Wednesday’s racemeeting was originally to take place at Hollywoodbets Scottsville but unfortunately due to heavy rain which fell over Pietermaritzburg on Sunday night, which not only resulted in a very heavy track but also resulted in damages to the stabling area, an early decision was taken to move the meeting to the Greyville Polytrack. While the times were not affected, the one change is that Race 8 will now be over 2000m.
Trainers were given until yesterday morning to scratch their runners and we did see some 22 horses withdrawn owing to the change of track.
However, there are some decent runners in action, starting off with Dean Kannemeyer-trained Gallic Victor who will line up in in Race 9, a Class 4 Handicap over 1600m.
Gallic Victor, who sports the familiar yellow and black colours of Khaya Stables is by Gimmethegreenlight from a family full of quality. After an impressive debut win, the three-year-old ran fairly if not spectacularly over different distances in the Western Cape where he had met some decent rivals.
It showed he had potential, but Kannemeyer decided it was best to geld him and after a promising sprint, it augurs well that he has been brought to KwaZulu-Natal for their champions’ season. If he is that good, his 84-merit rating looks a tad low and as a result he could be well weighted
Ridden by Kannemeyer’s number one rider, Craig Zackey, Gallic Victor could be the banker for exotic bets, bearing in mind he looks well placed against limited rivals and that he came from last to win going away in his only run at Scottsville.
However, he will now be on the Polytrack at Greyville and it is significant that Kannemeyer has opted to leave his charge in despite the change of surface.
The Cape Town-based trainer does have a decent record on the surface so he does appear to have the knack of knowing which horses will take to the Polytrack and which will not.
Jack Milner’s selections
Race 1: 8 Green Energy, 1 Kaz From Alcatraz, 2 Pink Skies, 4 Praetorian Guard
Race 2: 4 Royal Crest, 5 Winter Blessing, 8 Cartel Queen, 9 Jenny Darling
Race 3: 1 Bangladesh, 2 Quest Of Valor, 5 Splash Of Love, 3 Amber Alert
Race 4: 6 State Capitol, 3 Lilac In Winter, 4 Greenlight Queen, 7 Roy's Grace
Race 5: 3 Rollo The Viking, 6 Touched By Angels, 1 Dylan's Champ, 5 Kitchakal
Race 6: 8 Caribbean Gold, 3 Axis Power, 2 Barry Du Grond, 5 Mighty Zambezi
Race 7: 5 Circumbendibus, 4 Donquerari, 7 Captain's Christy, 3 Siesta Sunset
Race 8: 5 Star Of The Future, 4 Basie Raakvat, 1 Intuitive Spirit, 2 Mary Read
Race 9: 6 Gallic Victor, 5 Next Of Kin, 4 Tirpitz, 7 Serpentine Fire
BEST BET
Race 7: 5 Circumbendibus
VALUE BET
Race 5: 3 Rollo The Viking
BEST SWINGER
Race 3 1x2
BIPOT
R48
Leg 1: 4, 5
Leg 2: 1, 2
Leg 3: 3, 6
Leg 4: 3, 6
Leg 5: 2, 3, 8
Leg 6: 5
PLACE ACCUMULATOR
R96
Leg 1: 1, 2
Leg 2: 3, 6
Leg 3: 3, 6
Leg 4: 2, 3, 8
Leg 5: 5
Leg 6: 4, 5
Leg 7: 5, 6
PICK 6
R270
Leg 1: 3, 4, 6
Leg 2: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6
Leg 3: 3, 8
Leg 4: 5
Leg 5: 1, 4, 5
Leg 6: 4, 5, 6
JACKPOT 1
R30
Leg 1: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6
Leg 2: 3, 8
Leg 3: 5
Leg 4: 1, 4, 5
JACKPOT 2
R18
Leg 1: 3, 8
Leg 2: 5
Leg 3: 1, 4, 5
Leg 4: 4, 5, 6