Jack Milner: Candice Dawson has some strong candidates in action on the Vaal Classic track on Thursday and will be hoping to come away from the meeting with a few winners.
She sends out runners in Races 3, 6 and 7 and all of them have winning credentials.
One of the arts of training is to find the right race for a runner and Dawson appears to have pulled off that trick in Race 3 where she saddles Another Level in a Maiden Plate over 1600m.
This three-year-old son of Twice Over has only raced twice over 1450m on the Turffontein Inside track. He finished fourth behind Zanetto on debut, producing the fastest time for the final 400m, and then ran second to Lion Of The Desert, this time coming home in the second-fastest last 400m. As a result, the extra 200m looks right up his street.
This is not the strongest of fields and that should give Another Level the ideal opportunity to get out of the maidens and start taking his racing career to another level.
Muzi Yeni has been aboard in his other two starts and is back in the iron again.
Iron Will has only raced four times but they have produced a win, two close seconds and an even closer third. That third place, in particular, was most impressive as the gelding went down just one length to Grade 1-winning filly Rain In Holland after having been bumped at the start.
Iron Will lines up in Race 6, a Novice Handicap over 1600m. This is a highly competitive event, and while Dawson’s charge will benefit from the scratching of Mike de Kock’s filly Mike’s Chick, he will face strong challenges from the likes of Sean Tarry-trained Platinum Sky and Paul Peter’s Flying Bull.
However, Platinum Sky is coming back from a 103-day break, while Flying Bull might prefer a little further.
Iron Will was gelded after his win and came back strongly last month to finish second behind Back To Black. S’manga Khumalo will ride Iron Will.
A race later Dawson sends out Sultanah in a MR 85 Handicap for fillies and mares over 1600m. This five-year-old Vercingetorix mare has been racing against stronger and she looks overdue a fourth win.
Gavin Lerena has ridden her four times for two wins and a place and he is back on board for the first time since March.
Dawson also saddles Mrs Hotline in this race but she will be having her first run for the stable and her first outing for 113 days. She is also likely to find this too short.
Jack Milner’s selections
Race 1: 8 General Hancock, 9 Ginjamatinja, 4 Pewter Sky, 1 Lazy Guy
Race 2: 6 Mounia, 2 Alabama Anna, 5 Shield Of Roses, 7 Who’s That Star
Race 3: 7 Another Level, 8 Duke Of Rain, 1 Track Commander, 4 Arlington Action