Have a ticket on Wild Wicket
Wild Wicket and St Elmo’s Fire could bookend the Place Accumulator on a difficult card at Scottsville this afternoon leaving space to fill in the other five legs.
Three tricky handicaps make up the finals of the Gold Circle Witness KZN Summer Challenge Series that take centre stage where deciphering the form may be difficult but the rewards potentially great.
Much was expected of the Duncan Howellstrained Wild Wicket but two disappointing efforts resulted in his pockets being picked. He steps out as a gelding today in a field that does not look particularly strong.
St Elmo’s Fire in The Witness Handicap, final race on the card, has her third run after a break and since arriving in KZN from the Cape. This will be her first time back on the turf and on current form she rates a strong chance.
Monte Christo and Highway Explorer contest the opening race of the series, the 1200m sprint final. They are both at the top end of the weights but the result could rest between the pair.
Monte Christo
Monte Christo finally got his act together when winning last time out over 1400m narrowly edging out Bizjet. This will be his fourth outing for Charles Laird, his first resulted in a narrow defeat over the Scottsville 1000m behind recent winner and speedy Swakopmund. While Monte Christo is back down to 1200m, Laird has declared blinkers and the lightly raced gelding still has scope for improvement
Anthony Delpech has deserted the consistent Al Ciberano in favour of Highway Explorer who has improved in blinkers and has gone close over the course and distance before. He scored in a useful field last start and should be a major threat.
Punters face another difficult handicap with a big field in the 1600m final so luck in running will be crucial. Many of the more fancied runners have drawn wide to add to the puzzle. With Christmas on the horizon, Nicklaus will have some sentimental supporters. The gelding lost his last race in the boardroom but seldom runs a bad race. He has a tricky draw to contend with but should be thereabouts.
Gavin van Zyl has been having a good run in recent meetings and his hopes will be pinned on Sun On Africa in the 2000m final. The gelding has had three outings this term and should now be at his peak.