Jack Milner
Lovers of horses and horseracing will understand that tingling feeling throughout your body when you watch a champion in action.
But there are also times when you encounter a first-timer which gives you that same feeling of elation and sense of anticipation.
Southern Skies is one of those runners.
The three-year-old daughter of Vercingetorix made her first track appearance in Race 2 at Turffontein on Charity Mile day, a Maiden Plate for fillies and mares over 1160m.
There was not much on-course chatter about her although she did go shorten to 4-1 by the off. At the 400m mark she moved into the lead under Gavin Lerena and it was clear the race was over. Without being extended Southern Skies put 7.75 lengths between herself and second-placed Virgin River.
To put that run into perspective, Southern Skies completed the 1160m in 67.86 seconds. The colts competed a race earlier, and in that event all the talk was for Munchkin, who went off a well-supported 9-4 favourite. He was beaten into second place by Cian The Conqueror in 68.99 seconds.
Munchkin went on to win his second start easily so that form has been franked.
And that poses the question: how good is Southern Skies?
We will have more of an inkling as to her ability at the Vaal on Thursday when Johan Janse van Vuuren’s charge lines up in Race 6, a Graduation Plate over 1200m.
This will be a true test as the half-sister to Say When will be meeting some extremely talented colts, including feature-race winner Dyce. She will get 6kg from the Lucky Houdalakis-trained entire, but this filly gives the impression of being really special and could well give this field the proverbial hiding.
Sadly for Lerena, she carries 54kg this time which means he is unable to ride her but Keagan de Melo will be in the irons and can bring her home.
Jack Milner’s selections
Race 1: 7 Princess Ilaria, 1 Warbonnet Creek, 4 Smelting, 8 Tiz Magic
Race 2: 5 Bellevarde, 2 Eternal Life, 1 Crimson Princess, 6 Dark Travel
Race 3: 4 Cape Lights, 6 Pomozelous, 5 Lady Regent, 1 Chicks For Free
Race 4: 8 Clarkson, 1 Naval Guard, 7 Willow's Wish, 2 Sudden Star
Race 5: 10 Flowerbomb, 8 Chyavana, 5 Tuscan Winter, 3 Mercantour
Race 6: 6 Southern Skies, 1 Dyce, 2 Set To Go, 4 The Mauritian
Race 7: 6 Twice The Storm, 9 Corvette Captain, 8 Fostinovo, 1 Mover And Shaker
Race 8: 2 Admiralty Arch, 7 Back To Basics, 12 Dark Tide, 3 Futurewolff
BEST BET
Race 6 No 6 Southern Skies
VALUE BET
Race 7 No 6 Twice The Storm
BEST SWINGER
Race 1 1x7
BIPOT
R216
Leg 1: 1, 7
Leg 2: 1, 2, 5
Leg 3: 4, 5, 6
Leg 4: 1, 2, 7, 8
Leg 5: 5, 8, 10
Leg 6: 6
PLACE ACCUMULATOR
R162
Leg 1: 1, 2, 5
Leg 2: 4, 6
Leg 3: 1, 7, 8
Leg 4: 5, 8, 10
Leg 5: 6
Leg 6: 6, 8, 9
Leg 7: 2
PICK 6
R432
Leg 1: 4, 5, 6
Leg 2: 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9
Leg 3: 3, 5, 8, 10, 11
Leg 4: 6
Leg 5: 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9
Leg 6: 2
JACKPOT 1
R144
Leg 1: 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9
Leg 2: 3, 5, 8, 10, 11
Leg 3: 6
Leg 4: 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9
JACKPOT 2
R30
Leg 1: 3, 5, 8, 10, 11
Leg 2: 6
Leg 3: 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9
Leg 4: 2