Crown Of Gold for Glenlair

WESTERN CAPE campaigner Paddy O’Reilly stands in the way of the Port Elizabeth hopefuls, but Crown Of Gold could take the honours in the Glenlair Trophy over the marathon distance of 3 200m at Fairview tomorrow.

Paddy O’Reilly went down 0,50 lengths to Crown Of Gold in last year’s race and is set to continue as he is currently in great form.

Crown Of Gold, who will be ridden by Raymond Danielson for the Tara Laing yard, won his last race in fine style when he defeated Taarish by 1,25 lengths over 2 700m last month. He is an eight-time winner from 37 outings and is owned by Ingrid and Markus Jooste.

Paddy O’Reilly is a five-time winner from 37 starts and has had two comeback runs over sprint distances. He should therefore be cherry-ripe to stake his claim. He is from the Mike Stewart stable and will have Bernard Fayd’Herbe in the saddle.

Taarish should also have a lot of support with S’manga Khumalo up. The son of Encosta De Lago will have weight on his side as he comes in 6kg lighter. With only 54kg on the back Khumalo must have a massive say in the race.

Then there is seasoned campaigner Drill Sargeant who is always a factor. He ran third behind Crown Of Gold last month, only 2,50 lengths off the pace and is at 57kg on the back 3kg better off this time. With Gavin Lerena in the irons he cannot be overlooked.

Le Capitane and Rushing Elf could also force their way into the money. Punters are also advised to keep a close eye on the betting for the Jacques Strydom-trained Badger’s Trail. Strydom is a master of long distance runners and therefore Badger’s Trail cannot be taken lightly – even at long odds.

In the final analysis, Crown Of Gold gets the nod to beat Taarish, Paddy O’Reilly and Drill Sargeant. The Glenlair Trophy is Race 6 on the card and is off at 1540.

There is also a lot of interest for Race 5, the Fairview 1400, where Gogetthesheriff, Sir Duke, Way Clear, Blaze Of Fire and Mesmerize do battle again.

Sir Duke could possibly start favourite, but Way Clear seems ready for his eighth career victory with Karl Zechner in the saddle for the Dorrie Sham stable. However, his duel with Sir Duke could prove to be a massive one. Racing starts at 1240 with a Juvenile Plate over 1 400m.