Goede Hoop’s got a Brand New Cadillac
Power Of Place looks ready to draw first blood
Racing at the Vaal was a success on Tuesday afternoon, confirming that a decision to give the track more time to recover was the right one. We should commend officials for making the safety of jockeys and horses the priority.
There appears to be tons of value on the Vaal card today, when racing will be contested on the Inside track, and it could pay to make a banker of Robbie Sagetrained Goede Hoop in Race 8, a FM 66 Handicap over 2400m. Goede Hoop was in pursuit of a third consecutive triumph in her latest effort, but she met some hard-knockers and that was reflected in the betting – she drifted from 5-1 to 11-1 a win – and it didn’t help that she was poorly drawn.
She was not disgraced, finishing an eye-catching 1.50 lengths in fifth behind Royal Utopia over 2000m on the Turffontein Inside track.
This daughter of Byword’s case is further strengthened by the fact that the form line has produced a winner in Arte, who beat quality thoroughbreds like Crowd Pleaser and Pagoda. The good news is, Goede Hoop reunites with the in-form jockey Muzi Yeni who prior to that last performance had steered the four-year-old to two triumphs on the bounce.
The victory on July 21, when she was a runaway three-length winner, strongly suggests Goede Hoop is yearning for the extra ground. She doesn’t meet the strongest of fields here and should win despite being drawn at No 11 in a 12-horse field. If you can afford to go a bit wide, consider adding the Sean Tarry-trained Big Myth, whose last two runs are not a true reflection of her ability. She was poorly drawn both times. There was a lot to like about her last effort because she set the pace and was only caught in the dying stages – finishing 3.35 lengths behind Angelic, who she gave 2kg.
Expect noteworthy improvement and, if the Quartet is your bet of choice, float Goede Hoop and Big Myth with as many runners as your budget can afford. The jockey-trainer combination of apprentice Denis Schwarz and Gary Alexander should score with Brand New Cadillac in Race 7, a MR 72 Handicap over 2400m.
This Traffic Guard gelding gave 5.25-length winner Forest Express a mammoth 5.5kg their latest encounter at Turffontein. He’ll relish the drop in trip simply because he was only caught in the dying stages on that occasion.
He’s smartly drawn at No 7 but will have to carry 2kg more than Desert Sunset, who finished 0.50 lengths behind Alexander’s charge last time.
Take Swingers and Exactas featuring the pair. Following decent performances by Power Of Place in his last four appearances, Schwarz could finally land the Eachway prospect in the winner’s enclosure after Race 1, a Maiden Plate over 1400m.