Jack Milner: Trainer Dean Kannemeyer has had an uncharacteristically quiet start to his KwaZulu-Natal season.
In fact, he has only had one winner from 31 runners but on the positive side, a further nine have placed.
This is often a quiet period for trainers as they use the time when there are no feature races to give their runners a break and have them inoculated against African Horse Sickness.
But the yard looks to have a decent opportunity to double their win tally when Lady Yusra lines up in Race 2, a Maiden Plate for three-year-old fillies over 1600m, on the Polytrack at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Wednesday.
She has only raced four times and has not performed badly in any of them. Being by Silvano, she was always going to need ground and, more importantly, time.
After two fair sprints, she ran a cracker over 1400m in her first run on the Polytrack, despite a wide draw, coughing, and getting scalped in running.
Last time, again over 1400m on the Polytrack, she was a fast-finishing 0.90-length second behind Unconditional Love, who went on to run a promising third in a handicap in her next start. Based on that, Lady Yusra looks to be in decent form.
There is no question she will benefit from the additional 200m this time.
Keagan de Melo knows her well as he has ridden her in all her races and they will jump from barrier No 8.
Sean Tarry sends a band of runners to Greyville, accompanied by stable jockey Lyle Hewitson. Tarry trains at Randjesfontein where they have a Polytrack and will know which horses suit the surface.
Mount Athos represents the yard in Race 1, a Maiden Plate over 1600m, and he has been priced up at 10-1. This is not a strong field, and the gelding could be a lucrative each-way bet.
Jack Milner’s selections
Race 1: 8 Mount Athos, 1 One More Trick, 12 Roy’s Command, 3 Winter Royale
Race 2: 8 Lady Yusra, 2 Roy’s Rocker, 1 Miss Jacqueline, 6 Siege Of Orleans
Race 3: 2 The Green Gallant, 9 Arumugam, 1 Young Nelson, 7 A Thousand Tunes