Tricky day for Turffontein bettors

Jack Milner

The meeting at Turffontein on Saturday will commemorate the lives lost in the Hennenman air disaster on 12 April 1988.

There were 24 people on that flight that crashed into a mielie field near Hennenman in the Free State on plane chartered to bring home jockeys, trainers and officials from a racemeeting in Bloemfontein.

Those who died are remembered every year at a ceremony at Turffontein Racecourse and all the races on the day are named after those who lost their lives so tragically in a tragedy that had a profound effect on South African horseracing.  

As far as the racemeeting is concerned, while the fields in general are quite small, they are also highly competitive.

A perfect example of this comes up in Race 7, a MR 96 Handicap for fillies and mares over 1000m on the Inside track, where just nine runners are carded to go to post, but one could make a winning case for every one of them.

Perhaps the most progressive runner in this field is Coldhardstare, a three-year-old filly trained by the father and son team of Mike and Adam Azzie. This daughter of What A Winter has only raced four times for two wins and a third place.

Racing on the Inside track is all around the turn, which is why low draws are an advantage, particularly over the minimum trip. In the case of Coldhardstare, she will jump from No 3 draw which is ideal.

It is also an advantage that she has raced three times on the Inside track, winning her last start comfortably by two lengths.

Against her is that she is taking a slight jump in class and all of her runs have been over further, so coming back to 1000m could be a concern.

However, she has just 52kg on her back and has a very in-form jockey in Kabelo Matsunyane in the irons.

Some of those issues also will apply to Moonshiningthrough, who looks to go off the likely favourite.

The Azzie’s have a second runner and she is a 1000m specialist. Rose For Trippi has run eight times and seven of them have been over 1000m. The three-year-old Trippi has won two of those races and has placed on three other occasions.

She also takes a drop in class, carries 56kg and has S’manga Khumalo in the irons.

The only concern is this will be her first run around the turn.

Jack Milner’s selections

Race 1: 2 Ripple Effect, 1 Callmewhenuneedme, 4 Mizzen Sail, 7 Winter Path

Race 2: 6 Heirloom, 1 Rose Tinted, 3 Statesman, 5 Ambrym

Race 3: 3 Great Affair, 4 Positive Attitude, 2 Afraad, 1 Zuzan

Race 4: 2 Radu, 1 Keep The Fort, 3 Broadlands, 8 Secret Recipe

Race 5: 1 Free Movement, 2 US Open, 7 Privilege, 4 Promontory

Race 6: 1 Fur Baby, 6 Batik, 7 Mix The Magic, 4 Tiz Magic

Race 7: 7 Coldhardstare, 3 Rose For Trippi, 6 Rozara, 8 Wings Of Nike

Race 8: 2 Smith And Wesson, 5 Covert Operator, 4 Laetitia's Angel, 1 Tayooba

Race 9: 1 Convocation, 4 No Time Is Taken, 10 Beaded Gown, 6 Blindedbythelights

BEST BET

Race 1 No 2 Ripple Effect

VALUE BET

Race 6 No 1 Fur Baby

BEST SWINGER

Race 6 1x6

BIPOT

R160

Leg 1: 1, 6

Leg 2: 1, 2, 3, 4

Leg 3: 2

Leg 4: 1, 2

Leg 5: 1, 6

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

PLACE ACCUMULATOR

R288

Leg 1: 2, 3, 4

Leg 2: 2

Leg 3: 1

Leg 4: 1, 6

Leg 5: 3, 6, 7, 8

Leg 6: 2, 4, 5

Leg 7: 1, 4, 6, 10

PICK 6

R1260

Leg 1: 2

Leg 2: 1, 2

Leg 3: 1, 6, 7

Leg 4: 3, 6, 7, 8, 9

Leg 5: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Leg 6: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10

JACKPOT 1

R180

Leg 1: 1, 2

Leg 2: 1, 6, 7

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

Leg 4: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

JACKPOT 2

R630

Leg 1: 1, 6, 7

Leg 2: 3, 6, 7, 8, 9

Leg 3: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Leg 4: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10