Jack Milner
Trainer Alan Greeff comes off the most successful season of his career which saw him land second spot on the national trainers’ log.
Considering that event is calculated on stake money, it is a remarkable feat for a trainer based in the Eastern Cape who does have big money value races at home.
His statistics are worth a glance. He had 170 winners for the season, the identical number as champion trainer Justin Snaith, but while the latter saddled 1,171 runners for a winning percentage of 14.52 and a win/place percentage of 49.44, Greeff sent out 961 runners for a win percentage of 17.69 and win/place of 54.01%.
The difference came in the stakes as Snaith's runners produced R32,412,038 while Greeff's runners returned half that value at R16,202,596.
However, where Greeff did seem to have the edge was with his two-year-old fillies, who were probably the best in the country. Golden Palm was the most travelled of them, winning the Grade 2 SA Fillies Nursery at Turffontein and then the Grade 1 Douglas Whyte Thekwini Stakes at Hollywoodbets Greyville.
Direct Hit, unbeaten in four starts, won the Grade 3 Cape Nursery at HWB Kenilworth, beating the colts in the process, before travelling to HWB Scottsville to capture the Grade 1 Allan Robertson Championship.
Finally, Greeff also has Anotherdanceforme, unbeaten in five starts and winner of the Grade 2 Golden Slipper at Greyville on Durban July day.
Greeff has commented that these fillies will be travelling this season and are expected to do damage in other Grade 1 races around the country.
All of these runners were partnered by Richard Fourie in these feature races and he has been a vital cog in the stable’s success.
The odometer has been set back to zero and Greeff will start all over again at Fairview on Monday where racing is carded to take place on the turf track. However, Fourie is relaxing at some fishing hole in the Cape and for this meeting S’manga Khumalo will be taking over the reins for the yard.
He has a number of good rides but interestingly he will be reunited with an old friend in Race 7 where he rides Smashing in this MR 66 Handicap for fillies and mares over 1200m.
Of course, all racehorses in South Africa turn one year older on 1 August and this daughter of Rafeef will now be competing as a five-year-old mare. It is almost a year ago that Khumalo picked up the ride on Smashing when she was still trained by Clinton Binda on the Highveld and he rode her to her victory on the Vaal Classic track.
Smashing has been remarkably consistent since transferring to Greeff and has notched up two victories for Fourie, one over 1000m on turf and the other over 1200m on the Polytrack. She has no issues with the course and distance and is a game and reliable performer.
Rival trainer Gavin Smith also had a good season and he managed to finish in 8th place on the national trainers’ log.
He could also come away with a winner or two on the opening Fairview meeting of the new season and many eyes will be on Danish Dynamite who lines up in Race 8, a MR 66 Handicap over 1000m.
Danish Dynamite, a daughter of Erik The Red, showed signs of inexperience in both of her starts as a two-year-old. However, she was a very impressive winner last time out and could be well ahead of her current merit rating.
She comes from a 73-day break so has been given some time to mature and will be fitted with a compression hood for this race.
Louie Mxothwa has been booked to ride the filly.
Jack Milner’s selections
Race 1: 3 The Roaring Rock, 4 Away With Red, 5 American Eagle, 7 Flight Engineer
Race 2: 1 Pyro Edition, 2 Bomber Bay, 7 Zambezi Sunset, 3 Global Drumbeat
Race 3: 3 Bird On A Wing, 2 Amanatto, 4 Fantasy Girl, 11 Atlantic Pearl
Race 4: 5 Above The Horizon, 12 Chroniclesofnania, 13 Global Banker, 6 Dumisani
Race 5: 2 Gimme More Time, 3 Makhachev, 8 Nothingelsematters, 6 Jack In The Green
Race 6: 6 Forest Spy, 5 Dubai Hills, 4 Symbol Of Love, 8 Eyjafjallajokull
Race 7: 1 Smashing, 2 You're So Special, 4 Thread Of Life, 11 Beneath The Moon
Race 8: 3 Danish Dynamite, 2 Buffalo Bill, 4 Munchkin, 5 Rougarouin
BEST BET
Race 1: 3 The Roaring Rock
VALUE BET
Race 6: 6 Forest Spy
BEST SWINGER
Race 8 2x3
BIPOT
R162
Leg 1: 3
Leg 2: 1, 2
Leg 3: 2, 3, 4
Leg 4: 5, 12, 13
Leg 5: 2, 3, 8
Leg 6: 4, 5, 6
PLACE ACCUMULATOR
R288
Leg 1: 1, 2
Leg 2: 2, 3, 4
Leg 3: 5, 12, 13
Leg 4: 2, 3
Leg 5: 5, 6
Leg 6: 1, 2
Leg 7: 2, 3
PICK 6
R1620
Leg 1: 1, 2, 3, 4, 10, 11
Leg 2: 2, 5, 6, 12, 13
Leg 3: 2, 3, 8
Leg 4: 4, 5, 6
Leg 5: 1, 2
Leg 6: 2, 3, 4
JACKPOT 1
R90
Leg 1: 2, 5, 6, 12, 13
Leg 2: 2, 3, 8
Leg 3: 4, 5, 6
Leg 4: 1, 2
JACKPOT 2
R54
Leg 1: 2, 3, 8
Leg 2: 4, 5, 6
Leg 3: 1, 2
Leg 4: 2, 3, 4