With the likelihood of rain over Hollywoodbets Greyville a better bet than any horse running on the day, the decision was taken on Monday to move Tuesday’s meeting from the turf to the Polytrack.
There have been a few scratchings, but not as many as expected, so the meeting looks set to go ahead as planned without too many withdrawals.
Many of Adam Azzie’s KwaZulu-Natal runners have been returning from breaks but he should have a decent day.
Grade 3 winning filly Gimmefabulous is weighted to win a Middle Stakes for fillies and mares while Stampede Ahead looks head and shoulders above the field she meets in her Maiden Plate.
Adam Azzie left his Highveld homebase he shared with dad Michael and has taken a string of runners deemed suitable for the coastal KwaZulu-Natal region where stakes have much improved. While many were returning from layoffs, seven out of his nine runners so far have been in the money and of those five were beaten in tight finishes.
It has been a prolific place strike rate, but it is now about time those places were turn into wins for the high-profile yard. Wernars Family owned Gimmefabulous could be the one that opens the account.
The Gimmethegreenlight filly is the only horse in Race 2 to have won at Graded level when she took home the Grade 3 Betway Mother Russia Stakes over 1400m earlier this year and then followed it up with a convincing win in the Listed Acacia Handicap over 1600m.
Azzie gave her a good pipe opener, taking on horses such as Betway Summer Cup hopefuls Madison Valley and On My Honour over 1400m last time. The latter was only 1.10 lengths ahead and he came out to win another high-class contest thereafter.
Gimmefabulous is best weighted for a reason and should get her trainer back in the winners’ enclosure with Kabelo Matsunyane on the irons.
Stampede Ahead looks to be meeting a weak field in Race 8, a Maiden Plate for fillies and mares over 1600m. The bay filly has had three starts for two third-place finishes with the last start a strong effort as she was beaten 0.95 lengths by The Marquee who had been knocking hard at the door.
The horse that edged her for second, Greatest Hit, ran out a facile winner on the Polytrack this week and the horse just behind Christmas Cactus looks a winner in waiting. All of those mentioned are male, so back against her sex she will be tried over 1600m this time. But as she is by Futura there is staying power in her breeding.
Jack Milner’s selections
Race 1: 2 Sword Speed, 4 Red Cardinal, 1 Day Two, 9 Taste The Rainbow
Race 2: 5 Gimmefabulous, 6 Forward Motion, 4 Ice Rain, 1 Jeanne Darc
Race 3: 10 Claw, 3 Isivivane, 1 King Of Spin, 6 Rollo The Viking
Race 4: 4 Grand Appeal, 8 Sun Dazed, 1 Queen Of Pearls, 6 Professor Lupin
Race 5: 5 Circumbendibus, 8 Cowboy Country, 9 Lions Eye, 3 Mar Del Plata
Race 6: 3 Grand Occasion, 9 Rani Tarabai, 10 Radu, 5 Rahhabba
Race 7: 3 Gotta Go Eddie, 7 Querari's Dream, 6 Global Movement, 4 Jazz Festival
Race 8: 9 Stampede Ahead, 6 Roy's Grace, 7 Echo, 8 Sugar Baby Love
BEST BET
Race 8: 9 Stampede Ahead
VALUE BET
Race 4: 4 Grand Appeal
BEST SWINGER
Race 3 3x10
BIPOT
R270
Leg 1: 2
Leg 2: 4, 5, 6
Leg 3: 3, 10
Leg 4: 1, 4, 6, 8
Leg 5: 4, 8
Leg 6: 3, 9, 10
PLACE ACCUMULATOR
R216
Leg 1: 5, 6
Leg 2: 3, 10
Leg 3: 1, 4, 8
Leg 4: 5, 8
Leg 5: 3, 9, 10
Leg 6: 3, 6, 7
Leg 7: 9
PICK 6
R1080
Leg 1: 1, 3, 10
Leg 2: 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 13
Leg 3: 4, 5, 8
Leg 4: 3, 4, 5, 9, 10
Leg 5: 3, 4, 6, 7
Leg 6: 9
JACKPOT 1
R360
Leg 1: 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 13
Leg 2: 4, 5, 8
Leg 3: 3, 4, 5, 9, 10
Leg 4: 3, 4, 6, 7
JACKPOT 2
R60
Leg 1: 4, 5, 8
Leg 2: 3, 4, 5, 9, 10
Leg 3: 3, 4, 6, 7
Leg 4: 9