Jack Milner
We are used to a close tussle between Alan Greeff and Gavin Smith for the Eastern Cape Champion Trainers title but this year it fast becoming a one-horse race.
Greeff reached the total of 100 winners during the week and that has put some daylight between himself and Smith who is currently sitting on 76 wins.
Of course, many of those winners have been ridden by champion jockey Richard Fourie and that all-conquering combination continue to have a steady stream of winners each week at Fairview. That run of form looks set to carry on Friday when they race of the turf track.
They can get off the mark in Race 2 when they team up with One Giant Leap in Race 2, A Maiden Plate for fillies and mares over 1400m.
This daughter of One World was trained by Justin Snaith in Cape Town without much success and transferred to Greeff in October last year. She only made her first appearance for the stable last week over 1200m and ran a promising 0.50-length second behind Poetic Princess, producing the fastest final 400m in the process.
She should be ideally suited to the additional 200m and from No 2 draw she stands out as the best bet on the card.
However, the pair look to have some other decent runners and they should notch up another win when he sends out Heart Stealer in Race 7, a MR 82 Handicap over 1900m.
Heart Stealer has already won two of just four of his starts for Greeff and was particularly impressive last time out when scoring by five lengths over 2000m at this track.
That was the third time the Time Thief gelding had worn blinkers and his second victory with them fitted.
An eight-point penalty for that win will make it tougher for him and there are some in-form and hard-knocking types but he looks likely to follow up.
Earlier on this card we could have a match race developing in Race 3, a MR 86 Handicap for fillies and mares over 1200m with Love Grass and Bomber Girl expected to fight out the finish.
Bomber Girl has got the better of that argument in both of their recent starts but it has been close, and it can be even tighter this time.
On 4 February on the Fairview Polytrack Bomber Girl was 0.25 lengths ahead of Lovegrass and she was in receipt of 1.5kg.
Later that month on Bomber Girl finished fifth behind Gocekwithlove and 1.10 lengths behind while Lovegrass was a further length back. They were at level weights that day and Lovegrass will be giving 0.5kg to Bomber Girl this week.
The telling difference is that Fourie gets to ride Lovegrass again and he was a winner on the only occasion he has ridden her.
Jack Milner’s selections
Race 1: 4 Winter Warfare, 5 Golden Palm, 6 Iced Marmalade, 2 Arlu
Race 2: 4 One Giant Leap, 2 Bezonder, 3 Laugh Till I Cry, 1 Princess Beautiful
Race 3: 1 Lovegrass, 2 Bomber Girl, 4 You Win Again, 8 Indebe Mayibuye
Race 4: 1 Aspoestertjie, 2 Original Copy, 6 Ms Patty, 8 Cold Truth
Race 5: 8 Munchkin, 1 King's Ransom, 6 Captain Tik Tok, 3 Executor
Race 6: 1 Asinantanga, 2 Grand Allegro, 12 Springsteen, 3 Brooksider
Race 7: 7 Heart Stealer, 9 Nothingelsematters, 1 Gimme More Time, 2 Juan Carlos
Race 8: 3 Zatara Magic, 4 Bournemouth, 2 Electric Gold, 1 Firealley
BEST BET
Race 2: 4 One Giant Leap
VALUE BET
Race 4: 1 Aspoestertjie
BEST SWINGER
Race 1 4x5
BIPOT
R144
Leg 1: 4, 5
Leg 2: 4
Leg 3: 1, 2, 4
Leg 4: 1, 2, 6, 8
Leg 5: 1, 6, 8
Leg 6: 1, 2
PLACE ACCUMULATOR
R72
Leg 1: 4
Leg 2: 1, 2
Leg 3: 1, 2, 6
Leg 4: 1, 6, 8
Leg 5: 1, 2
Leg 6: 7
Leg 7: 3, 4
PICK 6
R1280
Leg 1: 1, 2, 4, 8
Leg 2: 1, 2, 3, 6, 8
Leg 3: 1, 3, 6, 8
Leg 4: 1, 2, 3, 12
Leg 5: 7
Leg 6: 1, 2, 3, 4
JACKPOT 1
R80
Leg 1: 1, 2, 3, 6, 8
Leg 2: 1, 3, 6, 8
Leg 3: 1, 2, 3, 12
Leg 4: 7
JACKPOT 2
R64
Leg 1: 1, 3, 6, 8
Leg 2: 1, 2, 3, 12
Leg 3: 7
Leg 4: 1, 2, 3, 4