Jack Milner
There could be two Pick 6 bankers for bettors on Thursday’s Vaal Classic track – Green Extreme in Race 5 and Dylan’s Champ in Race 9.
Trainer Lucky Houdalakis and jockey Craig Zackey have been quite a useful combination and a glance at their record tells you that in their last 117 runs together, they have notched up 23 wins and 41 places. That is a win record of just under 20% and a win/place record of 54.7%.
They can add to their good record with Green Extreme, who lines up in a Maiden Plate for fillies and mares over 1000m.
This daughter of Gimmethegreenlight has only raced three times and did little in her first two to give any indication that a win would be coming soon. In fact, in both of those races the respective jockeys – Zackey and Diego de Gouveia – felt something was amiss with the filly and that she was not striding out.
However, the on-course vet could detect nothing wrong.
That last race was on 25 January but just one month later, Houdalakis brought her back, this time fitted with a tongue tie.
The fact she was well supported to win her third race indicates that Houdalakis had found the problem and this three-year-old filly was going to put up an improved performance.
While her first two starts were over 1200m, her next start was over 1000m at the Vaal Classic track. Whatever Houdalakis had adjusted, which could have been as simple as a change of a bit, it worked and Green Extreme ran second behind Lady Of Arc, beaten just 1.20 lengths.
Nevertheless, she had to be construed a very unlucky loser as she suffered interference at the start and did well to run second. This time she will be fitted with both earmuffs and a compression hood and hopefully she will be calmer and things will go her way.
At the time of writing Zackey has put a little bit of distance between himself and second-placed Gavin Lerena and is sitting on 165 winners. That puts him 16 ahead of Lerena who is on 149 while current champion jockey Richard Fourie is just three wins further back.
Zackey is in the form of his life and it will be disappointing if this filly is unable to add to his tally.
Lerena should strike first in Race 2 over 1000m aboard Tony Peter-trained Mister Wilson, an Act Of War colt that needn't improve a great deal on his encouraging debut fourth over the same distance to land the spoils in Leg 1 of the BiPot.
However, Fanie Bronkhorst's Danon Platina filly Dondoyaki fits a similar profile and will likely settle the score for Zackey in Race 3 over 1000m.
Also, at the time of writing, Andrew Fortune has yet to pick up a winner since his return to race riding but hopefully he will be the man who can finally get Dylan’s Champ’s nose down on the line.
Fabian Habib’s runner has run eight times but after running unplaced in his first two starts he was gelded and since then he has gone on to place in the ensuing six outings, with four of them being runner-up spots.
He contests a Maiden Plate over 1700m, and the last time he raced over the course and distance he was beaten a short head by Robert Browning.
With a merit rating of 80 he is at least 2kg better handicapped than any of his opposition and this could be a good moment for both Dylan’s Champ and Fortune to get off the mark.
Roy Magner-trained It's Personal is one of the better bets on the card in Race 4 and this improving son of What A Winter ought to open his account under Lerena in Leg 1 of the Pick 6 over 1000m.
It's Personal was returning from a rest, during which he was gelded, when finishing a close-up third over the same distance in his latest appearance. He would've come on with the benefit of that comeback outing and will prove hard to beat if exhibiting that improvement at the races.
Jack Milner’s selections
Race 1: 1 Up The Ante, 2 Lacewing, 3 Intro, 4 Devilishlygorgeous
Race 2: 3 Mister Wilson, 2 Free Bird, 5 Secret Warrior, 6 Simbine
Race 3: 3 Dondoyaki, 8 Vamanos, 5 Queen's Pact, 6 Red Amber
Race 4: 2 It's Personal, 3 Old Fashioned, 1 Inspector James, 6 Ringho
Race 5: 1 Green Extreme, 9 Heavyliesthecrown, 10 Misty Metal, 4 Winter Miracle
Race 6: 7 Hong Kong, 3 Frozen Fantasy, 1 Salenio Peninsula, 5 Fully Committed
Race 7: 6 Kinshin Sha, 5 Sea Wolf, 1 Qhawe Lami, 12 Arilena
Race 8: 9 Perini Palace, 4 Silent Trigger, 10 Pretty Analia, 5 Spy Story
Race 9: 1 Dylan's Champ, 3 Snow Moon, 2 Gift Of Royal, 4 Sovereign Crown
BEST BET
Race 5: 1 Green Extreme
VALUE BET
Race 8: 9 Perini Palace
BEST SWINGER
Race 4 2x3
BIPOT
R384
Leg 1: 2, 3, 5, 6
Leg 2: 3, 5, 6, 8
Leg 3: 2, 3
Leg 4: 1
Leg 5: 1, 3, 7
Leg 6: 1, 5, 6, 12
PLACE ACCUMULATOR
R162
Leg 1: 3, 5, 8
Leg 2: 2, 3
Leg 3: 1
Leg 4: 1, 3, 7
Leg 5: 1, 5, 6
Leg 6: 2, 4, 9
Leg 7: 1
PICK 6
R840
Leg 1: 1, 2, 3
Leg 2: 1
Leg 3: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7
Leg 4: 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 12
Leg 5: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10
Leg 6: 1
JACKPOT 1
R280
Leg 1: 1
Leg 2: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7
Leg 3: 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 12
Leg 4: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10
JACKPOT 2
R280
Leg 1: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7
Leg 2: 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 12
Leg 3: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10
Leg 4: 1