Weekend Mailer

GET SET FOR BONANZA R6-MILLION PICK 6 POOL!

TAB customers have loads of opportunities to win piles of cash as the big guns swing back into action at Turffontein and Hollywoodbets Durbanville this Saturday. The Turffontein Pick 6 will be boosted by a R1-million carryover that should result in a mega total pool of some R6 million, plus TAB will offer Hong Kong World Pools on two international meetings - Races 6 to 10 at Flemington in Melbourne and later in the day on Races 1 to 4 at Newmarket in the UK.

DAVE THE KING SET TO RULE IN SPRING

A R1-million carryover is set to generate a R6-million Pick 6 pool at Saturday's Turffontein meeting, which is headlined by the Grade 2 Betway Joburg Spring Challenge over1400m and the matching contest for fillies and mares. Trainer Mike de Kock takes the wraps off several stable stars on the day including Dave The King, who is expected to make a bold bid under jockey JP van der Merwe in the Spring Challenge. He is drawn wide, but this front-runner has the speed to overcome that. Trainer Stuart Pettigrew’s Captain Peg has won six of 10 starts and could take the females' equivalent ahead of stablemate Feather Boa.

Unbeaten Mrs Geriatrix, Equus Champion Two-Year-Old Filly of last season, is one of several star attractions on the card and trainer Sean Tarry's charge is impossible to oppose in Race 3, the BSA Sales Cup for fillies. De Kock’s Gimmeanotherchance ought to make a winning reappearance in the BSA Sales Cup for colts and geldings (Race 4), having only been narrowly beaten by Equus Champion Two-Year-Old Colt Sandringham Summit when last seen 14 weeks ago. He rates a Pick 6 banker!

TURFFONTEIN PICK 6 (starts Race 4):
R720

Leg 1: 1
Leg 2: 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13
Leg 3: 1, 2, 7, 8, 13
Leg 4: 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9
Leg 5: 4
Leg61: 6, 7, 8

Click/tap here for the best bets and the views of five tipsters on Saturday's Turffontein meeting.

COUNT ON CANDICE, ALDO AND DRAKENSTEIN

Cape Racing's Horse of the Year Charles Dickens makes his return to racing in Saturday’s Matchem Stakes (Race 8) over 1400m, one of two 1400m Grade 3 events on a nine-race card at Hollywoodbets Durbanville. Drakenstein Stud's homebred Trippi colt has stamped himself as, arguably, the country's best racehorse by winning eight of 10 starts and finishing second in two Grade 1 contests. Candice Bass-Robinson's stable star swept aside his rivals in a two-start winter spell during the KZN Champions Season, winning the Grade 2 KZN Guineas and Grade 1 Gold Challenge, and is hard to oppose under the weight conditions of the Matchem. Aldo Domeyer has the ride once more.

Drakenstein, Bass-Robinson and Domeyer could also take the Grade 3 Diana Stakes (Race 7). This Gold Standard filly performed well, albeit without much success, in very good company throughout her three-year-old campaign. She returns to action off a two-point lower mark, but is still the best-weighted runner on official ratings. She is versatile, effective from 1000m to 1600m, and has a good record racing fresh after a break.

Click/tap here for the best bets and the views of five tipsters on Saturday's Hollywoodbets Durbanville meeting.

YENI AND MOODLEY TO SHINE IN DURBAN

Jockey Richard Fourie has been dominant at recent Hollywoodbets Greyville meetings, but will face plenty of opposition from Muzi Yeni and Serino Moodley at the Durban city track on Sunday. Moodley retains the ride aboard Darryl Moore-trained debut winner Tara Star, who is open to any amount of improvement in the opening event. The same trainer-jockey combination should be to the fore again in Race 3 with Common Grounds and Captainofthegreen is capable of capping the day off on a winning note for Moodley in Race 8. Yeni is leading the national jockeys’ log at this early point in the season and ought to add to his tally aboard Imaginable in Race 5 before extending his lead over Fourie on Bosnay in Race 7.

Click/tap here for the best bets and the views of five tipsters on Sunday's Hollywoodbets Greyville meeting.

CUP HOPEFULS DO BATTLE IN G1 TURNBULL

Melbourne’s famous Spring Racing Carnival is rapidly gathering momentum as we head towards the Melbourne Cup on the first Tuesday in November and Saturday’s Flemington programme is headlined by the Grade 1 Turnbull Stakes, Race 8 on the 10-race card and one of the key events leading into the Caufield Cup and Melbourne Cup. There’s a full field of Cup hopefuls in the Turnbull, including Hong Kong raider Romantic Warrior, a dual Grade 1 winner, and the first two home in last year’s Melbourne Cup in Gold Trip and runner-up Emissary. All three have to be shortlisted, as well as Soulcombe, who rocketed through late to finish fourth in the Grade One Underwood and will enjoy the step up to 2000m here.

It’s an early start for horseracing fans who want to catch the action with live coverage on Racing 240 from Race 3 at 04:30. TAB customers can take Win, Place, Exacta and Trifecta bets into the huge Hong Kong pools on the last five races. Please note that the minimum unit of betting on all Flemington races is R6. Do Sonic Boom looks the best bet of the day in Race 4 at 5:05.

This Saturday’s Newmarket meeting in England starts at 14:30 with the Group 1 Sun Chariot Stakes as Race 4 at 16:15. TAB Win, Place, Exacta, Quinella and Swinger pools will be commingled into the Hong Kong pools. A R1 betting unit will apply to all bets as normal.

 GENERAL TO COMMAND ON KRANJI POLY

Saturday’s Singapore meeting comprises 11 races on turf and Polytrack at Kranji, and talented sprinter General Command is poised to make a return to the winner’s circle in Race 9, a 1200m Class 2 Handicap. This Shalaa gelding boasts an impressive local record of five wins and three places from 10 starts and has been competing in much stronger company recently, having led from start to finish when winning easily in this class three starts ago. He was seventh in the Grade 1 Lion City Cup after that before racing wide when sixth in a Class 1 last time. General Command will be suited by a return to the Polytrack, given he is five from six on the surface, and is undefeated in three starts over the course and distance.

YUNG AND LUI TAARGET SHA TIN DOUBLES

Frankie Lor continued his whirlwind career progress and reached a milestone 400th Hong Kong win at Happy Valley on Wednesday. He’s likely to add to that tally at Sha Tin on Sunday with Happy Together under jockey Alexis Badel in Race 9. But Benno Yung and Francis Lui could be the trainers to follow on the 10-race card. Yung ought to get the meeting off to a winning start with Fiery Diamond and South African Keagan de Melo is good value to boot home the second of Yung's likely winners - newcomer Double Win who has been trialling well ahead of his debut in Race 5. Lui's best prospects are Master Of Luck in Race 4 and Podium, who should represent generous eachway value in Race 6.