Marcus, Captain’s Girl to lead Goosen sextet
WINTER BLUES IS UNBEATEN OVER SCOTTSVILLE 1000M
Vision To Kill takes a drop in class and needs to be included in all bets.
Louis Goosen holds a very strong hand in Race 7 at Scottsville on Sunday, a Pinnacle Stakes over 1000m. Nine runners are carded to go to post and six of them come from the Goosen yard.
Goosen is a top trainer of sprinters and can never be left out of the reckoning even with one horse in the field. So, the question to be answered is, which of the sextet is the right one?
One needs to look at both form and jockey arrangements as there is very little to be gleaned from the best weighted runners. Hashtag Strat and Captain’s Girl are marginally the best handicapped runners and both come out of the Goosen yard.
However, by putting up a 2.5kg claiming apprentice in the form of Khanya Sakayi, this five-yearold daughter of Great Britain has that as her advantage but with Anton Marcus getting the ride on Captain’s Girl that should close to wipe out any advantage to Hashtag Start, especially over the minimum distance.
Vision To Kill, who is out of the Paul Gadsby yard, is the third best handicapped runner and is 1kg behind the other two. Last time he ran unplaced behind Will Pays in the Grade 1 Mercury Sprint over 1200m at Greyville but was drawn 13 of 14 runners and never got into the race.
He has a bit to find on Hastag Strat based on his penultimate start when beaten three lengths by Goosen’s charge but that was his first run back after a threemonth break and he probably needed the run.
His form prior to his break, especially over 1000m, was very good, and as this will be his third run after a layoff and run on a course which he enjoys and a distance over which he has had four victories, Vision To Kill needs to be included in all bets.
La Ferrari is not well weighted under the race conditions but does look good on form. Two runs back he was beaten four lengths by Hashtag Strat over this course and distance and he now meets his conqueror on 4kg better terms. On that basis there is little to choose between the pair.
Then there is Effortless Reward who has amazing early speed but can stop. She has a 4kg claimer up in the form of apprentice Jason Gates and will carry just 51.5kg. If she gets away from the field she must have a chance.
Goosen also saddles Doing It For Dan who can have his issues at the gate but when he’s hot, he is very good. Lance Pagel won on him last time and has been given the ride again.
That leaves Winter Blues, who has been running on the Polytrack in his last two starts where she was twice beaten buy Kissable. However, she is unbeaten in both her runs over this course and distance.
So going on the jockey arrangements, I am going to go for Marcus to win this aboard Captain’s Girl with Luke Ferraris and Winter Blues to follow her home.