Jack Milner
A mixture of old favourites and potential young stars are set to line up at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Tuesday when there is a 10-race card for racing fans to enjoy.
It is quite a decent card for a midweek meeting and there look to be two bankers on the card.
Gavin Lerena looks well on his way to a second jockeys’ championship and has picked up a couple of very decent rides. Heading the list is exciting October Storm, trained by Vaughan Marshall, who lines up in Race 6, a Class 4 Handicap over 1000m. The son of Vercingetorix made an impressive debut over 1000m on 21 June at this course, easily beating Magical Place by 2.75 lengths.
He is a half-brother to two Grade 1 winning sprinters, Tempting Fate and October Morn, and the latter also claimed the Grade 2 Sceptre Stakes.
Maine Chance Farms-based Vercingetorix is turning out to be a super stallion as his total of 22 stakes’ winners this season has been confirmed as a South African record.
Those 22 have won 31 stakes races between them. The R35,200,109 in stakes earned by his progeny so far this season is also a SA record.
Vercingetorix is the son of six-time SA Champion Sire Silvano, and he will win his first stallion championship this season.
October Storm looks to be top class and could be another youngster in Marshall’s burgeoning stable of stars.
Lerena rode the two-year-old colt on debut and he will be back in the irons once again. The only concern is No 11 draw which does not appear to be ideal lately in races down the straight.
The main threat could be another two-year-old in Candice Bass-Robinson-trained Churchillian with Aldo Domeyer in the irons.
He is a bit more exposed, but he does jump from No 1 draw, has good pace and is one to include in Exactas and Quartets.
Another runner who could continue his top form is Sugar Mountain, a 10-time winner trained by Bass-Robinson. He lines up in Race 8, an A Stakes over 1500m.
Sugar Mountain has won back-to-back recent outings under Domeyer over 1400m and 1600m respectively, beating a number of rivals with whom he renews rivalry. This six-year-old Silvano gelding looked better than ever when winning the Non-Black Type Winter Mile last month and is weighted to complete the hat-trick off his career-high mark under a two-point penalty.
Sugar Mountain, a favourite of the stable, will likely complete a race-to-race double for the yard whose runners should dominate the outcome of Race 7, a Middle Stakes for fillies and mares over 1200m.
Last-start winner Babelicious is joined in the lineup by Winter Rainfall and Domeyer's mount, Trip To Maputo. The latter is unbeaten in two course-and-distance outings and appears the pick of the Bass-Robinson trio on riding arrangements, especially with Domeyer deserting Babelicious to ride Trip To Maputo instead.
Trainer Andre Nel and jockey Corne Orffer should strike in Race 9, a Class 4 Handicap, with in-form course-and-distance specialist Boogiefied over 1400m.
This Australian-bred son of Justify won over the same track and trip two starts back and followed that up with a game-in-defeat second under a four-point penalty four weeks ago. He should have little trouble finding the lead under Orffer from gate No 2 and will prove hard to peg back.
Jack Milner’s selections
Race 1: 7 Better Man, 4 New World, 5 Coco's Hero, 8 Yamazaki
Race 2: 5 Stormwatch, 2 Swift Serenity, 3 Splash Of Colour, 13 Peaches And Cream
Race 3: 7 Nightrain, 6 African Memoir, 1 Pomp It Up, 8 Fleur De Ville
Race 4: 8 United Front, 3 Sierra Sagrada, 5 Joueur De Flute, 9 Konnichiwa
Race 5: 6 Special Glamour, 3 Pacific Waters, 1 Apricity, 2 Kisses
Race 6: 11 October Storm, 1 Churchillian, 2 Escarpment, 7 Flying Finley
Race 7: 5 Trip To Maputo, 1 Babelicious, 6 I'm So Pritti, 7 Miss World
Race 8: 5 Sugar Mountain, 7 Promettere, 8 Billy Bowlegs, 10 The Grey King
Race 9: 2 Boogiefied, 3 Kebonalesedi, 13 War Chariot, 1 What A Fortune
Race 10: 7 King's Quest, 4 Lady Springfield, 5 Arbitration, 6 Hampstead Heath
BEST BET
Race 2: 5 Stormwatch
VALUE BET
Race 5: 6 Special Glamour
BEST SWINGER
Race 3 6x7
BIPOT
R120
Leg 1: 5
Leg 2: 6, 7
Leg 3: 3, 5, 8
Leg 4: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6
Leg 5: 11
Leg 6: 1, 5, 6, 7
PLACE ACCUMULATOR
R144
Leg 1: 6, 7
Leg 2: 3, 8
Leg 3: 1, 2, 3, 6
Leg 4: 11
Leg 5: 1, 5, 6
Leg 6: 5
Leg 7: 2, 3, 13
PICK 6
R1512
Leg 1: 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9
Leg 2: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7
Leg 3: 11
Leg 4: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Leg 5: 5
Leg 6: 1, 2, 3, 11 12, 13
JACKPOT 1
R42
Leg 1: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7
Leg 2: 11
Leg 3: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Leg 4: 5
JACKPOT 2
R252
Leg 1: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Leg 2: 5
Leg 3: 1, 2, 3, 11 12, 13
Leg 4: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8