Clifton Crusher can get off the mark
VISITING trainers have yet to make a major impact in the races leading up to Champions Season and although Dean Kannemeyer is still regarded as a ‘Cape’ trainer he has an active Summerveld satellite yard. Kannemeyer’s Clifton Crusher clashes with Vaughan Marshall’s Provocateur in the second on the poly at Greyville tonight in the meeting postponed from Wednesday.
Clifton Crusher has the benefit of having raced around the Greyville turn where he started favourite only to run into the highly rated Goliath Heron. That was in soft ground but Kannemeyer runners have good form on the poly and with that race under his girth, a plum draw and Anton Marcus aboard, Marshall may have to wait a little longer for his first KZN winner this season although that is no foregone conclusion.
Provocateur was allowed to start at long odds in his Durbanville debut and was running on strongly behind winner Sacred Arrow. It was a smart debut from a colt with an A-division pedigree and Clifton Crusher will not have things his own way.
The card is littered with lowly handicaps that have attracted full fields so punters will have their work cut out finding winners.
Either Clifton Crusher or Provocateur should suffice in the opening leg of the PA but the opening leg of the Pick 6 is a lot more difficult but London Knight is consistent and goes well on the poly. He also takes a big drop in class so has something going for him.
Sunny Bill Du-Toy shows promise and looks the right one in the fourth when he steps up to what should be a more suitable trip. He could be worth banking in smaller perms but Monsieur Blanco found a ton of market support at his second start and is likely to make further improvement.
The fifth is wide open and it may be prudent to load this leg of all exotics although Agencefrancepresse was out-paced late by the rejuvenated Tuscan last time out and will prefer the extra furlong tonight.
Similarly, the sixth but Sea Urchin is down in class and the blinkers come off over this extended trip that should suit.
Northern Storm could snap a sequence of runnerup places in the seventh but the form goes a lot deeper with the likes of Zinzara, Roy’s Snowdrops and La Suerte De Matar possibly best in another tough lineup. Pink Cadillac and Escape Club are the pick of the final event with Lady Jay a trifecta possibility.