Jack Milner
There might not be any feature races on card but Sunday’s race meeting at Turffontein offers a spectacular feast of racing for lovers of the game.
Obviously, with a host of feature races taking place in the next few weeks, culminating in the R6-million Betway Summer Cup over 2000m on 29 November.
Only 20 runners will be allowed to go to post for that Grade 1 event and there is a host of nominated runners who could still book their places in this lucrative event. Then there are others who are guaranteed their places in the final field but need to be prepared and that is case in the first of the top-notch races which comes up in Race 3, with racing returning to the Standside track.
This is a Graduation Plate over 1600m and it is totally dominated by Grade 2 Gauteng Guineas winner Parisian Walkway and impeccably bred UK import The Equator.
The pair are at least 5.5kg better weighted than any of their six carded rivals and they are expected to fight it out.
The fitter of the pair has to be Parisian Walkway as Alec Laird’s charge has already had one outing this season in which he finished a 1.35-length third behind Count Huhtikuu in a Graduation Plate on the Inside track.
This is the course and distance over which the Ideal World gelding won the Gauteng Guineas so he should be ideally suited to the conditions and interestingly Laird has chosen to fit him in blinkers for this race. Calvin Habib takes the ride.
Tony Peter-trained The Equator has not raced since winning the Grade 3 Jubilee Stakes over 1800m at this track in June and while Peter has confirmed that his charge is putting in some good work at home, he feels the son of Galileo will need to clear away the cobwebs. He does expect him to be running on and would not be shocked if The Equator did manage to pull it off.
Richard Fourie is up in Joburg and will be taking a few rides for the yard. Other than The Equator, he will be taking the ride on Buffalo Storm Cody, who will line up in Race 7, a Conditions race over 1160m.
Buffalo Storm Cody made his Grade 1 breakthrough when winning the Mercury Sprint over 1200m at HWB Greyville on 27 July.
Peter's charge has benefitted from gelding and has firmly established himself as one of the country's best speedsters. This son of Buffalo Bill Cody has won four of five appearances since he was gelded and remains open to further improvement this term.
Again, it is a Laird runner who looks the danger and that is Fire Attack.
This classy son of Fire Away displayed his versatility too, with consistent performances over distances from 1400m to 2000m, over which he scored a merited big-race victory in the Grade 1 Premier’s Champions Challenge after second-place finishes in the Grade 3 Got The Greenlight Stakes (1400m), Grade 2 Dingaans (1600m) and the 1800m Grade 1 SA Classic, as well as the 1800m Grade 3 Sea Cottage Stakes after a setback in his preparation.
Laird's stable star built on that comeback effort to finish a highly commendable fourth in the Champions Cup when last seen on HKJC World Pool Champions Day, also on 27 July.
Fire Attack and Buffalo Storm Cody boast unbeaten course-and-distance records and the cream will likely rise to the top in what is, undoubtedly, the race of the day.
Greaterix failed last time when all the rage but the Mike and Mathew de Kock-trained runner will be fitted with a tongue-tie and that could make all the difference this time.
Jack Milner’s selections
Race 1: 10 Space Mission, 1 Monkey Puzzle, 7 Cover, 2 Mirror Flection
Race 2: 5 Anahita, 10 Palace Script, 7 Grace's Kiss, 2 War Talk
Race 3: 1 Parisian Walkway, 2 The Equator, 3 Beynac, 5 Impact Investor
Race 4: 5 Olivia's Way, 1 Son Of Raj, 2 Future Pearl, 3 Marauding Horde
Race 5: 5 Lava Lamp, 3 Dimako's Jet, 2 Avoontoast, 1 Free In Seattle
Race 6: 6 Hollywood Madam, 2 Damova, 5 Kiss Of Fire, 8 Pepper Tree
Race 7: 1 Buffalo Storm Cody, 6 Fire Attack, 5 Greaterix, 8 Winds Of Change
Race 8: 1 Xenophon, 3 His Lordship, 7 Across The Bow, 6 Spy Story
BEST BET
Race 2: 5 Anahita
VALUE BET
Race 5: 5 Lava Lamp
BEST SWINGER
Race 3 1x2
BIPOT
R162
Leg 1: 1, 2, 7, 10, 11
Leg 2: 5
Leg 3: 1, 2
Leg 4: 1, 2, 5
Leg 5: 1, 2, 3, 5
Leg 6: 2, 5, 6
PLACE ACCUMULATOR
R162
Leg 1: 5
Leg 2: 1
Leg 3: 1, 2, 5
Leg 4: 2, 3, 5
Leg 5: 2, 5, 6
Leg 6: 1, 6
Leg 7: 1, 3, 7
PICK 6
R1920
Leg 1: 1, 2
Leg 2: 1, 2, 3, 5
Leg 3: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Leg 4: 2, 5, 6, 8
Leg 5: 1, 5, 6, 8
Leg 6: 1, 3, 7
JACKPOT 1
R320
Leg 1: 1, 2, 3, 5
Leg 2: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Leg 3: 2, 5, 6, 8
Leg 4: 1, 5, 6, 8
JACKPOT 2
R240
Leg 1: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Leg 2: 2, 5, 6, 8
Leg 3: 1, 5, 6, 8
Leg 4: 1, 3, 7