Lerena, Marshall to end season in style

Jack Milner

Trainer Vaughan Marshall and jockey Gavin Lerena have had a good season and they can end it off in style when Sierra Sagrada lines up in Race 3 at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Tuesday.

Marshall is currently lying in fourth place on the national trainers’ log and that is where he will finish the season.

Lerena, of course, has all but wrapped up this season’s jockeys’ championship and for the record, he is not the “champion jockey elect”, as so many people have said.

To be in that position he would have to been elected Champion Jockey and was waiting to be inaugurated at a later date and that is not the case in this situation. Lerena has achieved that honour literally through blood, sweat and tears. He has worked incredibly hard and shown remarkable dedication to earn his second championship, so let’s just call him “the champion jockey in waiting”.

Going into Tuesday’s meeting, Lerena is lying 15 winners ahead of Richard Fourie and with just three meeting remaining this month we can positively use an old racing expression, and say it is all over bar the shouting.

Sierra Sagrada will line up in a Maiden Plate over 1500m and looks hard to oppose. The two-year-old son of One World has raced four times for two places. However, after his third race in which he finished a 2.90-length fifth behind Roland Garros, the decision was taken to geld him.

He produced an excellent comeback run over 1400m when coming from well back to finish a 0.50-length second behind Dricus.

He did not have the clearest of passages but that run will have brought him on well and with an extra 100m to race this time he looks the standout bet on the day.

Jack Milner’s selections

Race 1: 3 All The Rage, 7 Saudi Cat, 2 Demanding Dave, 5 Spirit

Race 2: 2 Swift Serenity, 7 Pennys Choice, 9 Laydelay, 3 Heritage Ridge

Race 3: 2 Sierra Sagrada, 3 Red Wave, 1 Getupandgo, 6 Look Ahead

Race 4: 3 Mauritius Kestrel, 5 Gimmelightning, 4 Scottish Kiss, 1 Surge Of Power

Race 5: 9 Du Maurier, 7 Golden Tatjana, 1 Golden Ideal, 11 Rosa Osiria

Race 6: 3 King's Quest, 2 Afrique, 6 Bel Canto Dream, 9 Master Of Paris

Race 7: 5 Midway, 3 Ozark, 2 Saint Brigid, 10 Mela Strength

BEST BET

Race 3: 2 Sierra Sagrada

VALUE BET

Race 4: 3 Mauritius Kestrel

BEST SWINGER

Race 1 3x7

BIPOT                          

R72

Leg 1: 3, 7

Leg 2: 2, 7, 9

Leg 3: 2

Leg 4: 3, 4, 5

Leg 5: 9

Leg 6: 2, 3, 6, 9

PLACE ACCUMULATOR

R162

Leg 1: 3, 7

Leg 2: 2, 7

Leg 3: 2

Leg 4: 3, 4, 5

Leg 5: 9

Leg 6: 2, 3, 6

Leg 7: 2, 3, 5

PICK 6

R960

Leg 1: 2, 3, 7, 9

Leg 2: 2

Leg 3: 1, 3, 4, 5

Leg 4: 1, 7, 9

Leg 5: 2, 3, 5, 6, 9

Leg 6: 2, 3, 5, 10

JACKPOT 1

R60

Leg 1: 2

Leg 2: 1, 3, 4, 5

Leg 3: 1, 7, 9

Leg 4: 2, 3, 5, 6, 9

JACKPOT 2

R240

Leg 1: 1, 3, 4, 5

Leg 2: 1, 7, 9

Leg 3: 2, 3, 5, 6, 9

Leg 4: 2, 3, 5, 10