, and his two runs to date have been very good.

Yes, He’s A Var from the Leon Erasmus stable beat him last time by a length but Rivarine lost a length at the start on that occasion and had previously debut.

One would be tempted to tip Flying Myth as the main challenger to Rivarine but it is not what I like to do and the Mike Miller-trained Argonaut colt Rob’s Jewel is given that honour.

Rob’s Jewel won an 800m scurry at Scottsville on debut in a pretty good time and as Miller feels that strongly about his charge to float him up to Turffontein for his next race suggests he has shown his conditioner pretty good work.

Fresh

won

on

The Queran filly Fresh from the Corne Spies stable is an interesting inclusion in the field.

Like Tarry has done in the past, Spies is pitting the filly against the colts and as the stable has a good record with juveniles the filly has to be respected.

Turning to the Ruffian Stakes, Exquisite Touch looks to be a little bit special judging by the way she won on debut.

Racing handy throughout she finished strongly to win as she liked beating the Mike de Kock stable inmate, the Australian-bred Hard Spun filly Fursa by more than three lengths.

Fursa will be 3kg better off with Exquisite Touch tomorrow but the way the Tarry filly won suggests she had something in hand.

Star Burst Galaxy was also beaten by Exquisite Touch in that race but took a bump at the start and a better indication of her ability was her maiden win when second to Seattle Singer before being promoted to winner. A repeat of that first effort could see her putting in a strong bid for the top spot along with Seattle Singer who is 3kg better off in the weights tomorrow.

Intriguing Lady

The De Kock runner Intriguing Lady, an Australian-bred daughter of New Approach, was a very easy winner of an 800m scurry in yielding going at Scottsville winning by nearly five lengths.

She looks something special and should be involved in the finish.

In both races things are wide open and if I were to take a Pick 6 I would certainly take the fields.

Races made up of lightlyraced juveniles with good form are minefields and while I have made selections, there is no confidence in them.

one of the few maidens to run in the Investec Cape Derby in the last decade, could be worth waiting for in the last race at Kenilworth tomorrow.

The Paddy Kruyertrained gelding ran two good races over this mile before finishing 11th of 15 behind It’s My Turn and Brazuca.

He was beaten less than eight lengths and only the badly drawn, six-month absent Imperial Dancer is rated his superior in the Patronage Maiden.

“I think he got the 2 000m that day although he just rolled on a bit at the finish,” says Kruyer.

“His best distance will probably be 1 800m but he is in good shape for this.”

Grant Behr’s mount opened at 4-1 with World Sports Betting yesterday and he has 15 up against him with Imperial Dancer (11-2) rated the biggest danger.

The first four races have an ominously straightforward look about them – usually a sign that upsets can be expected – but 14-10 favourite Attenborough stands out in the opening maiden juvenile and should certainly be able to confirm the placings with Rand Hedge (7-2) and Studiolo (14-1) as he lost valuable ground at the start on debut.

Barak Lavan

Barak Lavan showed promise first time and another to bear in mind is Rasta Rebel, who although last in the Listed race on Met day, met with some interference just inside the final furlong.

Mike Bass, with four winners, is only two behind Justin Snaith in this season’s Cape Town two-yearold log and he can add to his score in the Play The Bipot Maiden Juvenile with Whose That Girl (2-1) who finished eye-catchingly strongly when only just beaten by stable companion Wake Up Maggie on debut three weeks ago.

Ubiquitous Star and Baseema look held on that run but it’s worth noting that there is a line of form that puts 7-2 chance Colorado Rose (fourth to top-notch Cloth Of Cloud) in front of the Bass hope.

Brett Crawford’s luck deserted him at Durbanville last Saturday but his Juba (8-10) looks nailed on for the Place Your Bets Maiden (race three) after taking third to Leisure Trip last month despite losing five lengths at the start.

Helen’s Bay

You might think that Helen’s Bay, the only non three-year-old in the race, has lost her chance of winning at the age of five (this is her 11th attempt) but the year younger Ravishing Lad won at the 23rd time of asking last month and Exclusive Knight (five) at the 36th.

Helen’s Bay (6-1 here) showed significant improvement last time and Mike Robinson says that was because he dropped her back to this 1 000m.

Crawford and Corne Orffer can double up with 21 favourite Tide Is Turning in the Quinte Plus Maiden 35 minutes later when Oli Miranda looks the one for the forecast.