Luck of the draw could decide Graham Beck Stakes

Jack Milner

If ever the expression “the luck of the draw” proved relevant, it is in Saturday’s Grade 3 Allied Steelrode Graham Beck Stakes over 1400m at Turffontein.

There is a full field of 16 runners but all the runners with the best form are drawn on the outside.

Thunderstruck, winner of the Grade 1 Gold Medallion at Hollywoodbets Scottsville in June, jumps from barrier No 15.

Prophet, the horse Thunderstruck beat in their comeback run on the Inside track at Turffontein and then went on to win his next start, is at No 14.

Unzen, who won the Non-Black Type Bloodstock SA Sales Cup for colts and geldings over this course and distance is at No 13, while Anfield Rocket, winner of his last three races jumps from barrier No 12.

It still gets worse. Mike de Kock’s two talented three-year-olds in Union Square and unbeaten Shoemaker will have to do it from the two widest draws.

On that basis, one may need a crystal ball to find the winner.

So perhaps, based on the fact that he is drawn best of the lot at No 9, although still not great, Royal Victory could be the right one.

Trained by Nathan Kotzen in KwaZulu-Natal, the Pathfork gelding has run four times for a win and three seconds. But it is his last two runner-up berths that make one stand up and take notice as they were behind Cousin Casey in the Grade 1 Premiers Champion Stakes and the Grade 2 Golden Horseshoe at Hollywoodbets Greyville.

He has not run since then but it seems unlikely Kotzen would bring him all the way to Joburg if he was not fit enough to win.

Grant van Niekerk has the ride.

The HSH Princess Charlene Starling Stakes (Grade 3) for fillies does not have that kind of problem and it could be a straight battle between the two Stuart Pettigrew runners Feather Boa and unbeaten Captain Peg.