Greeff, Smith go all in as title race hots up

Danie Toerien

Another full and fascinating local racing weekend starts on Friday when eight races will be contested on the Fairview Turf track.

With the race for the champion Eastern Cape trainer title going down to the wire, it’s no wonder that Gavin Smith (117 winners) and Alan Greeff (107 winners) are throwing everything but the kitchen sink onto the track in order to clinch the title.

Smith is carded to saddle 26 runners with Greeff adding another 15 to the fray. That means that a whopping 35% of the runners at Fairview come from their two yards.

While the two heavyweight trainers are slugging out a numbers game, Tara Laing (pictured), Zietsman Oosthuizen and Sharon Kotzen could spoil their fun, with quality sometimes more important than quantity.

Laing only has five runners on the day, but Chloris (race 5) and Gold Rock (race 7) both have winning credentials.

The former contests a FM66 Handicap over 1400m. She has tried the course and distance three times, never finishing out of the quartet. Although this Flower Alley filly has not won in 563 days, her current form suggests that elusive second career victory is on the cards.

Gold Rock lines up in a MR74 Handicap over 1600m and boasts a record of two runner-up finishes and two third placings for his four attempts over course and distance. His last two outings saw him run against a lot stronger than he meets here, evident by the fact that in both those races, the average merit rating of the runners in those Class C races was 80, compared to the 66  here in Class D.

Kotzen's Moon Game has the potential to take the honours in Race 6, a Classified Stakes over 1400m. Although slightly inconsistent, he will make the frame here if he brings his A-game. He too steps down in class and that might just be what is needed for him to record a third career win.

Oosthuizen can throw an early spanner in the works with Tipsy Tina in Race 3, a Maiden Plate over 1000m. Carrying the lightest weight, and with Ryan Munger in the saddle, she has upset written all over her, despite being the only two-year-old filly in the race.

Danie Toerien's selections:

Race 1: 11 Sugarberry, 4 Eclair, 6 Head Mistress, 2 Bavarian Jet

Race 2: 2 Khaya's Hope, 3 Sand Bank, 1 Coastal Path, 5 Indy View

Race 3: 14 Tipsy Tina, 8 Verified, 1 Maradiva, 2 My Lord And Master

Race 4: 2 Sailaway With Me, 3 Gailiea, 9 Vickeyneki, 5 Alastriona

Race 5: 2 Chloris, 4 Forward March, 5 Miss Venezuela, 12 Dancing Girl

Race 6: 1 Moon Game, 5 Buttercup, 3 Bold Resolve, 11 Flinders Range

Race 7: 4 Gold Rock, 2 Alado's Pride, 6 Mhlabeni, 10 Vida Futura

Race 8: 2 Paris Opera, 15 My Ami Beach, 8 Phedra, 16 Easy Living

Pick 6 (R960)

Leg 1: 1, 2, 8, 14

Leg 2: 2

Leg 3: 2, 4, 5, 12

Leg 4: 1, 3, 5

Leg 5: 2, 4, 6, 10

Leg 6: 1, 2, 8, 15, 16