Strydom to prove he still has ‘Twentytwenty’ vision

Jack Milner

Singer Joni Mitchell wrote a song called Big Yellow Taxi in the 1960s which has a line that goes “Don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone”.

That could apply to jockey Piere Strydom who will be riding at his final Turffontein meeting on Saturday.

For months he has been struggling to get rides, but the minute he announced his retirement, everybody wants him.

Strydom has five rides on the eight-race card on the Standside track in which the races after named after him and his successes over the years, and many of them have winning chances.

Perhaps the best of his rides could be Twentytwentyvision in Race 4, a MR 84 Handicap over 1000m.

This does appear to be a two-horse race between James Crawford-trained Twentytwentyvision and Rafa Bay, trained by Tony Peter and ridden by Gavin Lerena. Both were impressive last-start winners and it should be an intriguing contest between a six-time champion jockey on the brink of retirement and an energetic younger rider on the brink of collecting his second Champion Jockeys’ title.

Rafa Bay joined the Peter yard in March after having started his career in the Western Cape and has run two very decent races since joining the yard. The three-year-old Rafeef gelding finished third in the first and was then a very easy 2.70-length winner of his next start with Lerena in the irons.

Twentytwentyvision also began his career in the Western Cape with the Crawford yard and has raced three times since arriving on the Highveld. His first two starts were over 1200m but when reduced to the minimum trip with Strydom in the irons and blinkers refitted, he travelled with his rivals for a while and raced clear to win by 5.20 lengths at the Vaal.

No winners have come from Rafa Bay’s form line while one has come from Twentytwentyvision’s race.

The latter also received 1.5kg from Rafa Bay so he could have the edge.

It should be an intriguing race and eachway Exactas could be the way to go.  

Jack Milner’s selections

Race 1: 11 Queensland, 7 Umzingeli Wenyathi, 2 Clever Trevor, 3 Force Publique

Race 2: 5 Sistership, 6 Stormy Day, 2 Gaslight Dancer, 7 Vamanos

Race 3: 5 One Fell Swoop, 4 Chieftain, 1 Karate Kid, 2 Cosmic Star

Race 4: 9 Twentytwentyvision, 4 Rafa Bay, 11 Faithful Neo, 1 Dontshootthebarman

Race 5: 2 Elembee, 3 Art Nouveau, 4 Wagram, 1 Teo Torriatte

Race 6: 6 Free In Seattle, 4 Kisshoten, 2 Dimako's Jet, 1 Last Car To Pass

Race 7: 3 Sunset Riot, 7 Max The Magician, 9 Zanthar, 6 French Bolt

Race 8: 6 Shinto Shrine, 9 Open Highway, 10 Fostinovo, 3 Key News

BEST BET

Race 2: 5 Sistership

VALUE BET

Race 8: 6 Shinto Shrine

BEST SWINGER

Race 4 4x9

BIPOT                          

R108

Leg 1: 2, 7, 11

Leg 2: 5

Leg 3: 4, 5

Leg 4: 4, 9

Leg 5: 2, 3, 4

Leg 6: 2, 4, 6

PLACE ACCUMULATOR

R324

Leg 1: 5

Leg 2: 4, 5

Leg 3: 4, 9

Leg 4: 2, 3, 4

Leg 5: 2, 4, 6

Leg 6: 3, 7, 9

Leg 7: 6, 9, 10

PICK 6

R2304

Leg 1: 1, 2, 4, 5

Leg 2: 4, 9

Leg 3: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8

Leg 4: 1, 2, 4, 6

Leg 5: 3, 7, 9

Leg 6: 3, 6, 9, 10

JACKPOT 1

R144

Leg 1: 4, 9

Leg 2: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8

Leg 3: 1, 2, 4, 6

Leg 4: 3, 7, 9

JACKPOT 2

R288

Leg 1: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8

Leg 2: 1, 2, 4, 6

Leg 3: 3, 7, 9

Leg 4: 3, 6, 9, 10