Let’s hope weather doesn’t rain on our parade
Protea Paradise to take home Egoli Mile trophy
Bad weather has been the racing community’s worst enemy this week – we’ve lost two meetings and more rain is predicted to fall this afternoon.
The most us fans can do is cross fingers and hope today’s Vaal meeting does not have to be abandoned.
Although the R135 000 Egoli Mile (NonBlack Type) headlines proceedings, the main attraction will surely be Pick 6 banker and Grade 1 winner Mighty High as she reunites with jockey Gavin Lerena in Race 3, an Assessment Plate over 1200m up the Vaal straight.
Assessment Plates are mostly won by the in-form horse who tops the best-handicapped column and that bodes well for trainer Johan Janse van Vuuren’s smashing three-year-old filly.
She is weighted to easily outclass this nine-horse field. To put things into perspective, Mighty High runs off a merit rating of 109 while the average rating of the contest is a lowly 84.
The speedy daughter of Pathfork was on an impressive three-run winning streak prior to tasting her first defeat at the hands of highly rated All At Once.
The latter went on to confirm superiority in their latest encounter, fending off Mighty High by the whisker margin of 0.05 lengths to win the Listed Swallow Stakes.
In Mighty High’s defence, she was out at the weights, conceding a mammoth 6kg to All At Once both times.
The good news for Mighty High’s loyal supporters and connections is that she should be at her very best today as this marks her third run after a short layoff. Further to her advantage, she receives 2.5kg from her main danger, Palace Chapel, which should make her hard to beat. Palace Chapel ran a cracker when a game fourth behind Cirillo in the R5-million CTS 1200 in his first attempt in Cape Town.
Perhaps you can float Paul Peter’s charge and Mighty High with the field in your Quartet.
It could pay to side with the in-form jockey-trainer combination of Lerena and Mike de Kock to win the Egoli Mile with Protea Paradise.
This horse earned himself a bit of a reputation at the second time of asking, when he was an extending 3.70-length victor over 1600m. That performance proves staying is of no concern for the three-yearold son of Dynasty – unlike some of his rivals.
In his penultimate start he was beaten just 0.10 lengths into second place by Grade 1 Cape Derby winner Atyaab and if he can produce a similar performance he will have no trouble outclassing this lot. The unkindest cut of all may have done Protea Paradise the world of good and his case is further strengthened by a jump from No 2 draw.