A week ahead of the World Sports Betting Cape Town Met, there is a double-header at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth and Turffontein on Saturday and a meeting at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Sunday. The average Pick 6 payout at the three January meetings at Kenilworth so far is a shade under R250,000, an encouraging pointer to next week’s expected R10-million pool and good motivation to build a kitty for next Saturday’s blockbuster fixture, which also offers a likely R4-million Quartet pool on the Met.
Let’s start with the regular Friday action from Fairview, where horseplayers always have good opportunities to make big cash! The East Cape’s two top stables go head-to-head in the afternoon’s topliner, the Sophomore Plate over 1400m (Race 6). Alan Greeff saddles Guineas Plate winner Fairy Knight (Richard Fourie) and Gavin Smith has three in the race, including The Winter Lake (Louie Mxothwa) who has made good progress after being gelded and rates a formidable rival.
Greeff and Smith have a few more fair form runners, but do not appear as dominant as usual on this challenging eight-race card. With the door open to an upset or two, it will pay to take some cover throughout. Kelly Mitchley’s Sea Of Tears should give Greeff’s Bytheliteofthemoon a run for her money in Race 3 and her Hawk Circle, back on turf, is a worthy back-up for Greeff’s Final Edition in Race 4.
On her fourth to Gold Poker Game in the Lady’s Bracelet. Greeff’s Official Secret will be a hot fancy for most in Race 7 over 2000m, but again there are a few dangers, most notably Jacques Strydom’s Downing Seven. He was given too much to do on the Polytrack last time and will enjoy the long turf straight.
Click/tap here for the best bets and the views of five tipsters on Friday's Fairview meeting.
The Group 2 Cape Verdi, first run in 2004, is the showpiece of Meydan’s bumper nine-race card on Friday. It has been dominated by Godolphin in recent years, winning four of the last five renewals. Charlie Appleby, seeking a fifth Cape Verdi, will saddle three of the eight runners and William Buick has chosen to ride English Rose, the only unbeaten horse in the line-up. The winner of a maiden at Newmarket on her debut last May, she overcame a lengthy layoff when easily landing a minor event at Kempton 74 days ago. By the mighty Frankel, she is an exciting filly and looks the one to beat.
The inaugural running of Race 5, the Cocoa Beach Stakes, named in honour of the 2008 UAE 1000 Guineas and Oaks heroine, is the pick of the undercard. Run over 1600m on dirt, the race has drawn a field of 10 fillies and the promising Manama Gold will be all the rage. Trained by Fawzi Nass, she created a big impression on her winning debut at this course four weeks ago. The meeting starts at 15:30.
There is some early talk for trainer Mark Usher’s Outreach in Race 4 over 1400m on the all-weather track at Wolverhampton this Friday. He posted a good course-and-distance success over the course and distance a fortnight ago and has a fair chance of following up in the same class bracket. There are other flat meetings this Friday at Newcastle and Dundalk (Ireland). There is a follow-up meeting at Wolverhampton on Saturday backed by an all-weather meeting at Lingfield. Chelmsford hosts a meeting on the Poly on Sunday evening with jump meetings at Lingfield, Fakenham and Thurles scheduled earlier in the day. But current weather in the UK is causing the abandonment of several jump fixtures.
Singapore’s champion jockey Manoel Nunes has taken a back seat to Marc Lerner and Bruno Quarez at recent meetings, but the Brazilian has several high-quality rides at Kranji on Saturday and could re-affirm his prowess. They include Street Of Dreams in Race 10 over 1200m, a handicap that tops the bill for the afternoon. The five-year-old makes his much-awaited return after a long layoff and has the benefit of three trials coming into this race.
Nunes could start his expected winning streak in Race 4 over 1600m. He rides Black Storm who has also got the tongues wagging after a recent trial and should go close if he handles the distance. Crown Dancing (Race 5) is a dangerous pace-setter, likely to lead again from an inside draw and hard to run down. Mr Black Back is not the most reliable of runners, but he, too, showed in a trial that he is approaching a good level of form and is best fancied in an open Race 6. Creative Dreams (Race 9) is a strong mid-race mover who performed credibly in this class recently and is ready to win again. This meeting starts at 06:00.
Leaving Las Vegas, Troppo Veloce and Cullinan Blue are the only runners with Graded places to their name and stand out in Saturday’s Listed Swallow Stakes over 1160m on the Standside track at Turffontein. They’re all fast, progressive and commanding when they win, but with the course and distance factor as a yardstick, Cullinan Blue is the pick of the three. While Leaving Las Vegas and Troppo Veloce both failed in their single attempts over 1160m, Cullinan Blue is two from three, has drawn on the rail and is from the in-form stable of Brett Crawford.
