Jack Milner
Three races exclusively for apprentices make up part of today’s card on the Vaal Classic track but punters can get off the mark early by following Corne Spies in Races 1 and 2.
Spies saddles Clean Living in Race 1, a Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1000m, and Flowerbomb in Race 2, a Maiden Juvenile Plate for fillies over the same distance.
As it happens, both the Spies runners are fillies, but they have chosen to take on the boys in Race 1. That does give Clean Living a 2.5kg sex allowance and she looks ready to get among the winners. In fact, the daughter of Querari ran against winners on debut in a Juvenile Plate, finishing third behind Galla Vanting. Four winners have come from that form line.
In her next start she was well beaten by Magic Tycoon, going down 4.25 lengths, but Paul Matchett’s charge has gone on to race in Grade 2 SA Fillies Nursery, won by Maharanee, and the Grade 1 Allan Robertson Championship at Scottsville.
Clean Living has not raced since that run which was in March, but sometimes it pays to give juveniles some time to mature and she should come back fresh and ready to win after her 98-day break.
Craig Zackey takes the ride.
Flowerbomb has also only raced twice, finishing second on both occasions. The Erupt filly made her debut in January, finishing second to Show Time. She returned from a break on 7 June over 1100m at the Vaal and came with a late run to go down just 0.40 lengths to Time Fo Orchids.
She is expected to go one better this time. Marco van Rensburg rode her last time and he is back in the irons for this run.
The first of the apprentice races comes up in Race 3 and is a Maiden Plate for fillies and mares over 1450m. With form comments such as “struggling”, “poor form” and “yet to show” the order of the day, one runner does stand out: Fanie Bronkhorst trained Kill Shot.
This two-year-old daughter of Elusive Fort boasts three consecutive top-four finishes and should launch a successful attack from gate No 5. Kaidan Brewer, second on the apprentice log for the season with 52 wins, will be in the saddle.
The biggest danger seems to be Stuart Pettigrew’s Nice Move. She followed up her debut second over this distance with a not so eye-catching effort over further, after which she was given time to mature.
It is expected that she will need this run before an assessment of her true ability can be made.
In Race 5, a Classified Stakes over 1800m for horses with a nett rating of 71 and below, four-year-old Mingshi gets the nod. This lightly raced Dynasty gelding will be having his second run for Paul Peter after moving from Duncan Howells’ care.
His first run on the Highveld saw him finish just 1.75-lengths behind reopposing Kool Baikal, but a 5kg swing in the weights should see him reverse that result, especially over the 200m shorter trip.
A number of others have the ability to steal the show late, most notably Dark Travel and Silly Fella. The latter has finished either second or third in his last seven attempts.
The last of the appy races comes up in Race 6, a Class D MR79 Handicap over 1200m, where Peter’s Double Magic and Brett Webber-trained Successful Secret look most likely to fight out the finish.
It could be close with Double Magic going beyond 1000m for the first time and racing around the turn on this occasion, but he gets the nod for in-from apprentice Gabriell Pieterse from No 3 draw.
Jack Milner’s selections
Race 1: 10 Clean Living, 7 Vartacus, 1 Always Better, 5 Tre Amici
Race 2: 4 Flowerbomb, 5 Heart And Mind, 11 Silver Winter, 7 Inventrix
Race 3: 12 Kill Shot, 9 Nice Move, 11 Dame Twining, 13 Up The Irish
Race 4: 9 Good Council, 1 Harold The Duke, 2 Atlantic City, 3 Flag Bearer
Race 5: 5 Mingshi, 4 Dark Travel, 7 Silly Fella, 1 Just A Memory
Race 6: 2 Double Magic, 1 Successful Secret, 3 Kotinos, 11 Back To Basics
Race 7: 11 Sergei, 4 Courante, 9 Bella Rosa, 8 Lulu's Boy
Race 8: 12 Oathkeeper, A2 llaroundtheworld, 4 Parker Getrix, 6 Never To Clever
BEST BET
Race 4 No 9 Good Council
VALUE BET
Race 7 No 11 Sergei
BEST SWINGER
Race 2 4x5
BIPOT
R160
Leg 1: 7, 10
Leg 2: 4, 5
Leg 3: 9, 12
Leg 4: 9
Leg 5: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7
Leg 6: 1, 2, 3, 11
PLACE ACCUMULATOR
R288
Leg 1: 4
Leg 2: 9, 12
Leg 3: 9
Leg 4: 1, 4, 5, 7
Leg 5: 1, 2, 3
Leg 6: 4, 8, 9, 11
Leg 7: 2, 4, 12
PICK 6
R1200
Leg 1: 9, 12
Leg 2: 9
Leg 3: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7
Leg 4: 1, 2, 3, 9, 11, 12
Leg 5: 4, 8, 9, 11
Leg 6: 2, 3, 4, 6, 12
JACKPOT 1
R120
Leg 1: 9
Leg 2: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7
Leg 3: 1, 2, 3, 9, 11, 12
Leg 4: 4, 8, 9, 11
JACKPOT 2
R600
Leg 1: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7
Leg 2: 1, 2, 3, 9, 11, 12
Leg 3: 4, 8, 9, 11
Leg 4: 2, 3, 4, 6, 12