Pistol Pete to claim G3 Lebelo

Jack Milner

While there are only eight races on Saturday’s Turffontein card, there is real quality on offer for bettors with three feature races dominating an interesting card.

The Grade 3 Lebelo Sprint over 1000m is a popular end-of-the-year feature and it is a memorable race for the Peter family because when Magico won this race it was one of the first feature winners trained by Paul Peter.

Now son Tony has the reins and he can add a winner of his own to this event as he saddles Pistol Pete who is expected to get back to winning ways.

The three-year-old son of Buffalo Bill Cody has had two runs since returning from a three-month break and has finished runner-up in both of them.

Both were against strong opposition and his defeat bore no shame. The first was at the hands of highly rated Mike de Kock-trained three-year-old Greaterix, to whom he was conceding 9kg. Pistol Pete clearly needed the run and to go down just two lengths under those conditions was an excellent performance.

His next start was in the Grade 3 New Turf Carriers Merchants over 1160m at this course on Betway Summer Cup day. He carried just 52kg and he was strongly fancied to win, going off as the 18-10 favourite. He led for most of the journey but started to shift inwards when coming under pressure and then had to survive an objection before retaining his 0.75-length runner-up spot to useful Mount Pilatus.

Pistol Pete is very speedy and the drop to 1000m should be ideal for him and now having his third run after the layoff he should be in top condition and looks very hard to beat.

There is some uncertainty about his ability to handle very soft conditions and we have had a lot of rain on the Highveld recently. While it has been overcast for the last few days the rain has stayed away and if these conditions continue Pistol Pete will be very hard to oppose.

Kabelo Matsunyane rode him last time and he retains the ride and will know more about his mount this time. Pistol Pete will have just 54.5kg on his back and should have too much speed for his opposition.

If one is looking to back him up in the Pick 6, perhaps the other Peter runner, Taxi To The Moon, and Sean Tarry-trained Dantonfromsandton could provide the biggest threat.

Filly Almond Sea takes her place in Race 5, the Non-Black Type Sophomore Sprint over 1000m.

This daughter of Canford Cliffs has won four of her six starts and is three from four over this distance.

Her only defeat over this distance was in her latest start when finishing third and 1.25-lengths behind Ice Star.

Almond Sea was slowly away that day and looked an unlucky loser chasing with guts, but in vain from the word go.

Jockey Calvin Habib, who rode her in her first five outings, replaces jockey Kaiden Brewer for this contest which bodes well for the filly.

It is also worth noting that her only two career defeats were on soft tracks although the first was over 1160m and Peter always had concerns about the extra distance, while the second came after a layoff.

Jack Milner’s selections

Race 1: 1 Green Sapphire, 9 Oasis, 2 Sunfire, 4 Bilingual

Race 2: 6 Bad Medicine, 5 Snow Moon, 4 Yojimbo, 1 Chieftain's Shield

Race 3: 1 Grey Jet, 4 Potberrie, 8 Lava Fire, 7 Ombudsman

Race 4: 8 Destiny Of Fire, 5 Hong Kong, 1 Ceuta, 4 Quantum

Race 5: 1 Almond Sea, 9 Rodeo Drive, 7 Rondebosch, 2 Chocolate Soldier

Race 6: 8 Sukhumvit, 9 Frozen Fantasy, 10 Mount Etna, 3 Lady Fallon

Race 7: 5 Pistol Pete, 8 Taxi To The Moon, 7 Dantonfromsandton, 9 Nettleton

Race 8: 2 Laughing William, 7 Viva De Janeiro, 3 Just Var, 4 Kotinos

BEST BET

Race 3: 1 Grey Jet

VALUE BET

Race 6: 8 Sukhumvit

BEST SWINGER

Race 7 5x8

BIPOT

R240

Leg 1: 1, 9

Leg 2: 1, 4, 5, 6

Leg 3: 1

Leg 4: 2, 5, 8

Leg 5: 1, 9

Leg 6: 3, 5, 8, 9, 10

PLACE ACCUMULATOR

R180

Leg 1: 4, 5, 6

Leg 2: 1

Leg 3: 2, 5, 8

Leg 4: 1

Leg 5: 3, 8, 9, 10

Leg 6: 5

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

PICK 6

R1296

Leg 1: 1

Leg 2: 1, 2, 5, 8

Leg 3: 1, 7, 9

Leg 4: 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10

Leg 5: 5, 7, 8

Leg 6: 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10

JACKPOT 1

R216

Leg 1: 1, 2, 5, 8

Leg 2: 1, 7, 9

Leg 3: 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10

Leg 4: 5, 7, 8

JACKPOT 2

R324

Leg 1: 1, 7, 9

Leg 2: 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10

Leg 3: 5, 7, 8

Leg 4: 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 10