Jack Milner
Perhaps an interesting factor in Race 8 at the Vaal on Thursday that best epitomises the last race meeting of the 2024/25 season.
It features two horses trained by St John Gray, aptly named Palace Prince and After Hours, and they could well fight out the finish. Palace Prince is a two-year-old son of Potala Palace who will be having his fifth start while After Hours is a seven-year-old gelding who will be lining up for the 95th run of his career.
Ideally, they are represented by two top jockeys, Gavin Lerena, ready to officially be named Champion Jockey for the season, and Piere Strydom, who will be having his second-last ride of his career.
The two horses are comparable to the jockeys, a young top jockey who still has many years to achieve higher goals and a 59-year-old who has finally opted to close this chapter of his life.
But what is particularly of amazing is that both horses have a winning chance in the race and it will remain as competitive as ever between the two jockeys.
Strydom rode After Hours last time and the gelding finished a one-length third over 1400m up the Vaal straight, despite having been badly baulked between the 400m and 200m mark.
He also has two wins and two places in nine races over the course and distance.
Just 0.80 lengths in front of him last time came Palace Prince who Lerena climbs aboard for the first time. He comes into this race with a 0.5kg weight advantage so should be good enough to win.
However, don’t write the old man off!
Summer Winter, from the Mike and Adam Azzie stable, has the honour of being Strydom's last ride. This daughter of What A Winter acquitted herself well in a stronger race over 1200m on the Polytrack at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Durban July day and a repeat of that performance, switching back to the turf off an unchanged mark, should provide a fairytale ending to Strydom's career in Race 9.
Lerena is the rider who could spoil that exit as he is aboard speedy Deal Maker for trainer Tony Peter.
This UK import needed her last run when fading late to finish second behind Twentytwentyvision and should improve markedly on that performance.
Jack Milner’s selections
Race 1: 3 Singleton Sam, 1 Red Penny, 6 Redlightgreenlight, 1 Mighty Eagle
Race 2: 4 Blushing Bloom, 1 Iconic Winter, 2 Empress Wu, 9 Savara's Princess
Race 3: 13 Xenophon, 11 Power Of Pearls, 9 Gavius Maximus, 8 Captain Frank
Race 4: 9 Radio Star, 7 Matroosberg, 6 Luwak, 4 Best Candidate
Race 5: 8 Babette's Feast, 10 Witching Hour, 2 Nkwenkwezi, 3 Mattiazo
Race 6: 8 Destiny Of Fire, 9 Hong Kong, 3 Miss Lia, 10 Exceedingly Glam
Race 7: 1 Too Late My Mate, 10 Saigon Suzie, 5 Whirlybird, 6 Maverick Queen
Race 8: 5 Palace Prince, 3 After Hours, 2 Crescendo, 9 Commander Of All
Race 9: 1 Summer Winter, 5 Deal Maker, 4 Predatrice, 7 Gaelic Dancer
BEST BET
Race 7: 1 Too Late My Mate
VALUE BET
Race 6: 8 Destiny Of Fire
BEST SWINGER
Race 9 1x5
BIPOT
R108
Leg 1: 1, 2, 4
Leg 2: 1, 9, 11
Leg 3: 9
Leg 4: 2, 8, 10
Leg 5: 3, 8, 9, 10
Leg 6: 1
PLACE ACCUMULATOR
R72
Leg 1: 1, 11
Leg 2: 9
Leg 3: 2, 8, 10
Leg 4: 3, 8, 9
Leg 5: 1
Leg 6: 3, 5
Leg 7: 1, 5
PICK 6
R168
Leg 1: 9
Leg 2: 2, 3, 8, 10
Leg 3: 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10
Leg 4: 1
Leg 5: 2, 3, 5
Leg 6: 1, 5
JACKPOT 1
R84
Leg 1: 2, 3, 8, 10
Leg 2: 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10
Leg 3: 1
Leg 4: 2, 3, 5
JACKPOT 2
R42
Leg 1: 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10
Leg 2: 1
Leg 3: 2, 3, 5
Leg 4: 1, 5