Best Bet: CELESTIAL SPIRIT (Race 5)
Value Bet: IRON MAN (Race 7)
Jackpot (race 4 – 7)
|
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
|
16 |
6 |
1 |
11 |
|
3 |
4 |
11 |
3 |
|
8 |
|
5 |
8 |
Cost: R54.00
Race 4
QUEENMAKER is a 4yr old filly taking on the boys, but she has consistent formlines to her name and followed up her penultimate run victory over a mile with a second-place finish next time out when stepping up to nine furlongs, 1.3L back from the winner. She overraced in the middle stages that day, but struck the front at the 320M mark, only to be run out of it late. She gets draw five and will have 1.5kgs taken off her back thanks to her claiming apprentice, Zac Lloyd, son of ex-SA champion jockey, Jeff Lloyd.
MASTER COPY has cracked pole position and is seldom far off the action, finishing third last time out over nine furlongs, 2.8L back from the winner, but he had to be checked off the heels of another runner at the 1300M mark when over racing and then came three wide into the home straight. The gelding has his peak run after returning from an 18-week rest and will have 3kgs removed from his allocated weight courtesy of his claiming apprentice.
FLEUR DU MONDE is a 3yr old filly who jumped awkwardly and had to be steadied off the heels of another runner at the 1300M pole and then came five wide into the home straight, before ending up in fourth place last time out in the same race as the former and mentioned above, 3.4L back from the victor. She will have to negotiate a wide draw twelve, but she should use her early gate speed to move across without expending too much energy. However, as the pair meet on the same weight terms today, she may well have to settle for the same result.
Race 5
CELESTIAL SPIRIT has consistent formlines to her credit, finishing second last time out over a mile, 0.8L back from the winner. She raced just behind the leaders that day before finishing well only to just fail to overhaul the winner. She has a handy draw three and is taken to be the best bet on the day’s card.
BEAUTIFUL HEART followed up her penultimate run victory over a mile with a tad disappointing twelfth-place finish next time out over nine furlongs, 0.8L adrift of the winner. She gets a set of blinkers fitted for the first time and if these have the desired effect, she should be a big runner here to bounce back to winning ways. She should put her pole position to good use.
ESTILETE also won her penultimate run, but in her case over 1300M and then battled all the way down to the line when finishing second over the same trip next time out, just a length off the winner. She has a useful gate four and should be involved in the finish.
Race 6
TURNING has won two of his last three runs, the latest over six furlongs by a half-length, notwithstanding overracing in the early and middle stages and having to be eased off the heels of other runners at the 900M mark and finally coming three wide into the home straight. He has his peak run after returning from a 32-week spell and has pulled a wideish gate seven, but the gelding will have 3kgs taken off his back for the services of his claiming apprentice.
WELCOME GYPSY is a 4yr filly taking on boys, but she missed out on her hat-trick after two victories over five furlongs when finishing second last time out over six furlongs, just a head behind the winner. She had to be held up at the 200M mark in that event, so could be considered an unlucky loser. She jumps from gate five and will have ex-SA jockey Keagan Latham in the saddle, so she will be in good hands.
SO GOOD SO COOL did not get the clearest of passages in the home straight when finishing fifth last time out over 1100M, just over three lengths behind the winner. He has a useful draw three and will have 1.5kg claiming Zac Lloyd in the irons to aid his cause.
Race 7
The day’s value bet, IRON MAN won his penultimate outing over 1300M and then jumped awkwardly and bumped another runner at the start, came three wide into the home stretch before making good late progress to win his last start over the same trip by just under a half-length and the form of that race has been franked. From gate six, he could prove hard to topple.
FULLER was bumped at the start and overraced in the middle stages and had to be held up between the 400M and 300M mark when finishing third last time out over seven furlongs, two and a half lengths behind the winner. The gelding was returning from a 17-week rest that day and from a wideish gate eight, he should be right up there when they hit the line.
FLASHING STEEL raced just behind the leaders and then hit the front at the 300M mark, before holding off all the late challengers in the dash down to the wire to win his last start over 1500M by 1.3L. From his kinder draw two, he should not be easily overlooked.
