Shuka to shake ‘em up at Turffontein
Fitness will be key
Race 8 at the Turffontein Inside track tomorrow is a Pinnacle Stakes over 1600m and has attracted a strong field, with five of the 10 runners having won a Graded race at some stage of their careers.
As we saw in the feature races at Durbanville last weekend though current race fitness plays a big role in these early season events, and they all seem likely to have to bow to a horse which has never as much as competed in any kind of feature race in the form of Ormond Ferraris’ Shukamisa.
This Silvano gelding is as consistent as they come, and is probably a little better than his current merit rating of 91. With 54kg and current SA champion jockey Anthony Delpech up, he would be a confident first selection, especially as he will strip as fit as a fiddle.
Brazuca seems the most serious danger. Rested since the Vodacom July, the gelding importantly has an excellent record coming back from a break, and is undefeated in two appearances over this course and distance. Donovan Mansour has won twice on Brazuca, which makes the fact that regular pilot Gavin Lerena seemingly gives him a miss in favour of stayer Banner Hill a little less surprising.
Taking the Shukamisa-Brazuca Swinger would seem an obvious way to profit.
The other Johan Janse Van Vuuren runner Irish Pride has been below best for a while, but is another with fitness in his favour, and has won three from five on the inside track. He could surprise with a resurgent Mark Khan on top.
Plenty of eyes in this race will be focused on the performance of last year’s Triple Crown winner Abashiri as he returns from a long rest and a loss of form.
Another interesting race is the fifth, where quite a few Summer Cup hopefuls line up at MR 90 level over the big race distance of 2000m. Kilrain has blossomed since joining the De Kock yard, and has no problem with the extra ground. Youngster Callan Murray has struck up a good understanding with the gelding, and they can be expected to notch another victory.
Top weight Bankable Teddy stands out as the biggest danger. He has bounced back to best of late, and has a good record on the inner track. A Swinger and/or Exacta with these two could pay good dividends in what is likely to be an open betting race.
A couple of Progress Plates with fields worthy of Graded status will also provide plenty of entertainment. The advice here for what it’s worth would be to go as wide as your budget allows in exotics, as both are packed with lightly raced improvers, with many returning from a rest.