Jack Milner
Champion Jockey Richard Fourie returns to the Polytrack at Fairview on Tuesaday following a well-deserved holiday.
It was a remarkable effort by Fourie who worked like a trojan the entire season, travelling relentlessly around the country to eventually break the previous South African record of 334 winners in a season.
Coming away with a remarkable 378 victories, Fourie has set the bar very high for the chasing pack, but he could well continue where he left off at this meeting on the Polytrack as he has a wonderful card of rides.
In fact, he can get out of the blocks in Race 1 where he rides Vintage Crystal for Kelly Mitchley in this Maiden Plate for fillies and mares over 1600m.
This four-year-old daughter of Gold Standard has had many chances, but Mitchley has found the right race for her and with Fourie up she looks very hard to beat.
Of course, Fourie also has a number of rides for Eastern Cape Champion Trainer Alan Greeff. The pair were almost unstoppable last season and Greeff has already been in relentless form in the first few weeks of the season, notching up 13 winners already.
Fourie and Greeff team up with five runners at this meeting and all of them have winning chances.
There are, however, three runners that could be the pick for them and they are Global Ally in Race 5, Puerto Plata in Race 6 and Can't Say No in Race 7.
Global Ally was making little progress in the Western Cape having won four times from 21 starts but immediately made an impact at Fairview, winning on the Polytrack.
The gelding turned that course debut win into a hat-trick with some dominant victories and a couple of starts later a fourth win under Greeff's care took place in March.
Since then, Global Ally has found it tough to take on the better horses in the province. However, he races in a Pinnacle Plate over 1900m on the Polytrack this time around and is well weighted.
What is really worth noting is that Fourie was aboard the now six-year-old for all four of those wins and in total he has only ridden him five times.
The recently inducted champion has not ridden Global Ally in his last four starts.
The obvious danger and the runner actually weighted to win is Zatara Magic. If it was a handicap Zatara Magic would be giving 3kg to Global Ally but is only giving him 1.5kg.
Global Ally did beat Zatara Magic by 0.50 lengths back in November but that rival turned the tables on him a month later.
There should not be much between them but perhaps Greeff’s runner is the more consistent.
Puerto Plata runs in a MR 90 Handicap over 2200m and the Argentinian-bred gelding looks well weighted to score his third victory in the Eastern Cape and his first on the Polytrack.
It is not that he is uncomfortable on the surface as he has had two runner-up spots on the poly behind Harold The Duke and Catch The Tune.
Interestingly both of those rivals are carded to take him on again but Puerto Plata is now 4kg better off with Harold The Duke for a neck defeat and has a 2.5kg pull against Catch The Tune for a two-length loss.
With just 55.5kg on his back Puerto Manzano looks primed to get back on a winning track.
Can't Say No looked good winning back-to-back in April and May and although she has struggled a bit since then she has cracked No 1 draw and should get the run of Race 7, a Classified Stakes over 1300m.
Jack Milner’s selections
Race 1: 2 Vintage Crystal, 4 Beijing Boulevard, 1 Elusive Mata, 7 Elegant Appeal
Race 2: 3 Home Reef, 2 Mayor Of Merrivale, 1 Erimitage, 5 Donny's Boy
Race 3: 5 Amazing Colours, 2 Back For More, 1 As Fate Has It, 3 Lady Luck
Race 4: 6 Crimson Comet, 3 Island Master, 1 Lord Capulet, 5 Take A Mulligan
Race 5: 2 Global Ally, 1 Zatara Magic, 5 No Place Like Home, 7 Euphoric
Race 6: 9 Puerto Plata, 1 Catch The Tune, 8 Harold The Duke, 2 Painite
Race 7: 6 Can't Say No, 8 Sweet And True, 2 Pashtunwali, 3 Coastal Path
Race 8: 6 Cruzador, 5 Irontail, 3 Arturo, 2 Mr Bodacious
BEST BET
Race 1 No 2 Vintage Crystal
VALUE BET
Race 8 No 6 Cruzador
BEST SWINGER
Race 5 1x2
BIPOT
R96
Leg 1: 2
Leg 2: 1, 2, 3, 5
Leg 3: 2, 5
Leg 4: 3, 6
Leg 5: 1, 2
Leg 6: 1, 8, 9
PLACE ACCUMULATOR
R288
Leg 1: 1, 2, 3
Leg 2: 2, 5
Leg 3: 3, 6
Leg 4: 2
Leg 5: 1, 8, 9
Leg 6: 6, 8
Leg 7: 2, 3, 5, 6
PICK 6
R2304
Leg 1: 1, 2, 5
Leg 2: 1, 3, 5, 6
Leg 3: 1, 2
Leg 4: 1, 2, 8, 9
Leg 5: 2, 3, 6, 8
Leg 6: 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8
JACKPOT 1
R128
Leg 1: 1, 3, 5, 6
Leg 2: 1, 2
Leg 3: 1, 2, 8, 9
Leg 4: 2, 3, 6, 8
JACKPOT 2
R192
Leg 1: 1, 2
Leg 2: 1, 2, 8, 9
Leg 3: 2, 3, 6, 8
Leg 4: 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8