KZN-based jockey Serino Moodley has ridden two winners and five places from seven rides in Gauteng this year. He’s booked for trainer Lorenzo Karriem’s well-bred Thunee Playa in Race 4 over 2000m, the first leg of the Pick 6. This one appeals as a possible banker in the light of Karriem’s high regards expressed about him, following his narrow defeat to La Moohal in December. His conqueror, meanwhile, takes a step up in Race 8 over 1600m and will be looking to follow up off a reasonable mark in an open race.
Click/tap here for the best bets and the views of five tipsters on Saturday's Turffontein meeting.
Horseplayers will need to sort the wheat from the chaff in several trappy contests on Saturday’s 10-race card at Kenilworth. They include Race 6 over 2000m, in which Justin Snaith saddles three of eight contenders and holds the key to the result. They’ve raced against each other a few times with different outcomes, but on a recent line of form through Pomodoro’s Jet it looks as if stable jockey Grant van Niekerk’s mount, Cosmic Event, is preferred.
Computaform rightly describes Vaughan Marshall’s Gainsford as the “dark horse” of the race - he tries this trip for the first time after staying on over shorter recently and is one to consider if you’re going to cover the Snaith trio. It goes beyond that to Tamarisk Tree and African Torrent, who is coming to form steadily since being relocated to Cape Town.
Up-and-coming three-year-olds Magic Verse and Weather King take on each other and a few fair older horses in Race 7 over 1800m. At the ratings, high-level performer Itsrainingwilliam has a good opportunity to post his third career win in Race 10, a 1400m Graduation Plate.
Click/tap here for the best bets and the views of five tipsters on Saturday's Hollywoodbets Kenilworth meeting.
Champion trainer Doug Watson can continue his bright start to 2024 by winning the Emirates Airline Cup, the prep race for the Listed Jebel Ali Sprint, with Al Tariq at Jebel Ali on Saturday. Winner of the 2021 Jebel Ali Sprint, Al Tariq has progressed with racing since returning from his summer break and nearly caused a big upset in a valuable handicap at Meydan in late December. The Oasis Dream gelding, to be ridden by Pat Dobbs, can record his third victory in five appearances at Jebel Ali.
Michael Costa should win the three-year-old conditions race with Turjman, the mount of Tom Marquand who has secured the ride following Ben Coen’s suspension. Rated 87, Turjman clearly sets the standard and was never out of second gear when opening his account at Jebel Ali this month. He is likely to build on that. The first race is off at 12:00.
Trainer Tony Cruz reckons an equipment change and a more favourable weight scenario could ignite a form resurgence for his charge California Spangle when the gelding contests the HK$13-million Grade 1 Stewards’ Cup over 1600m at Sha Tin on Sunday. This is the first leg of Hong Kong’s Triple Crown Series and Cruz said that the addition of cheek pieces should make a telling difference and that his stable flagbearer is primed to fire. There are obvious dangers in Voyage Bubble, who has the right form after finishing second to superstar Golden Sixty last month, and Straight Arron who enjoys a good clip and gives the impression that his best is yet to come.
Armour War Eagle (Race 10) is considered one of the best value bets on the 10-race programme. He was superb on debut when finishing second and only needs to reproduce that effort to go close again. He is favoured from gate three and could start at decent odds in a field of 14. This meeting kicks off at 07:00.
Jockey Sean Veale, who took 44 mounts to get back in the winner’s enclosure after a six-week injury layoff last October, is back on song with five winners in the last two weeks. He has a promising book of rides at Scottsville on Sunday, three of them for trainer Stuart Ferrie whose runners have also been knocking recently.
Ferrie’s recently beaten favourite, Teatime Tipple, shouldn’t be far off in Race 2 over 1000m and King’s Island, back on turf, will be the one to beat in Race 4. In Race 7, regular top-level performer Gladiatorian, an eye-catching second to Dyce in a Graded sprint on Summer Cup Day, can make his second attempt over 1400m a winning one. At a rating of 117, he should be able to defy top weight of 62kg.
Last week’s postponed Michael Roberts Stakes (Race 6) over 1750m has been re-carded and, as noted last week, trainer Peter Muscutt suggested that Down To Business was the preferred runner of his three, all with good form in this contest. Cape Eagle is one to include considering trainer Andre Nel’s considerable success this month.
Click/tap here for the best bets and the views of five tipsters on Sunday's Hollywoodbets Scottsville meeting.