This Friday's Fairview programme gets the weekend's local racing underway and will be followed by a Saturday doubleheader and a Sunday meeting at Turffontein headed by the Listed Summer Pudding Handicap. And on the international front the 2030-24 Dubai Racing Carnival opens at Meydan this afternoon. The new-look Carnival comprises 15 meetings culminating in the $30.5-million Dubai World Cup meeting on 30 March next year.
BANK ON IDITA AND COASTAL PATH IN PE
The Eastern Cape's champion trainer, Gavin Smith, continues to churn out winners and looks set for another cracking afternoon on the Polytrack at Fairview this Friday. His charge Idita showed abundant promise as a two-year-old filly and there was a lot to like about her three-year-old debut when only caught late by stablemate Easy Living. She probably did too much too soon on that occasion and will strip a lot fitter this time. Expect her to hold too many guns for her rivals in Race 6, the Racehorse Owners Association Fillies Guineas Plate over 1400m. Rival trainer Alan Greeff has endured a frustrating time with Coastal Path, but would have been pleased when his charge got up to score just seven days ago. With the confidence of that win under his belt, Coastal Path looks good value to follow up in Race 8.
Click/tap here for the best bets and the views of five tipsters on Friday's Fairview meeting.
STARS RETURN AT CAPE'S COUNTRY COURSE
Saturday's meeting at Hollywoodbets Durbanville is littered with quality. There are three feature races and no fewer than seven Grade 1 winners will be in action, among them Sean Tarry-trained Equus Horse Of The Year Princess Calla and unbeaten rising star Mrs Geriatrix.
Versatile Princess Calla, who reeled off a hat-trick of Grade 1 wins from 1200m to 1800m last season, makes her eagerly anticipated reappearance over 1250m in Race 4 and is weighted to win. Unbeaten Mrs Geriatrix is another off the conveyor belt of Tarry-trained champions. She won all five starts as a juvenile and was crowned Equus Champion Two-Year-Old Filly before making a winning seasonal debut over 1450m on the Inside track at Turffontein last month. This diminutive daughter of Vercingetorix is loaded with ability and, like Princess Calla, has shown her versatility by winning from 800m to 1450m. Jockey Richard Fourie has a five-from-five record aboard Mrs Geriatrix and is good value to preserve his unbeaten partnership with the chestnut filly, who lines up in the main event, the Grade 2 Western Cape Fillies Championship, a traditional stepping stone to the Grade 1 Cape Fillies Guineas.
The Grade 3 Cape Mile, Race 6 on the programme, has attracted a quality field of 13 runners including Grade 1 winners Double Superlative, Linebacker and Trip Of Fortune, as well as proven top-level performers At My Command and Royal Aussie. October Morn and Blue Holly put their unbeaten course-and-distance records on the line in the Listed Laisserfaire Stakes, Race 5 over 1000m, having made impressive winning reappearances over this track and trip recently.
HOLLYWOODBETS DURBANVILLE
PICK 6 (starts Race 4):
R750
Leg 1: 8
Leg 2: 2, 4, 5, 8, 11
Leg 3: 8, 10, 11, 12, 13
Leg 4: 5, 9
Leg 5: 1, 5, 9, 10, 11
Leg 6: 5, 8, 11
Click/tap here for the best bets and the views of five tipsters on Saturday's Hollywoodbets Durbanville meeting.
BB LOOKS SET FOR EIGHTH CAREER SUCCESS
Hollywoodbets Scottsville has undergone its annual spring treatment and racing returns to the Maritzburg track for an eight-race card on Saturday, when course-specialist Beechamwood Boy looks likely to notch his eighth career win in Race 7, an MR 98 Handicap over 1000m. While his last run may appear a tame effort, Beechamwood Boy contested what could easily have been a Graded race. He was beaten just 1.70 lengths on that occasion by smart Quasiforsure and was also returning from a rest. He has registered four of his seven wins at this track and will enjoy a fast-run race, which is likely with Faustino and Renaissance Man set to ensure a hot tempo. He has a lethal turn of foot and is capable of gunning down those rivals in the finish.
