Weekend Mailer

EXOTIC BETS GALORE ON BUMPER 12-RACE CARD

A South African double-header on Saturday headlines the weekend. There’s a 12-race programme on the Standside track at Turffontein, including three feature races postponed from last weekend’s rain-affected meeting. TAB will offer two Bi-Pots and three Jackpots at Turffontein, all with healthy-return potential. Full and competitive fields have consistently yielded whopping payouts so far this Cape Summer Season and more of the same can be expected at Kenilworth on Saturday.

FRIDAY: BREEDERS CUP THIRD LOOKS PART AT MEYDAN

A classy international field of three-year-old sprinters will come under starter’s orders for the R1.5-million Al Wasl Stakes over 1200m on turf, the centrepiece of Meydan’s nine-race card on Friday evening. Top-weight Starlust, trained by Ralph Beckett, is a smart type who has won at Group 3 level in the UK. He rounded off the season when sent to Santa Anita for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint last November and lost little in defeat, keeping on well to finish a solid third behind impressive Big Evs. If anywhere near that level of form, he will take a power of beating.

Godolphin’s Big Team, trained by Saeed bin Suroor, looks the answer in Race 6 over 2000m on dirt. He caught the eye on his seasonal debut last month when second to Watch My Six. That was a solid effort and a big step up on what he achieved in two runs in Britain earlier in the year. Reunited with top jockey Cristian Demuro, he can post his third career win.

FRIDAY: DEBUT FOR RECORD-PRICED YEARLING IN 2022

Kalidasa, the world’s highest-priced yearling in 2022, makes his debut in Race 3 over 1500m on the all-weather track at Wolverhampton in England this Friday evening. The two-year-old son of Frankel and G3 winner So Mi Dar was a 2.8-million Guineas purchase for Godolphin at the Tattersalls Sale and his first racecourse appearance is keenly awaited. There’s also a flat meeting on the Polytrack at Dundalk in Ireland this evening with jump meetings at Huntingdon, Sedgefield and Wincanton in the UK in the afternoon.

SATURDAY: EASIER FOR MAIN DEFENDER AT TURFFONTEIN

Nominations for the Listed Betway Wolf Power 1600 and the G3 Mother Russia Stakes and G3 Betway Got The Greenlight Stakes were re-opened this week after all three events were postponed due to rain last weekend. Star three-year-old Sandringham Summit has been scratched from the Got The Greenlight Stakes, which will make it easier for his traditional rival Main Defender to post his sixth career win from seven starts. But Mike de Kock has provided an interesting twist by entering his capable classic contender Gimmeranotherchance and unbeaten filly Champagne Cocktail, who is switched from her original entry in the Mother Russia Stakes.

With Champagne Cocktail now taking on the males, De Kock’s White Pearl has a somewhat easier task in the Mother Russia and the added benefit of the railside draw, a relief for her connections after she had drawn 10 of 10 for the original race.

Stablemate Shoemaker wasn’t that lucky, however, in the Wolf Power. He cracked the widest berth again in the re-draw and his task of beating the likes of Silent War, Unzen and Brave Viking remains as difficult as it was last week. Brave Viking is better drawn at Number 5 this time - a boost for his prospects over what appears his favourite course and distance.

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

SATURDAY: HAVE A FLING ON KOTZEN’S HOLD MY HAND

Glen Kotzen-trained Hold My Hand, the highest-rated one-time winner in the land, is likely to start at cramped odds for Saturday’s G3 Summer Fling Stakes over 2000m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth. She earned her merit rating of 108 early in her three-year-old career with places in the G1 Thekwini Stakes and the G1 Cape Fillies Guineas. She confirmed her ability with places in a Listed race and three other Graded events at three, and a third to Saartjie in the recent G3 Victress Stakes, her first start at four. That she hasn’t managed to find the winner’s enclosure since June 2022 has all to do with the high-quality races Kotzen has picked for her, but Saturday’s feature is an ideal opportunity for the Drakenstein-owned filly to notch that elusive second win.

It’s a weight-for-age contest plus penalties, which puts Hold My Hand into the race with the lowest weight against rivals with significantly lower ratings. The single negative is that this will be her second run after a long layoff. But all the other boxes are ticked and she has strong merits as a banker in exotic permutations. Spread the net wide elsewhere!

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

SATURDAY: GALAXY PATCH CAN SHOW HE’S SPECIAL

Karis Teetan, a clear second to Zac Purton on the Hong Kong jockeys’ log, rides up-and-coming Galaxy Patch in Saturday’s feature race at Sha Tin, the Pok Oi Cup (Race 7) over 1200m. Galaxy Patch, beaten only once in four, returns in a bid for a hat-trick. He’s being touted as one of the next stars of Hong Kong racing and his growing band of followers believe he won’t disappoint in this contest. Teetan could have an inspiring earlier success on David Hayes-trained Master Mastermind in Race 1. This debutant caught the eye in a fast-finishing second on his barrier trial on 2 January and has been talked about highly. A top run is expected.

Purton, who posted his 50th winner this season on New Year’s Day and hasn’t ridden since, is back in action and fancied to win Race 3 over 1200m on Must Go, who found form again last time. Purton has another bright chance on Piere Ng’s lightly raced Fighting Machine in Race 5 over 1400m. This meeting starts at 07:00 SA time.

SUNDAY: MUSCUTT GETS DOWN TO BUSINESS AT SCOTTSVILLE

Summerveld trainer Peter Muscutt has three runners in Sunday’s Michael Roberts Stakes over 1750m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville. His recent feature winners Formagear and Rockie Reef are joined by Down To Business, a useful five-time winner formerly trained in Zimbabwe. Muscutt said in an interview this week that Flamboyant Stakes winner Rockie Reef will find it hard to follow up given her 10-point penalty and that Formagear has never been stretched beyond 1600m. He leaned towards Tristan Godden’s mount, Down To Business, saying that the gelding is improving nicely and will be distance suited.

Gareth van Zyl’s charge Captain Marsala (Race 2) shapes as the best bet on the card. He looks ready to win following two recent seconds at this course, the latest a game performance from the widest of draws. Stuart Ferrie’s string is approaching winning form and his King’s Island is a potential exotic banker in Race 4.

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

SUNDAY: LERNER THE JOCKEY TO FOLLOW AT KRANJI

Jockey Marc Lerner is hot property in Singapore at the moment. The former Germany-based rider, in his sixth year at Kranji, started the new season with a bang. He has four winners on the board following a hat-trick last Saturday and, with several plum rides on Sunday, poses a strong early rival to reigning champion Michael Nunes. Lerner has a good chance of opening and closing the 11-race meeting with the possibility of three other winners in between.

Trainer Dan Meagher’s seven-time successful Lim’s Force drops in class and looks the right choice in Race 1 at 06:00. Jerome Tan’s Baby Twins can have his consistency rewarded in Race 3 and Meagher has another solid runner in Lim’s Samarati in Race 4. He’s knocking hard for his maiden win and is likely to benefit from Lerner’s confidence. Ricky Le Grange’s Tony’s Love is well performed over 1700m and his return to that trip in Race 5 bodes well for his chances. Meagher’s Always Together ran admirably from a wide draw last time and has an inside berth in Race 11. He looks poised to recoup losses after three defeats when favourite.