Start of Poly Challenge

Cliff Top can fire the first shot in the Nelson Mandela Bay Racing Poly Challenge. The popular Challenge starts on Friday on the Fairview Polytrack with the first of the three legs being run over 1200m (race 7 at 16:10).

The other two legs will be over 1400m and 1600m respectively but it is unlikely that Cliff Top will be seen in the Challenge again after Friday. He is the horse to beat in the first leg though, despite a big mass of 62kgs. Richard Fourie will be in the saddle for the Alan Greeff stable.

Fourie and Cliff Top have been very consistent lately and will have many supporters to win this Non-Black Type event. They will have to be at their best because there are some other quality horses ready to run big races also.

Port Louis is now part of the Greeff stable and it should be interesting to see how he performs. He is drawn wide and returns from a bit of a break which indicates Cliff Top is the stable elect. Inherit The Rain is another Greeff runner which has a say.

Prince of Fire is one to keep an eye on. He was last seen in May and will be making his Fairview debut for the Kelly Mitchley yard. Slim Jannie will be trying to make it four wins in a row for the Gavin Smith stable. This will be his toughest task to date but he is improving with each run and should run well again. It is clear trainer Jacques Strydom has prepared Gallic Tribe with the Challenge in mind. Gallic Tribe and Transact (Sharon Kotzen) are in good form and will be big challengers. Transact has a nice galloping weight of 56.5kgs but is drawn widest of all. Naval Secret (Cliffie Miller) won this race last year but his task looks much more difficult this time.

The meeting starts at 12:40 and the first race is also the first leg of the Bipot. Painite (Kotzen) looks like a banker in the first leg of the Place Accumulator, race two at 13:15. The Pick Six starts with the third race at 13:50. A Novice Plate for fillies and mares is race four at 14:25 and is the first leg of the first Jackpot.

A Classified Stakes over 1600m is the fifth race and is the first leg of the second Jackpot. The sixth race is a very interesting Pinnacle Stakes over 1800. Cherry Ano, Quasimodo and Bush Tracker should fight this one out. It is usually a tricky end to a Fairview meeting and after the feature race the eighth and last race looks wide open. 

It should be another competitive Fairview meeting but the top trainers of last season, Smith, Greeff, Kotzen and Mitchley, look ready to strike.

Find our selections at Henk Se Wenk.