OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS OVER THE WEEKEND

This weekend's local racing action includes a Saturday doubleheader and Sunday's “Pink Drive” at Hollywoodbets Greyville, packed full of attractive betting propositions.

TAKE A SHOT AT A SNAITH TREBLE

The eight-race card at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on Saturday is highlighted by the reappearance of last season's star two-year-filly Winter Cloud, who makes her comeback in Race 8 over 1250m. Attractive betting propositions on the day include a potential hat-trick for trainer Justin Snaith and an early Andre Nel double. Nel-trained Nordic Chief looks good value to win the opener over 1250m. This son of Vercingetorix was not disgraced second time out after an encouraging fifth on debut and has been gelded since. He only needs to confirm the promise of his introduction to make amends under Corne Orffer. That trainer-jockey combination could complete a quick double with William Longsword filly Tequila Sky in Race 2.

Oliver and well-related Foudre look the only two capable of thwarting Snaith's Get Impressed in Race 3. The Snaith runner has improved markedly with gelding and looks worth a confident bet on the nose from a good draw. Snaith has a strong hand in Race 4 with five of the 10 runners and, while riding arrangements suggest Van Niekerk's mount One Way Traffic is the pick, it could pay to side with stablemate Somerset Maugham.

He was not at best last time and may have needed that outing after a break. Snaith’s last-start winner Mucho Dinero will in all likelihood start favourite in Race 5 and it could pay to follow the progress of this well-bred son of Twice Over.

Exciting and undefeated three-year-old colt Green With Envy is en route to the Grade 1 Cape Guineas and will be all the rage in Race 6, although Snaith has two useful strings to his bow in Futura geldings Future Swing and Future Turn. In Race 8 Winter Cloud is hard to oppose despite shouldering 60kg on her return to action to against older rivals.

Click/tap here for the best bets and the views of five tipsters on Saturday's Hollywoodbets Durbanville meeting.

MANY TAKE AIM AT BETWAY SUMMER CUP

An intriguing Pinnacle Stakes, in which all bar two of the 13 runners are Betway Summer Cup entries, tops the nine-race bill on the Inside track at Turffontein on Saturday. No runner has a clear weight advantage and most are returning from layoffs and will be using this as a stepping stone to the R5-million race, so their fitness is uncertain. Meridius looks to have the class to win. He joined Tony Peter’s yard early in July and won the Listed Darley Arabian Stakes over 1600m at Hollywoodbets Greyville on 30 July in his first run for the stable. He beat a decent field on that occasion and could take some beating if he can repeat that performance following a short rest. Earlier on the card Woman Of Power (Race 1) and Beamonesque (Race 2) should get punters off to a winning start.

TURFFONTEIN PICK 6 (starts Race 4):
R900

Leg 1: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6
Leg 1: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6
Leg 1: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7
Leg 1: 3, 5, 7
Leg 1: 3, 4
Leg 1: 5

Click/tap here for the best bets and the views of five tipsters on Saturday's Turffontein meeting.

FOURIE TO OUTGUN MOODLEY ON SUNDAY

In-form rider Serino Moodley is likely to add to his tally with two more victories at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Sunday, but it’s probably worth siding with Richard Fourie in several races. Benni In The Area (Race 1), Flag Man (Race 3), Asiye Phambili (Race 4) and Westockmarketborse (Race 5) are all likely to deliver the goods for Fourie. Moodley's best chances of victory are aboard improving last-start winner Maggie Smith in Race 8 and MJ Odendaal's stable star Addabar in the PinkDrive Michaelmas Handicap (Race 6).

Click/tap here for the best bets and the views of five tipsters on Sunday's Hollywoodbets Greyville meeting.

GET UP EARLY FOR TAB EVEREST

The $20-million TAB Everest, the richest turf race on the planet, will be run at Royal Randwick in Sydney this Saturday (07:15 SA time) and TAB customers can take Win and Place bets into Hong Kong’s massive tote pools on Races 3 to 10. Exacta, Rolling Doubles and a Jackpot on the last four races will be commingled with Tabcorp as normal. There are 12 runners and the likely favourite is Think About It, winner of 11 of 12 starts including two Grade 1s. Leading apprentice Zac Lloyd, son of former star South African jockey Jeff Lloyd who rode more than 5,000 winners, will be aboard Godolphin runner Cylinder, a four-time winner from nine and one of the fancied runners.

