Jack Milner: Trainer Paul Peter is well on his way to claiming his first title as the season’s champion trainer on the Highveld and Bold Ransom looks likely to add to that tally in Race 7 at the Vaal on Thursday, a Pinnacle Stakes over 1000m.
The four-year-old son of Bold Silvano is unbeaten in three starts at this track, two of them coming over the minimum trip.
His last eight runs have seen him record two wins and a further four top-three finishes in races where the average merit rating of the runners was 100 or above.
His last race was in the Grade 1 Computaform Sprint in which he finished more than eight lengths ahead of Rivarine, who is the best weighted runner. Even given the fact that Rivarine was having his first run after a lengthy layoff and did lose ground at the start, the Mike and Adam Azzie-trained runner will have his work cut out to reverse the placings.
In the Computaform Sprint they met at level weights, this time Rivarine has to give Bold Ransom 6kg.
That having been said, the Azzies do know how to kick-start a horse back into a winning frame of mind.
They did it with this exact runner back in October last year when he did a 180 degree turn form-wise to record a victory following on from two horrendous runs which saw him beaten a combined 35 lengths.
A bigger threat is likely to come from Sean Tarry-trained Mombela. Although nine years old, he has only raced 24 times. He has a great kick over the last 400m, and if there are any cracks in Bold Ransom’s armour, then Mombela, with Lyle Hewitson in the irons, could be the runner to expose them. He did just that in Lebelo Sprint in December and is now actually 1kg better off.
Jack Milner’s selections
Race 1: 1 Pick A Lily, 9 Theroseofbecharre, 2 Woman Of Grace, 3 Zulu War Cry