Jack Milner
There was no meeting on the Highveld last weekend but we have a great nine-race card on the Inside track at Turffontein on Thursday.
Gavin Lerena is in fine form and at the time of writing he was on 189 victories, 13 off log-leading Craig Zackey on 202 with the current champion jockey, Richard Fourie, splitting the pair with 197 winners.
For the record, Muzi Yeni is the fourth-placed jockey on 124 wins, not bad considering he had to sit out most of the key summer months on the Highveld with a broken collar bone.
Lerena has some decent rides at the Turffontein meeting but unfortunately, he has lost one of his best rides on the day when Candice Dawson had to withdraw strongly fancied Chronicle King from Race 2 owing to an abscess on his hoof.
However, Lerena has picked up some other good rides while Dawson could dominate Race 7, where she sends out Wild At War and Plus Four in this MR 96 Handicap over 1450m.
Wild At War has some excellent feature-race form and looks to be great value at his current price of 16-1. The three-year old son of Danon Platina might only be a one-time winner but has run well in a number of Graded races, including a 5.10-length sixth in the Grade 1 Gold Medallion over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth and even more important, a 1.50-length second to Back In Business in the Grade 2 Joburg Spring Challenge over the same course and distance as this race.
Unfortunately, he lost form and had a short break after finishing unplaced behind Greaterix in the Grade 3 Got The Greenlight Stakes over 1400m on the Standside track.
Wild At War clearly needed his comeback run behind Taxi To The Moon and would have found 1000m too short, but according to Dawson, he is putting up some good work at home. “He’s turned the corner in a big way,” she said yesterday. “He’s flying at home, and I’m just hoping he brings his best form back to his racing.”
Wild At War has to carry 60kg and will have to concede 7.5kg to his stablemate, four-year-old gelding Plus Four. The son of Vercingetorix made his debut in Gauteng last time after moving up from the Western Cape and was backed as if the result was a forgone conclusion.
He contested a MR 72 Handicap over this course and distance with Lerena up in February and romped to a dominant 2.75-length victory over Perini Palace. Two winners have come out of that form line.
“Plus Four is also doing well and he does have the weight advantage. I’m hoping for a good run from both of them,” added Dawson.
Chase Maujean rides Wild At War while Kabelo Matsunyane is aboard Plus Four.
Lerena might have lost out on what looked to be his best ride but he has picked up a couple of good mounts for both Tony Peter and Tyrone Zackey.
He rides Buffalo Bill Cody filly Rachel Wall in Race 3, a Maiden Plate for fillies and mares over 1200m. She will be making her debut and based on the form of her opposition, she does not have to be a superstar to win this. However, she is a two-year-old taking on older fillies which can be tough, but we are getting to the stage of the season where the younger runners are mature enough to beat their elders.
Rachel Wall jumps from No 1 draw which is a massive advantage over this course and distance.
Lerena also rides La Moohal for Zackey in Race 5, a MR 96 Handicap over 2000m. After running an excellent 1.20-length third behind Tamarisk Tree in his penultimate start, this Vercingetorix gelding disappointed next time when 10.50-lengths behind Kings Express.
But that came at a time when we had an abundance of rain and may trainers were unable to work their horses. Zackey had four runners in that race and they all performed badly.
They will all line up again in this race but with Lerena aboard La Moohal, he looks to be the pick of the quartet.
Jack Milner’s selections
Race 1: 4 Gulf Of America, 7 Japanese Garden, 1 Back From War, 2 Bold Action
Race 2: 8 Scarlett Heart, 7 Taskmaster, 9 Wings Of Ice, 5 Redlightgreenlight
Race 3: 10 Rachel Wall, 2 Genovefa, 6 Rendevous In Rio, 1 Panning Silver
Race 4: 2 Nkwenkwezi, 1 Art Nouveau, 8 Reflective, 3 Shamoon
Race 5: 1 La Moohal, 8 Kudzu, 9 Claw, 10 Total Surrender
Race 6: 1 After Hours, 5 Call Me Master, 8 Stroke Of Mercy, 4 Sail The Sky
Race 7: 1 Wild At War, 12 Plus Four, 2 Night Bomber, 9 Pressonregardless
Race 8: 1 Warning Sound, 5 Gregarious, 2 Quantum, 9 Ghostbuster
Race 9: 2 Satyagraha, 8 Cars Big As Bars, 3 Sutherland, 4 King Of Numbers
BEST BET
Race 1: 4 Gulf Of America
VALUE BET
Race 7: 1 Wild At War
BEST SWINGER
Race 1 4x7
BIPOT
R288
Leg 1: 8
Leg 2: 2, 10
Leg 3: 1, 2, 8
Leg 4: 1, 8, 9, 10
Leg 5: 1, 4, 5, 8
Leg 6: 1, 2, 12
PLACE ACCUMULATOR
R243
Leg 1: 10
Leg 2: 1, 2, 8
Leg 3: 1, 8, 9
Leg 4: 1, 5, 8
Leg 5: 1, 2, 12
Leg 6: 1, 2, 5
Leg 7: 2
PICK 6
R1280
Leg 1: 1, 2, 3, 8
Leg 2: 1, 5, 8, 9, 10
Leg 3: 1, 4, 5, 8
Leg 4: 1, 2, 9, 12
Leg 5: 1, 2, 5, 9
Leg 6: 2
JACKPOT 1
R320
Leg 1: 1, 5, 8, 9, 10
Leg 2: 1, 4, 5, 8
Leg 3: 1, 2, 9, 12
Leg 4: 1, 2, 5, 9
JACKPOT 2
R64
Leg 1: 1, 4, 5, 8
Leg 2: 1, 2, 9, 12
Leg 3: 1, 2, 5, 9
Leg 4: 2