Jack Milner
While the Guineas meetingmight not be the best day’s racing of the autumn season on the Highveld, it is probablythe most exciting.
Not the best in that thereare only two Grade 2 features on the nine-race card, but the most excitingbecause it kicks off the TAB SA Triple Crown and the Wilgerbosdrift TripleTiara.
Any horse that can win allthree legs will be featured in the annals of South African racing history whichis a big deal.
The first leg of the twoevents begins with the running of the R1-million TAB Gauteng Guineas and the R750,000Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas, both Grade 2 races over 1600m on the Standsidetrack at Turffontein on Saturday.
At this stage every colt,gelding and filly lining up in the two respective races has a theoreticalchance of scooping the Triple Crown or Triple Tiara. Once the two races havebeen run only one male and one female will be left standing in an attempt toclaim the respective R2-million Triple Crown and the R1-million Triple Tiarabonuses for winning all three legs.
The respective second legsare the Grade 1 TAB SA Classic and Grade 1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic,both over 1800m at Turffontein on 7 March, with the decider being the Grade 2TAB SA Derby and Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks, both over 2450m on 4 April.
When it comes to choosinga winner of the Gauteng Guineas one needs to trust the form – and that formpoints to Trust.
It is always best to judgeform in races where horses are at their peak and the Grade 2 Jackpot City Dingaans,run over the same course and distance as the Guineas, looks to be the referencerace.
In that event Trust ran onpowerfully to catch Jan Van Goyen just short of the line to win by 0.70lengths.
One needs to acknowledgethat the runner-up, trained by Mike and Mathew de Kock, was not at his best ashe was returning from a lengthy layoff. However, he was not far off it becausejust two weeks later he went on to give the cream of the much-vaunted WesternCape three-year-olds a hiding in the Grade 1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas.
What is significant about theDingaans run is the fact that third-placed All Systems Go was beaten 5.10lengths.
While many naysayers arepointing to the fact that Trust was beaten in his comeback start in the Grade 3Got The Greenlight Stakes over 1400m at Turffontein last month, one mustremember that he was given a break after the Dingaans and needed that run tosharpen up. In addition, he had to give weight to many of his rivals, which isnot the case in the Guineas.
Trust is trained byCandice and Tammy Dawson and Candice confirmed yesterday that their charge wasdoing very well.
“We are very happy withhim. I believe he is a top horse and he has a good draw.
“Maybe he needed that lastrun a little more than we thought but he wasn’t stopping in that race.
“Serino Moodley came up towork him and he was very happy with the gallop.”
Moodley rode Trust tovictory in the Dingaans but was unable to ride him last time due to an injury.
But don’t forget, the“Frankel factor” comes into play as Trust’s dam, Frankly, is a daughter of thatchampion racehorse.
Of course, some horseshave come on since the Dingaans and there are new faces in this line-up, inparticular De Kock-trained Got The Greenlight Stakes winner Splittheeights and talentedGrand Empire who won his first three races and was not disgraced when narrowlybeaten in his last start.
Nevertheless, Trust couldbe a decent banker in the Pick 6, which starts with a carryover of R500,000 andis likely to reach R3 million.
All eyes will be on AlanGreeff-trained Golden Palm in the Wilgerbosdrift Fillies Guineas. She travelledthe country as a two-year-old, winning the Grade 2 SA Fillies Nursery over1160m at Turffontein and then capturing the Grade 1 Thekwini Stakes over 1600mat HWB Greyville in July.
Once again, detractors are pointing at herfailure in the Grade 1 Cape Fillies Guineas but she may not have been suited tothe left-handed track that day.
She has been on theHighveld for quite a while so should be fully adjusted and will jump from No 1draw with Craig Zackey in the irons.
Dawson believes theirrunner, Warm Reception, is doing well at home, while Justin Snaith sends up Lowveld Lily, who was beaten just 2.80lengths in the Cape Guineas and ran a decent third in her last start.
But the surprise packageof the race could be diminutive Littlemissmillion from the Tyrone Zackey yard,who is getting better with every start and could play a part in theWilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara.
JACK MILNER'S SELECTIONS
Race 1: 2 Griselda, 1 Custodian, 3 Lanzarote, 5 Queen Leila
Race 2: 10 World Attraction, 4 Nightshine, 8 The Bronx Bull, 7 Speed Storm
Race 3: 3 Highwayman Harry, 1 Porridge Boy, 2 Balule, 7 Fire Storm
Race 4: 6 Vixeninthevineyard, 1 Knowmore, 5 Shadowline, 8 Scarlet O'Hara
Race 5: 1 William Robertson, 3 Taxi To The Moon, 6 Elegant Ice, 4 Mount Pinatubo
Race 6: 1 Golden Palm, 8 Littlemissmillion, 2 Lowveld Lily, 4 Charge It
Race 7: 1 Trust, 12 Splittheeights, 2 Tin Pan Alley, 3 Grand Empire
Race 8: 6 Callmegetrix, 9 Willy Meet Again, 3 Choisaanada, 8 Taegan's Champ
Race 9: 3 Errol Flynn, 5 Trombolines, 4 Winston's Wonder, 10 My Lucky Charm
BEST BET
Race 7: 1 Trust
VALUE BET
Race 3: 3 Highwayman Harry
BEST SWINGER
Race 8 6x9
BIPOT
R288
Leg 1: 4, 8, 10
Leg 2: 1, 2, 3, 7
Leg 3: 1, 5, 6
Leg 4: 1, 3
Leg 5: 1, 2, 4, 8
Leg 6: 1
PLACE ACCUMULATOR
R108
Leg 1: 1, 2, 3
Leg 2: 1, 5, 6
Leg 3: 1, 3
Leg 4: 1, 2, 8
Leg 5: 1
Leg 6: 6
Leg 7: 3,5
PICK 6
R900
Leg 1: 1, 2, 5, 6, 8
Leg 2: 1, 3, 4, 6
Leg 3: 1, 2, 4, 6, 8
Leg 4: 1
Leg 5: 3, 6, 9
Leg 6: 3, 4, 5
JACKPOT 1
R60
Leg 1: 1, 3, 4, 6
Leg 2: 1, 2, 4, 6, 8
Leg 3: 1
Leg 4: 3, 6, 9
JACKPOT 2
R45
Leg 1: 1, 2, 4, 6, 8
Leg 2: 1
Leg 3: 3, 6, 9
Leg 4: 3, 4, 5