Click/tap here for the best bets and the views of five tipsters on Saturday's Hollywoodbets Scottsville meeting.
SAY YES TO LAND FITTING WIN FOR PETER
Races around the world are often named after past champions, many of whom mean little to the current generation of racing enthusiasts. With that in mind, a number of local races have been renamed in honour of recent, and hence more relevant, local stars. A case in point is the Listed 1600m Summer Pudding Handicap which will be run for the first time at Turffontein this Sunday.
Summer Pudding, a daughter of Silvano, won 11 of 13 starts including four Grade 1s, three Grade 2s and a Grade 3, with the Summer Cup her greatest success. The inaugural Summer Pudding Handicap for fillies and mares is highly competitive and it would be fitting if Say Yes won because she is trained by Tony Peter, whose father Paul trained Summer Pudding. Tony was assistant to his father at that time and has performed remarkably well since taking out a trainer’s licence at the start of the year.
Click/tap here for the best bets and the views of five tipsters on Sunday's Turffontein Standside meeting.
FORTUNE MAY FAVOUR AUSSIES AT MEYDAN
Six days on from winning five of seven races at Jebel Ali’s opening meeting of the season, Australians Michael Costa and James Orman head to Meydan this Friday looking to continue their red-hot form at the first meeting of the 2023-24 Dubai Racing Carnival. Costa, who saddled six winners at Meydan last season, introduced a smart juvenile at Jebel Ali last week and is represented by well-bred colt Alsayef, to be ridden by Orman, in Race 2, a 1200m maiden for two-year-olds. Ben Coen, recently appointed stable jockey to Costa, starts his winter stint in the Emirates and rides stablemate Gaassid in the same race. By 2018 UAE Derby winner Mendelssohn, he’s a well-related colt who merits respect. Salem bin Ghadayer has found a winnable opportunity for former Charlie Appleby-trained Golden Speech in Race 4, a 1600m maiden. By Dubawi, the most successful dirt sire at Meydan, he was placed in five of his six starts for Godolphin in England and should open his account under Royston Ffrench.
DANIEL MEAGHER AIMS FOR CUP DOUBLE
There’s a good meeting to enjoy in Singapore on Saturday with a 12-race turf card that includes the third and final leg of the Triple Crown Series, the $1-million Group 1 Singapore Gold Cup over 2000m (Race 11). One man's loss is another man's gain and jockey Marc Lerner has picked up the ride on local champion Lim's Kosciuszko, whose regular pilot CC Wong has been suspended for four months. Victory for trainer Daniel Meagher's stable star will give the Australian handler his second Gold Cup after winning it in 2021 with Lim's Lightning.
BACK BUICK AND MORRIS IN LISTED RACES
The action from the UK this weekend includes a pair of Grade 2 jumps races at Wincanton, as well as two Listed contests on the all-weather at Newcastle on Saturday. Godolphin's Frankel filly Veil Of Shadows is good value to land the first of those in Race 3 under William Buick, and Archie Watson-trained Albasheer is the eachway play in the hands of Luke Morris in Race 5.
FOLLOW FERRARIS AND TEETAN AT SHA TIN
South Africa's Luke Ferraris continued his good form at Happy Valley on Wednesday and his hot streak shows no sign of abating with Saturday’s 10-race card at Sha Tin likely to bring further success for South Africa's champion apprentice. The Absolute (Race 1), Happy Angel (Race 4) and Sauvestre (Race 7) are all potential winners for the in-form rider. Karis Teetan rarely leaves a Hong Kong meeting without a winner and is unlikely to draw a blank here as both Super Commander (Race 3) and Mugen (Race 9) are expected to deliver the goods under the Mauritian-born jockey.