Henk Steenkamp
The Fire Away colt My Best Shot can start his three-year-old career with a win at the Fairview Polytrack on Friday afternoon.
The last race at a Fairview meeting is usually a competitive affair but punters will get a rare opportunity to use a banker in the eighth this time.
My Best Shot showed his ability for the Alan Greeff stable when he very nearly won the Listed Champion Juvenile Cup last month.
He was bumped at the start but recovered to finish third, just 0.35 lengths behind the winner Makazole, in a quality field.
With his regular pilot Richard Fourie taking a breather, Sean Veale will ride My Best Shot for the first time.
Veale will be full of confidence after booting home three winners for Greeff at Tuesday’s Polytrack meeting. He should get this one home.
My Best Shot, drawn five out of eight, looks too good for this field in the Epol-Arné Botha MR 80 Handicap over 1400m.
Those who look past My Best Shot will have their eyes on Valerias Dream, Euphoric, Purple Operator, Prophet and Travel Master to cause the upset.
La Pequenta is another possible banker from the Greeff-Veale combination. She runs in the second race and should not miss in the first leg of the Place Accumulator. Vintage Crystal is the danger.
Greeff, and the other two top East Cape trainers Gavin Smith and Kelly Mitchley, have started the new season in impressive fashion.
They should again deliver the goods but the Tara Laing stable could give them something to think about.
Don’t leave the Laing runners Chroniclesofnania (race 3), Kilmonovaig (race 4), Colorama (race 5) and Timbavati River (race 7) out of your bets.
The first race is off at 12:40.