MY BEST SHOT CAN SHOW WHY

Henk Steenkamp

My Best Shot gets the chance in the Friendly City Stakes to show why he was recently crowned as the East Cape Horse of the Season.

The four-year-old son of Fire Away faces some tough older campaigners in Friday’s R175 000 Non-Black Type feature over 1800m on the Fairview Turf track.

My Best Shot looked like a tired horse at the end of last season and was a bit disappointing when finishing third in last month’s Listed Memorial Mile.

Champion trainer Alan Greeff should have My Best Shot ready to bounce back to his best now. My Best Shot loves this track and regular pilot Richard Fourie will be keen to strike at the business end.

My Best Shot is the horse to beat but Royal Aussie is the best weighted horse in the race. Royal Aussie ran a good second for the Justin Snaith stable in the Memorial Mile and should be competitive again with Muzi Yeni aboard.

The East Cape reigning Champion Older Horse, Fire Alley, is also one to keep an eye on. Trainer Jacques Strydom is doing a fine job with this eight-year-old who won his last race in fine fashion.

Another Greeff runner, Golden Peace, can also be in the mix. He won his only attempt at track and trip with ease.

All eyes will be on My Best Shot though in the Friendly City Stakes, race seven of the eight carded races, off at 16:00.

The meeting starts on an exciting note with the first Work Riders Maiden Plate of the season at 12:30.

The Work Riders races at Fairview are a huge crowd favourite and always very competitive. This is also the first leg of the Bipot and the amateur riders will pull out all the stops to produce the goods for the connections.

Musa Ntunja won the East Cape Work Riders Championship for the first time last season. He will be eager to start his title defence on a winning note. The other riders will be coming for Ntunja!

One of Greeff’s stars of last season, Direct Hit, looks like a solid banker in the first leg of the Place Accumulator, race two at 13:05.

Direct Hit was unbeaten in four starts as a two-year-old, including the Grade 1 Allan Robertson, and should be the winner of this Pinnacle Stakes for fillies and mares over 1200m. The race is at 13:05.

Sports Fan is another three-year-old filly from the Greeff stable (formerly Kelly Mitchley) who looks like a banker in the second leg of the Pick Six, the first leg of Jackpot One.

She runs in race four, a 74 Handicap for fillies and mares over 1000m, off at 14:15.

The Greeff stars should help punters to structure their bets and give it a full go on Friday!