There’s a wealth of betting opportunities this weekend. Scottsville hosts Saturday’s TOTE Oaks and TOTE Derby with a standout bet in each. At Turffontein on Sunday five runners look set to dominate in their respective races, offering punters plenty to work with. Friday’s Fairview card is competitive, but there’s a 10-1 shot in the headline race who offers good value.
It’s a challenging card, but trainers have given some clues to Nadine Low Ah Kee in her weekly round-up on Racing Today’s Track Talk (www.racingtoday.co.za). In the topliner (Race 7), the most positive comments came from Sharon Kotzen, who feels that Dowser has only a wide draw to beat. Others with chances include Destiny’s Angel, who needed his last two runs, Final Edition (handy weight, should be competitive under Richard Fourie) and Dynalley, who is expected to enjoy the Polytrack. But the value bet is Kelly Mitchley’s Makhachev. She shows up consistently well in Computaform’s collateral formlines, enjoys the course and distance and will sport blinkers for the first time.
Eight-year-old galloper Fast And Fearless, trained by South African Kevin Coetzee, can shed his maiden tag in Race 5 over 1100m. Since arriving in Malaysia, this gelding has run five solid races, holding his own against stronger opposition than this. He drops in class after failing to justify favouritism last Sunday and can bounce back quickly on the six-day turnaround. The meeting starts at 07:45.
On the second day of the Summer Series, jockey Zac Purton will be looking to follow up on last Sunday’s feature win on Light Year’s Charm. He rides Bottomuptogether in Race 8 over 1200m and trainer Frankie Lor’s consistent gelding is likely to be up there from the word go. The form choice, however, could be Brendon Avdulla’s mount, Raging Blizzard, who resumes with two sharp trials under his belt. This race should be run at the right pace for him and he should finish strongly late. The meeting starts at 10:00.
Sean Tarry’s World Of Alice was narrowly beaten by Fiery Pegasus in the Grade 2 SA Oaks, her only start beyond 2000m. With that run as a measure of her staying power, she gets an ideal opportunity to post her second Grade 3 success in Race 6, the TOTE Oaks over 2400m. Give Me Everything and Knockout are the principal dangers.
Justin Snaith runner Future Swing, a Grade 2 winner, has a similarly good chance for another Graded success in Race 7, the Grade 3 TOTE Derby over 2400m. He is 5.5kg better off for a 1.40-length beating by Field Marshall in the recent Lonsdale Stirrup Cup and had another form rival Holding Thumbs (2.5kg worse off) behind him in that contest.
SUGGESTED R192 PICK 6 PERM (Leg 1 Race 3 @13:30):
Leg 1: 2, 6, 7, 8
Leg 2: 1, 3, 4, 7
Leg 3: 1, 4, 5, 8
Leg 4: 3, 4, 9
Leg 5: 8
Leg 6: 2
Willie Mullins-trained seven-year-old Absurde has twice had a tilt at the prestigious Melbourne Cup, including finishing fifth and within two lengths of the winner last year. That level of form that looks more than good enough to win Race 3, a Listed feature over 2800m. Absurde has had two good hurdle races and an excellent Graded prep run on the flat going into this contest. Mullins said this week: “This race looks a good fit for Absurde. He's in good form at home.”
SUNDAY HIGHLIGHTS:
Malaysia’s top four-year-olds clash in Race 9 Over 1200m at Kuala Lumpur. Local star Antipodean returns to his home track after a disappointing run in the Penang Farewell Trophy, where he missed the start and struggled to handle the tighter circuit. Back on familiar ground, he is a serious contender. Korean-based jockey Jimmy Wong, who partnered Antipodean to victory in last year’s Sports Toto Supreme Trophy, reunites with the gelding in a bid to recapture that winning form. The meeting starts at 06:05.
There are five good bets on the card and a mix of TAB All To Comes could yield nice returns. Jan Van Goyen, a recent runaway debut winner, looks set to follow up in Race 2 over 1160m. He is likely to start at prohibitive odds, which makes the TAB double with Radio Star in Race 3 a more attractive betting prospect. This colt was narrowly beaten on his well-backed course and distance debut and is obviously held in high regard.
Japanese Garden (Race 4, 1400m) looks perfectly course and distance suited after staying on strongly over 1200m in her last start. On his close third to Grade 1 Computaform Sprint runner-up Winds Of Change, lightly-raced Banff makes plenty of appeal in Race 7. Ceuta takes a sharp drop in class in Race 9. She is versatile and will go close if she can negate her wide draw, a task which in-form jockey Callan Murray has been engaged for.
The countdown has already started to the Hollywoodbets Durban July on Saturday 5 July and TAB customers can look forward to two mega carryovers - R2-million on the Pick 6, which should total some R15 million, and a R1-million Quartet carryover on the big race. The weights will be published on Tuesday.