BALLYDOYLE COLT TO STAR IN DEWHURST

Justify colt City Of Troy, the latest off the conveyor belt of Ballydoyle stars, is all the rage for the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes (Race 2) on Saturday’s seven-race card at Newmarket, which includes three Grade 3 events. Aidan O'Brien's charge made a winning Curragh debut in July and performed to a level rarely achieved by one so inexperienced when storming home more than six lengths clear in the Group 2 Superlative Stakes over 1400m at Newmarket a fortnight later.

KOSCIUSZKO THE KING AT KRANJI

Singapore racing this Saturday comprises a 12-race turf meeting headlined by the $300,000 Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup over 1800m. Star galloper Lim's Kosciuszko dominates the race and is poised to take an already record-breaking campaign in 2023 to new heights. He is unbeaten in five starts this year and made history by becoming the first horse to win four Group 1s in a row at Kranji. Most recently the Daniel Meagher-trained champion claimed the first leg of the Singapore Triple Crown Series in emphatic fashion and is the best horse seen at Kranji in recent years. If he brings his A-game to the track as usual, it’s his race to lose!

FOLLOW BADEL AND LUI AT SHA TIN

Punters ought to do well by following jockey Alexis Badel and trainer Francis Lui at Sunday's 10-race meeting at Sha Tin. Badel rides newcomer Country Dancer in Race 2 for trainer John Size and his mount appears forward enough to make a big impression first-up. Money Catcher is likely to get the run of the race under Badel in Race 7 and should prove tough to overhaul. Always Fluke was super impressive when scoring last time and should take his game to another level by winning Race 4 for Lui, who has engaged Vincent Ho to ride this son of Vancouver. South African Lyle Hewitson will be aboard another potential Lui-trained winner in Packing Treadmill in Race 10. This five-year-old is the class of the race.

HELLO TRIO AND COMMINGLED TRIFECTAS

TAB is adding to its range of tote bets on horseracing from next Wednesday 18 October with the introduction of a commingled Trio on French races with eight or more runners - and from the same date all TAB Trifecta pools on Australian, French and UK races will be commingled, giving TAB customers more Trifecta betting opportunities and access to bigger pools and payouts.

The Trio is a brand-new bet for TAB customers. To win the Trio select the first three horses to finish, regardless of order. Effectively, it’s a three-horse Trifecta Box in a single bet. For example a three-horse Trifecta Box, in which numbers 1, 2 and 3 are selected, comprises six individual bets (1-2-3; 1-3-2; 2-1-3; 2-3-1; 3-1-2; 3-2-1), whereas with a Trio it is only one bet. For example a three-horse Trifecta Box, in which numbers 1, 2 and 3 are selected, comprises six individual bets (1-2-3; 1-3-2; 2-1-3; 2-3-1; 3-1-2; 3-2-1), whereas with a Trio it is only one bet. In the case of four horses, a Trifecta Box comprises 24 combinations as opposed to only four combinations or bets with a Trio (1-2-3; 1-2-4, 1-3-4, 2-3-4).

The unit cost of a TAB Trio on French races will be R2 with no fractional betting. So a four-horse Trio will cost R8 (four combinations @ R2 each) and a five-horse Trio R20 (10 combinations @ R2). Three different Trio bets will be offered - single (three runners selected), box (four or more runners selected) and multiple (one or more horses selected for each of the first three places).

An example of a multiple Trio is numbers 1, 2 and 3 for first; number 4 for second and numbers 5 and 6 for third. That’s six combinations @ R2 each for R12 (1-4-5; 1-4-6; 2-4-5; 2-4-6; 3-4-5; 3-4-6). The French PMU offers the Trio on French races with eight or more runners and the Trifecta if there are fewer than eight.

As with the Trio, the unit cost of commingled Trifectas on Australian, French and UK racing will be R2 with no fractional betting. Thus a three-horse Trifecta Box will cost R12 (six combinations @ R2) and a five-horse box R120 (60 combinations @ R2). The standard R6 minimum bet will apply in all cases and all payouts displayed will be to a R1 unit, so winners will collect double the displayed TAB payout.

The benefits of commingling Trifecta pools with host totes (Tabcorp in Australia with the exception of thoroughbred venues in Victoria and South Australia); PMU in France and the UK Tote), as opposed to local pools, are many more Trifecta betting opportunities on races in those three countries and much bigger pools, which in turn will afford TAB customers the chance to win bigger payouts.