The Egoli Mile (Non-Black Type) tops an 11-race card at Turffontein on Saturday when they race on the Standside track.
The reason for the 11 races is the result of all the meetings that have recently been washed out due to heavy rains over Joburg and surrounding areas. That has seen two Pinnacle Stakes and a Classified Stakes which were slated to be run last Sunday, rescheduled for this meeting.
The Egoli Mile is for three-year-olds and it could be fought out by runners from the stables of Sean Tarry and Mike de Kock.
Each has two runners – Tarry with Silver Hills and Billy Spellbound while De Kock has Arividicio and with all the recent rain, the aptly named Climate Control.
One could make a winning case for all four runners but none looks the proverbial “good thing”.
Silver Hills has been lightly raced, having run just three times for a win and two places. This daughter of Silvano will be taking on the colts for the first time but she does appear to have above-average ability. After winning her maiden she has contested two handicaps against older runners and has performed well enough.
Last time she tried 1 800m and found plenty of betting support but lost ground at the start and that might have cost her more than the 0.50 lengths by which she was defeated. Tarry has engaged Gavin Lerena to ride the filly and jumping from No 5 draw, Silver Hills has to be a lively contender.
Billy Spellbound travelled to Cape Town to contest the R7.5-million Gold Rush over 1 400m but was drawn wide and did well to go down just 5.70 lengths to Royal Aussie who has been running in some of the top three-year-old features.
One is not sure, however, what effect the travelling may have had on Billy Spellbound but that is not the only concern as he drawn wide again at No 11.
Nevertheless, he has gone down to two decent horses, including Royal Victory, who finished runner-up by a short head in the Grade 2 World Sports Betting Gauteng Guineas.
Climate Control has been a consistent placegetter but always finds a couple too good. From No 12 draw he could have the same problem on this occasion.
Another runner who comes into the picture if one ignores his last run is Pragmatist. This Johan Janse van Vuuren-trained son of Jackson has run six times for two wins, two seconds and a fourth place but he had little to come in the closing stages of his last race when fading out to finish 10 lengths behind highly regarded Billy Bowlegs in the Grade 3 Sea Cottage Stakes over 1800m at this course.
This is a drop in class and he has to be a contender, especially with Keagan de Melo in the irons.
Jack Milner’s selections
Race 1: 10 Radu, 1 Count Your Chances, 2 Powers That Be, 8 Convocation
Race 2: 1 Stratospheric, 2 Nazare, 11 Storm Dominator, 7 Big Five
Race 3: 11 Broadlands, 8 American Biscuit, 9 Breeze Over, 5 Manz Knight
Race 4: 6 Tamarisk Tree, 1 Good Council, 2 Diesel And Dust, 3 Tabebuia
Race 5: 5 Litigation, 11 Flashy Apache, 2 Nebraas, 4 Second Base
Race 6: 8 Battleground, 3 Flying First Class, 2 White Fang, 7 Banha Bridge
Race 7: 7 Silver Hills, 2 Arividicio, 6 Pragmatist, 5 Climate Control, 8 Johnny Dogs
Race 8: 4 Forever Mine, 9 Homely Girl, 3 Outofthedarkness, 7 Indlamu
Race 9: 6 Lushozi Shoop, 4 Roll Over Redrover, 7 Vitellius, 5 Celtic Rumours
Race 10: 4 Smith And Wesson, 1 Mover And Shaker, 3 Aniara, 5 Tre Amici
Race 11: 11 Power Ranger, 8 Silver Clock, 1 Cool Winter, 4 Admiralty Arch
BEST BET
Race 2 No 1 Stratospheric
VALUE BET
Race 7 No 7 Silver Hills
BEST SWINGER
Race 3 8x11
BIPOT 1
R216
Leg 1: 1
Leg 2: 8, 11
Leg 3: 1, 2, 6
Leg 4: 2, 4, 5, 11
Leg 5: 2, 3, 8
Leg 6: 2, 6, 7
BIPOT 2
R216
Leg 1: 2, 3, 8
Leg 2: 2, 6, 7
Leg 3: 3, 4, 9
Leg 4: 4, 6
Leg 5: 1, 4
Leg 6: 8, 11
PLACE ACCUMULATOR
R324
Leg 1: 11
Leg 2: 1, 6
Leg 3: 2, 5, 11
Leg 4: 2, 3, 8
Leg 5: 2, 6, 7
Leg 6: 3, 4, 9
Leg 7: 4, 6
PICK 6
R1920
Leg 1: 1, 2, 6
Leg 2: 2, 3, 4, 5, 11
Leg 3: 2, 3, 7, 8
Leg 4: 2, 5, 6, 7
Leg 5: 3, 4, 7, 9
Leg 6: 4, 6
JACKPOT 1
R70
Leg 1: 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 10
Leg 2: 1
Leg 3: 8, 11
Leg 4: 1, 2, 3, 6, 11
JACKPOT 2
R320
Leg 1: 2, 3, 4, 5, 11
Leg 2: 2, 3, 7, 8
Leg 3: 2, 5, 6, 7
Leg 4: 3, 4, 7, 9
JACKPOT 3
R160
Leg 1: 3, 4, 7, 9
Leg 2: 4, 6
Leg 3: 1, 3, 4, 5
Leg 4: 1, 4, 7, 8, 11