WEEKEND RACING HIGHLIGHTS: 15 - 17 March

TREAT YOURSELF TO A WINNER AND A THRILLER!

What a start to the weekend - a good thing at Fairview this Friday and the final day of the famed Cheltenham Festival, a four-day jump racing extravaganza headlined by the greatest jump race on the planet in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. It’s Race 4 on this afternoon’s card and the 11 runners will set off on their 5,294m journey over 22 fences at 17:30. Take a bet with TAB and treat yourself to nearly seven minutes of electrifying action.

FRIDAY: GREEFF CAN SPLICETHEMAINBRACE AT FAIRVIEW

“Splice the mainbrace” is an order on naval vessels to issue the crew with an extra shot of alcohol and the filly named after it should give punters good reason to celebrate at Fairview this afternoon. Alan Greeff-trained Splicethemainbrace has won both career starts and runs in Race 7, the R150,000 East Cape Fillies Nursery over 1200m. She’s already defeated four of her seven rivals, showing a good late turn of foot, and the other three have not won a race between them. The race is included in the Place Accumulator, Pick 6 and two Jackpots, and Splicethemainbrace is a banker in all of them. Keep it simple, get the cash!

FRIDAY: WILLIE CAN HIT GOLD AGAIN AT CHELTENHAM

The Group 1 Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup over 5294m is the highlight of Day 4 of the 2024 Cheltenham Festival and trainer Willie Mullins’ superstar charge Galopin des Champs will start a warm favourite. He bids to join the elite band of horses to have won the Blue Riband of jump racing more than once after a stunning victory a year ago, when he galloped on strongly up the hill to win by seven lengths. But he will be fully tested by an array of formidable opponents including Fastorslow, the only horse to have beaten him in the last two seasons.

There is a flat meeting at Newcastle this Friday evening and trainer George Boughey’s Native King should have Race 2 sewn up. There’s also a seven-race Wolverhampton meeting on the flat that starts 20 minutes after the first at Newcastle.

SATURDAY: GOLDEN MONKEY WON’T BE EASILY CAGED AT KRANJI

Golden Monkey is tasked to carry 58.5kg at the handicap conditions in Race 11, the $110,000 Group 3 Committee’s Prize over 1600m at Kranji on Saturday but has the class to win despite that burden. A seven-time winner, including five at Group level, Golden Monkey comes into the race in the best form of his career. He carried 58kg to a 1.25-length victory in the recent Group 3 Fortune Bowl over 1400m and in Jaden Lloyd has a young rider hungry for winners. The meeting starts at 6am.

SATURDAY: YOUNG CHAMPION CAN DELIVER AT SHA TIN

Multiple Hong Kong champion trainer John Size has a serious horse on his hands in Young Champion, who lines up in Race 8 at Sha Tin on Saturday. Formerly known as Sharlouk, he was narrowly beaten in a Listed race at Naas for Johnny Murtagh in May 2023 and was then sold privately by the Aga Khan to race in Hong Kong. Renamed Young Champion, he finished second at Sha Tin in February and went on to win a fortnight ago in the hands of James McDonald. The Australian rider is replaced by Karis Teetan now and Young Champion should get the better of this group with only 52,5kg to shoulder. The meeting gets underway at 07:00.

SATURDAY: LOST EDEN LOOKS GOOD IN JEBEL ALI FEATURE

The Listed Jebel Ali Stakes (Race 6) headlines a quality card at the final meeting of the season at the track on Saturday. Daramethos and Lost Eden - the last two winners of the race - take on 14 rivals over 1950m. Lost Eden, one of three runners representing Doug Watson, ran well under a big weight when third behind Qareeb in January. He’ll be fresher than most of his rivals and has sound claims of giving Watson his second win in three years. A maximum field of 16 will go to post in Race 4, but South American-bred Quartier is the one to beat on ratings on his Jebel Ali debut.

SATURDAY: COUNT ON PETER’S FILLY IN SYCAMORE SPRINT

One Fell Swoop, winner of four of eight career starts, could bag a second feature win in Saturday’s Grade 3 Betway Sycamore Sprint over 1160m at Turffontein. She has several factors in her favour, including liking the course and distance, a handy weight and a neutral draw. Her talent was evident when she beat some talented male rivals convincingly in the recent Grade 3 National Currency Sprint over 1100m. Top young sprinters Lucky Lady and Ziyasha were behind her. With trainer Tony Peter and jockey Calvin Habib in red-hot form, One Fell Swoop should carry too many guns for Mrs Browning (big weight) and In The Beginning, who looks to be approaching her best following a long break in 2023.

SUGGESTED PICK 6

R3360 (R336 for 10%)

Leg 1: 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12

Leg 2: 1, 2, 3, 4,  8

Leg 3: 2, 3, 5, 7

Leg 4: 5

Leg 5: 1, 2, 7, 8

Leg 6: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 13

SATURDAY: FOURIE MAGIC CAN WORK FOR RIO QUERARI

There is a case to be made for all eight runners in Saturday’s Bright Future Cape A Stakes over 1000m Kenilworth. Collateral form lines won’t help much in finding the winner because they’re all close. The way Richard Fourie is riding - he’s on target for 340 winners this season - punters have every right to say “when in doubt, go for Richard”. So perhaps go for seven-year-old Rio Querari, re-united with Fourie and reverting to 1000m. He was South Africa’s Equus Champion Sprinter in 2021-22 and has been kept in training because he still enjoys racing. He has won three stakes races off ratings of 122 and higher and off a current 118 could have one more win in him near the end of an accomplished career.

SUNDAY: BAKEEL AND OCTOBER CLASH IN GUINEAS POINTER

Group 2 Singapore Guineas prospect Bakeel is the one to beat in Race 8, the topliner at Kranji on Sunday. The Steven Burridge-trained three-year-old just missed a podium finish in the Group 3 Singapore Golden Horseshoe (1200m) won by Greatham Boy in July last year and has the strongest form in the race. Trainer Stephen Gray is also eyeing the Guineas and has high hopes for October, who has won only once in five starts but is considered a quality type. Kept trim with two barrier trials after his first win, Gray believes this 1400m race is an ideal start for October’s Guineas campaign. The meeting starts at 06:00.

SUNDAY: PRINSLOO AND FOURIE CAN LAND FIRST DOUBLE

Jockey Richard Fourie has a 25% strike rate for trainer Tienie Prinsloo, who has booked him for the first three races at Scottsville on Sunday. Their first two have good winning chances on recent form. Bomber Stream (Race 1) didn’t enjoy soft going in his last run and faded from the front, but could keep going this time if the going is good. One Smart Cookie (Race 2) is a twice-beaten favourite and overdue to win. Fourie also has chances for trainer Peter Muscutt on Shoefella in Race 4 and Nellie Melba in Race 8.