Jack Milner
We are in for a busy week of racing which starts off on Monday with the postponed meeting from Turffontein where we have the running of the Grade 3 Betway Victory Moon Stakes over 1800m.
There were some thunder showers over Joburg yesterday but if the weather report is to believed, while they are predicting cooler conditions and a mostly cloudy day, there is not much rain forecast.
At this stage are also not many scratchings with perhaps the most relevant coming up in Race 5, a Pinnacle Stakes over 1160m, where Mount Pinatubo has been pulled out.
Also, please note that the starting times for the meeting today remain unchanged.
The going is likely to be on the yielding side but that should have little effect on first selection Greeting My Master as he began his career in the Western Cape and had his first run in heavy going at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth.
In that race he finished a 1.75-length second behind a very decent horse in six-time winner Questioning, who has captured two Grade 3 races in the Cape, including last season’s Cape Classic and this year’s Matchem Stakes at Hollywoodbets Durbanville this year.
Alec Laird’s charge has performed extremely well since moving up from the Western Cape and in his five starts on the Highveld has recorded two wins, two place and a close-up fifth, which was on debut.
He was fitted with cheekpieces for his last four runs and that seems to have provided the improvement.
Last time out this four-year-old Master Of My Fate gelding was a runaway winner over 1600m at this course, easily beating Guy Gibson by 4.50 lengths. While he has not won over 1800m, his two starts, one of them over this track and trip, have yielded a one-length second and a 1.85-length fourth behind Pacaya in Cape Town.
Greeting My Master has just 51kg on his back and will be ridden by Chase Maujean.
Laird also has Atticus Finch in the field and he should also run a very forward race. He made his seasonal comeback in a Pinnacle Stakes over 1600m and ran well to finish third to Beating Wings. Calvin Habib takes the ride.
Tony Peter trained Main Defender is on a recovery mission after some disappointing recent performances this season.
The Pathfork gelding did suffer interference last time out so that run is best ignored and if returning to his best form could bounce back to score with Gavin Lerena in the saddle.
The four-year-old gelding picked up a 10-point penalty when taking out the Grade 1 Wilgerbosdrift HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes at Turffontein over 1600m in March.
That was a particularly impressive performance, but he is suffering with his current 131 merit rating and has been burdened with 62kg this time.
Earlier on the card we see the return to the course of the Peter-trained flying filly Almond Sea in Race 6, the Betway National Colour Stakes (Listed) over 1000m.
Almond Sea has won four of her five starts so far, including all three over this distance. She returns from a break but hopefully she can show them a clean pair of heels once again.
Jack Milner’s selections
Race 1: 8 Cosmic Queen, 7 Pretty Precious, 4 Alesian Beau, 5 Fizzly Bubbly
Race 2: 8 Pioneer Square, 2 One More Star, 7 Obsidian, 9 The Ultimate King
Race 3: 3 Glamorous Lady, 7 Ono No Komachi, 9 Tuscan Star, 8 Poplar Park
Race 4: 2 Greaterix, 3 Wild At War, 1 Guy Gibson, 5 Key Worker
Race 5: 1 Dyce, 2 William Robertson, 3 Mrs Browning, 4 Quantum Theory
Race 6: 6 Almond Sea, 5 Elegant Ice, 1 Time Fo Orchids, 3 Troppo Veloce
Race 7: 12 Greeting My Master, 7 Atticus Finch, 1 Main Defender, 4 Pure Predator
Race 8: 7 Command Pilot, 5 Imperial Master, 2 Joker Man, 4 The Futurist
Race 9: 4 White Pearl, 1 Beating Wings, 7 In The Beginning, 3 Gimme A Shot
Race 10:6 Arilena, 1 Chieftain, 5 King Of Venus, 3 Zanthar
BEST BET
Race 1 No 8 Cosmic Queen
VALUE BET
Race 10 No 6 Arilena
BEST SWINGER
Race 2 2x8
BIPOT
R72
Leg 1: 2, 8
Leg 2: 3, 7, 9
Leg 3: 2
Leg 4: 1, 2, 3
Leg 5: 6
Leg 6: 1, 4, 7, 12
PLACE ACCUMULATOR
R108
Leg 1: 3, 9
Leg 2: 2
Leg 3: 1, 2
Leg 4: 6
Leg 5: 1, 7, 12
Leg 6: 2, 5, 7
Leg 7: 1, 4, 7
PICK 6
R1000
Leg 1: 2, 3
Leg 2: 1, 2
Leg 3: 5, 6
Leg 4: 1, 2, 4, 7, 12
Leg 5: 2, 4, 5, 6, 7
Leg 6: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7
JACKPOT 1
R100
Leg 1: 1, 2
Leg 2: 5, 6
Leg 3: 1, 2, 4, 7, 12
Leg 4: 2, 4, 5, 6, 7
JACKPOT 2
R500
Leg 1: 1, 2, 4, 7, 12
Leg 2: 2, 4, 5, 6, 7
Leg 3: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7
Leg 4: 1, 3, 5, 6