Karate Kid to chop Lebelo rivals

Jack Milner

There is some top local racing over the Christmas period and bettors look set for a glorious meeting at Turffontein on Saturday.

Racing is on the Standside track and the 10-race card is punctuated with three feature races, the Grade 3 Betway Lebelo Sprint over 1000m, the Listed War Of Athena Handicap for fillies and mares over 1800m, and the Non-Black Type Sophomore 1000 for three-year-olds over 1000m, as well as a quality Pinnacle Stakes over 1600m.

The Lebelo Sprint is traditionally run at this time of the year and the R250,000 event has once again attracted a competitive field. Included in the line-up are the first two past the post in the Grade 3 New Turf Carriers Merchants run over 1160m on Summer Cup day – Pistol Pete and Cosmic Speed respectively.

Different tactics were adopted on Tony Peter-trained Pistol Pete that day and instead of showing his usual blistering early speed, he was allowed to come from off the pace and just when Cosmic Speed looked home and hosed, Richard Fourie came rattling home aboard the son of Buffalo Bill Cody and he won going away by 0.70 lengths.

Fourie will be back to ride the four-year-old, who has improved with gelding, and one assumes similar tactics will be adopted this time.

Cosmic Star, who will have Muzi Yeni back aboard, will be 1kg better off and that brings them close together, but what could affect the outcome of this race is the drop to 1000m.

That could make Paul Matchett-trained Karate Kid the value of the race as based on his last run against Cosmic Star, he is weighted to beat them all.

They met in the Listed Golden Loom Handicap over this course and distance on 1 November which was won by Cosmic Star with Karate Kid 1.75 lengths behind him. Matchett’s runner is now 5kg better off.

Add to that his last run where, again over this track and trip, he was beaten into second by arguably the best sprinter in the country, Buffalo Bill Cody, and this Erupt gelding looks great value in this line-up.

Philasande Mxoli will be back on board.

Race 4 is the Pinnacle Stakes over 1600m and The Equator can atone for his defeat in the Betway Summer Cup. He looked a possible winner going through the final 200m but failed to kick on and finished fifth. Having said that, he beat all the runners others were predicting were better than him.

This will be his third run after a rest and he could provide the banker of the day, especially with the Peter stable currently in top form and Gavin Lerena back in the irons.

Jack Milner’s selections

Race 1: 6 Continental King, 12 Terrence, 13 Trail Runner, 11 Stay Tuned

Race 2: 2 Sakura Hanami, 1 Master's Lady, 3 Power Of Tiger, 8 Seven Times Red

Race 3: 2 Charming Cheetah, 1 Constellation, 3 African Pride, 6 Anchorage

Race 4: 4 The Equator, 1 Texas Red, 6 Callmegetrix, 8 Musical Score

Race 5: 10 Charge It, 7 Gerbera, 1 Willy Meet Again, 4 Doitwithdiamonds

Race 6: 13 Karate Kid, 2 Pistol Pete, 10 Cosmic Star, 6 Taxi To The Moon

Race 7: 1 Gimmethegoodlife, 6 Rafa Bay, 2 Espinoza, 4 Black Egret

Race 8: 1 Umzingeli Wenyathi, 4 Play With The Wind, 7 Western Wishes, 9 Hathighwaytothesky

Race 9: 6 Kavomolka, 7 Emerald City, 1 Naretoi, 2 Inclusion,

Race 10: 4 Blood Of Eden, 5 War Talk, 7 Chickasaw, 6 Lucky Chance

BEST BET

Race 4: 4 The Equator

VALUE BET

Race 6: 13 Karate Kid

BEST SWINGER

Race 3 1x2

BIPOT                          

R96

Leg 1: 1, 2

Leg 2: 1, 2

Leg 3: 4

Leg 4: 7, 10

Leg 5: 2, 6, 10, 13

Leg 6: 1, 2, 6

PLACE ACCUMULATOR

R216

Leg 1: 1, 2

Leg 2: 4

Leg 3: 7, 10

Leg 4: 2, 10, 13

Leg 5: 1, 2, 6

Leg 6: 1, 4

Leg 7: 1, 6, 7

PICK 6

R900

Leg 1: 4

Leg 2: 7, 10

Leg 3: 2, 5, 6, 10, 13

Leg 4: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6

Leg 5: 1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9

Leg 6: 1, 6, 7

JACKPOT 1

R300

Leg 1: 7, 10

Leg 2: 2, 5, 6, 10, 13

Leg 3: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6

Leg 4: 1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9

JACKPOT 2

R450

Leg 1: 2, 5, 6, 10, 13

Leg 2: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6

Leg 3: 1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9

Leg 4: 1, 6, 7