Some classy fillies in action

Jack Milner: A group of talented three-year-old fillies do battle in Race 4 at the Vaal on Tuesday.

Castle Durrow finished fourth behind some highly regarded runners in the Grade 3 Fillies Mile at Turffontein in November and could get back on a winning track when she lines up in a strongly contested race.

Trained by Lucky Houdalakis, Castle Durrow lines up in Race 4, a MR 93 Handicap for three-year-old fillies over 1600m.

The daughter of Global View won her first two starts, her first over 1200m at the Vaal. In her next start, she produced a flying finish to get up on the post and deny Way Of The World by a head over 1450m on the Turffontein Inside track.

Houdalakis then raced her in the Fillies Mile on the Standside track. Castle Durrow found virtually no support and went off at 22-1 but still managed to finish fourth behind Gee For Go, who beat the shorter-priced Houdalakis runner, Miss Elegance, by a length.

Behind Castle Durrow was Caralluma who went on to finish third to War Of Athena and Anything Goes in last Saturday’s Grade 3 Three Troikas Stakes over 1400m.

Castle Durrow has run since, over this course and distance, where once again she produced the fastest 400m to finish but failed to get to Kayla’s Dream, to whom she was conceding 3kg, by 1.75 lengths.

With Gavin Lerena opting to spend the month in the Cape, Ryan Munger, back from Singapore, has picked up the ride.

The field has been weakened by the withdrawal of three runners – Spakling Water, Bebop and Ululate.

But while the opposition might not have contested any Graded races, there are some promising runners in the line-up, starting with the Mike de Kock-trained Chloris.

She has run twice, finished a 4.75-length fourth behind stablemate Florentine on debut over 1160m at Turffontein. Then, trying 1400m, the daughter of Flower Alley glided past Say When as if the odds-on favourite was going backwards to win by three lengths.

Chloris is clearly looking for further and this next step to 1600m should be ideal. Craig Zackey has ridden her in both starts and he is back in the irons.

Sean Tarry pitches in as well and he sends out Magical Flight, who could be a little under the radar at the moment as she only won her maiden last time out in her fifth start. But she had run some crackers early in her career, including a 2.50-length second to Winter Smoke over 1200m at Greyville.

Lyle Hewitson is on board and this filly should be included in exotic bets.      

Jack Milner’s selections

Race 1: 11 Supreme Dance, 1 Eyes On Tiger, 12 Orange Justice, 2 Global Town

Race 2: 1 Right Choice, 2 Meet The Captain, 10 Ancestral Prayer, 5 Incognito

Race 3: 10 Rosaprima, 3 Traveling Wilbury, 2 Mode, 8 Masaaken

Race 4: 2 Castle Durrow, 3 Chloris, 8 Magical Flight, 4 Spice Market

Race 5: 6 Phoenix, 8 Un Deux Trois, 9 Tartan Dancer, 7 Soul Of Wit

Race 6: 1 Fire Flower, 13 Countess Trenton, 8 Consol Queen, 3 Smiley River

Race 7: 6 Lagertha, 1 Touch Of Fate, 12 Alex The Great, 10 Ramsay

Race 8: 8 Brooklyn Bridge, 5 Dogliotti, 10 Heart Of A Legend, 6 Father Time

BEST BET

Race 1 No 11 Supreme Dance

VALUE BET

Race 3 No 10 Rosaprima

BEST SWINGER

Race 1 1×11

BIPOT

R48

Leg 1: 11

Leg 2: 1

Leg 3: 2, 3, 8, 10

Leg 4: 2, 3, 8

Leg 5: 6, 7, 8, 9

Leg 6: 1

PLACE ACCUMULATOR

R108

Leg 1: 1           

Leg 2: 2, 3, 10

Leg 3: 2, 3

Leg 4: 6, 8, 9

Leg 5: 1

Leg 6: 1, 6, 12

Leg 7: 5, 8

PICK 6

R1800

Leg 1: 2, 3, 7, 8, 10

Leg 2: 2, 3, 8

Leg 3: 1, 6, 7, 8, 9

Leg 4: 1

Leg 5: 1, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12

Leg 6: 5, 6, 8, 10

JACKPOT 1

R90

Leg 1: 2, 3, 8

Leg 2: 1, 6, 7, 8, 9

Leg 3: 1

Leg 4: 1, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12

JACKPOT 2

R120

Leg 1: 1, 6, 7, 8, 9

Leg 2: 1

Leg 3: 1, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12

Leg 4: 5, 6, 8, 10