Another difficult card awaits punters on Friday and clearly the most interesting race on the day comes up in Race 6, a FM 86 Handicap over 1200m, where some bang-in-form fillies and mares take their places.
Trainer Sharon Kotzen’s yard has turned the corner recently and her charge, the filly Pot Sox, comes to this race a three-time winner from her six starts and is unbeaten in two starts on the Polytrack.
Both of those wins were over this course and distance.
Interestingly jockey Richard Fourie (who rides Dive Captain) was aboard Pot Sox for those wins but regular rider Luyolo Mxothwa will ride the Pathfork filly this time.
Pot Sox beat another runner in this race, Intrepid Traveller, that day by an easy 1.25 lengths and although Pot Sox is returning from a break and is 3.25kg worse off with Intrepid Traveller, it is Pot Sox who is the more reliable of the two fillies. And as she is lightly raced more improvement can be expected of her.
Intrepid Traveller does like the Polytrack, though, and must be considered.
Back to Dive Captain. Trainer Juan Nel continues to have his winners and this Captain Al mare has won her last two starts.
She had another runner in this race, Sound Check, behind her when winning over this distance on the turf last time out and fought on gamely to beat Beneficiary over this course and distance in her penultimate start.
She has gone up significantly in the weights which will make this task a difficult one.
Last season’s Eastern Cape Champion Sound Check has yet to add to her three wins from her juvenile season but is fit and ready for this race.
The Global View filly was slowly away and stumbled when only a few lengths behind Dive Captain in her penultimate start and has the inside berth for this race so should at least turn the tables on that mare.
Jack Milner’s selections
Race 1: 1 Jackbequick, 2 Emerald Flame, 8 Siever’s Point, 5 Soweto Hall
Race 2: 3 Star Effect, 5 Cyclops Jack, 1 Lord Marmite, 2 Grace From Above
Race 3: 3 Inbetween Dreams, 1 Vision On Ice, 2 Rarotonga, 8 Lauretta Mia