Game, set and match to Sharapova

Jack Milner

The final tennis Grand Slam of the year, the US Open, begins in New York today and punters at Turffontein on Tuesday should be able to reminisce about one of the most successful women’s players of this century, Maria Sharapova.

The Russian-born player, who now resides in the USA, won five Grand Slams and is one of few participants in the sport to have won all four Grand Slams. Her US Open victory came in 2006.

Mike de Kock trains the daughter of Querari who was bred by Wilgerbosdrift and Mauritzfontein and is out of Grade 1 winning mare Nother Russia, hence the name. Her granddam was Mother Russia, who was also a multiple Grade 1 winner, including a victory in the Grade 1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate where she beat some of the best milers in the country.  

At this stage of her career Sharapova has not shown quite the same level of flair as her mother and grandmother but has been lightly raced and is ultra-consistent.

The four-year-old has only run six times for just one win, but she has also had four seconds and a third place, so she has been earning her keep.

Sharapova came back from a four-month rest last time and the only factor one can blame on that loss when just touched off by I Am Regal over 1400m on the Turffontein Standside track was the lack of a run.

She gets a chance to atone for that defeat when she lines up in Race 6 at Turffontein on Tuesday in a MR 89 Handicap for fillies and mares over 1450m, but this time on the Inside track.

It is worth noting that her lone win came in her only race over this course and distance so the return to the Inside track is another factor in her favour.

JP van der Merwe rode her for the first time in her last start and he is back on board for this event. They will jump from No 4 draw but there are only six runners in the field so the draw should not make much of an impact.

Although she received a 1.5kg penalty for her last race, Sharapova will carry just 54kg and that makes her highly competitive.

The main race on the card is the R400,000 Farm Sale Stakes (Non-Black Type) over 1200m for three-year-olds where all colts and geldings carry 60kg and fillies 57.5kg.

Qhawe Lami is the only two-time winner in the line-up while Richard The First is a one-time winner. The other eight runners are all maidens and as Qhawe Lami is unbeaten in two starts at the course, and with Muzi Yeni in such fine form, Clinton Binda’s charge should be hard to beat.

Jack Milner’s selections

Race 1: 8 Right Turn On Red, 10 Venetian Moonlight, 2 Zoom Lady, 9 Shine In Memphis

Race 2: 2 Fast Duty, 10 Sovereigns Call, 8 Japanese Star, 3 Copper Mist

Race 3: 9 Outer Dimension, 1 Lady Dynamo, 3 All Rise, 7 Annewithan E

Race 4: 3 Angel's Wish, 1 Kind Judy, 2 Princess Kesh, 5 Burmese Tiara

Race 5: 2 Black Lightning, 3 Summer Fling, 6 Rosy Lemon, 10 Lidl Miss Sunshine

Race 6: 4 Sharapova, 5 Rattle Bag, 3 Golden Aspen, 1 Queen Of Smoke

Race 7: 1 Qhawe Lami, 5 Dhoni, 10 Zenobia's Gold, 2 Richard The First

Race 8: 1 Cosmic Star, 3 Black Egret, 4 Munchkin, 2 Power Broker

Race 9: 4 Super Awesome, 6 King Rahul, 3 Successful Secret, 2 Ziyasha

BEST BET

Race 6 No 4 Sharapova

VALUE BET

Race 9 No 4 Super Awesome

BEST SWINGER

Race 6 4x5

BIPOT

R192

Leg 1: 2, 3, 8, 10

Leg 2: 1, 3, 9

Leg 3: 1, 2, 3, 5

Leg 4: 2, 3

Leg 5: 4

Leg 6: 1, 5

PLACE ACCUMULATOR

R144

Leg 1: 1, 3, 9

Leg 2: 1, 2, 3, 5

Leg 3: 2

Leg 4: 4

Leg 5: 1

Leg 6: 1, 3, 4

Leg 7: 2, 3, 4, 6

PICK 6

R1800

Leg 1: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Leg 2: 2, 3, 6, 10

Leg 3: 4

Leg 4: 1, 5, 10

Leg 5: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6

Leg 6: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

JACKPOT 1

R60

Leg 1: 2, 3, 6, 10

Leg 2: 4

Leg 3: 1, 5, 10

Leg 4: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6

JACKPOT 2

R75

Leg 1: 4

Leg 2: 1, 5, 10

Leg 3: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6

Leg 4: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6