Tactics to help Astrix
CHANGE: LAST TIME PETER RUNNER PRODUCED FLYING FINISH FROM WIDE DRAW Some potential bankers in carryover Pick 6.
There are a couple of prospective bankers in tomorrow’s Pick 6, but they don’t look to be in the two feature races on the Turffontein card. A carryover of R250,000 will ignite the Pick 6, and as we have only one local meeting on the day, the likely pool of R2.2 million looks more than achievable.
That makes the bet highly alluring and there are two runners who stand out as possible bankers. The first is Cirillo in Race 5, who despite carrying 62kg, is the second-best handicapped runner in the field. He also is unbeaten in two races over the course and distance.
Best weighted is Running Brave, who will be getting 7kg from Sean Tarry’s charge, but when you look at the level of fields Cirillo has run against and beaten, he looks far more capable than the Paul Matchett-trained mare.
The other possible banker is Second Base in Race 8. The concern is that he has only run on the Inside track at Turffontein where he won two of his three starts. If he takes to the Standside track he looks hard to beat.
The Grade 3 Victory Moon Stakes over 1800m looks very open but perhaps a stroke of luck could help Astrix get his first feature-race win. Paul Peter’s charge contested the Grade 2 Charity Mile last month and owing to a wide draw, jockey Warren Kennedy was forced to drop him out.
He turned for home more than 10 lengths off the leaders but flew up late to finish sixth, just two lengths off winner Hudoo Magic.
They may have just found the best way to ride him and the son of Vercingetorix looks the runner to beat. Many, though, have chances, including Victoria Paige, Dance Class, Christopher Robin, Tilbury Fort and Glider Pilot.
Highly regarded Vernichey makes the trip to Turffontein for the Listed Gardenia Stakes for fillies and mares over 1000m. She is a Grade 1 winner and the only blot on her copybook was in a 1300m feature at Greyville where she was drawn No 14 of 14.
Kennedy was forced to use her gate speed to overcome that hurdle and sadly she had little left in the tank and faded out. Gareth van Zyl is not sending her all the way to the Highveld for nothing and she must be a huge runner. But one cannot ignore the likes of Springs Of Carmel, Singforafa, True To Life and Anna Capri.