Can punters get a better price?

VIVA RIO stands out in the Tabonline.co.za Progress Plate at Kenilworth today but punters should shop around to see if they can get a better price than the 9-20 being quoted yesterday.

Glen Kotzen’s gelding, second in the Cape Guineas and before that fourth in the Concorde Cup, is the class horse of the race but he has to give weight all round and a considerable amount to the two Sean Tarry runners.

On merit ratings he should be able to do so without that much trouble but, as the old adage says, weight can stop a train and I don’t feel that the bookmakers have taken this fully into account – not yet anyway, but maybe a rather more generous sanity will prevail by 2.20pm.

Morne Winnaar’s mount is reported on song with Kotzen saying: “He worked like a machine on Saturday morning.”

Invisible

Invisible, second favourite at 4-1, ran a cracker to take fifth in the CTS Ready To Run and receives a whopping 9.5kg.

She looks a real threat. You should also bear in mind 5-1 shot Snow Report who, although finishing with only two behind him in the Cape Guineas, was less than three-quarters of a length off Viva Rio in the Concorde and is 3.5kg better.

There has already been a lot of interest in Our Prized Jewel in the 1 200m maiden (race two) and the Brett

Crawford newcomer opened favourite at 5-4.

She is out of Our Table Mountain with whom Joey Ramsden had considerable success and who is the dam of the ultra-speedy Cloth Of Cloud.

“I haven’t done a lot with her but she has done enough to be competitive and she will run a nice race,” says her trainer.

Marcus

She is Anton Marcus’s only mount of the day which is a tip in itself. He is retained by Ridgemont of course, and that is why he flies down, but he would not be asked to do so if she wasn’t expected to run a decent race. If you prefer to look for the form horse – and, let’s face it, most three-yearolds making their debuts as late as this aren’t that good – then Lady Wylie is probably the pick.

She has been slowly away on all her three starts this season and rates the danger.

Empire Glory

Empire Glory has raced 21 times without managing to get his head in front but maybe his time has finally come in the opening maiden. The Greg Ennion runner (92 yesterday) has the in-form M.J. Byleveld in the irons, has been placed 14 times and there are lines of form that suggest he might beat 28-10 shots Fundraiser and What A Man.

Bollinger is favourite at 16-10 but his last run was in a work riders race (the form of these is notoriously unreliable) and he disappointed on his previous two starts.