TAB customers have a busy long weekend with six South African meetings Friday through Monday. The highlight is Saturday’s Championships Finale on the Turffontein Standside track with seven feature races, three Jackpots, two BiPots and a R250,000 Pick 6 carryover that should generate a total pool of well over R1 million. The action kicks off on the Polytrack at Fairview this Friday with rain having forced the scheduled Hollywoodbets Greyville fixture to be moved to Monday alongside Hollywoodbets Kenilworth. Sunday’s double-header comprises the Turffontein Inside track meeting postponed from Thursday and a Hollywoodbets Scottsville meeting with four sprint features.
Strata has won both starts at Fairview since joining Alan Greeff’s yard, both on turf. Now she switches to the Polytrack, but the daughter of Canford Cliffs is expected to make an easy transition to the synthetic surface in Race 5, a 1000m MR 76 Handicap for fillies and mares. She teams up with Richard Fourie again from an advantageous No 1 draw.
Dancing Gemini recently ended a lengthy drought and can follow up in the bet365 Mile at Sandown. Roger Teal's charge was just beaten in the French 2000 Guineas last season before finishing a creditable sixth in the Epsom Derby. He went on finish fourth in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on his final start of the term. Dropped to Listed level on his seasonal return at Doncaster, Dancing Gemini roared back to form with a near-four length victory. He rises to Group 2 level now, but is favoured by the conditions and has the benefit of a run under his belt.
Trainer Sean Tarry always tends to rise to the occasion on big days and could win four of the seven Graded races. The Grade 3 Pretty Polly Stakes for fillies and the Protea Stakes are for juveniles, and Tarry could win both with One Fine Winter and Green Diamond respectively. Both are fillies and Green Diamond did upset the colts in the SA Nursery. Tarry also saddles World Of Alice, a short-head second in the Grade 2 Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks, in the Grade 2 Igugu Stakes over 2000m and Let’s Go Now in the Grade 2 Colorado King Stakes over 2000m. Let’s Go Now gets a sex allowance and is the best-weighted runner by at least 3kg.
SUGGESTED R230.40 (10%) PICK 6 PERM (Leg 1 Race 4 @13:00):
Leg 1: 1, 4, 7
Leg 2: 1, 4, 6, 7
Leg 3: 1, 2, 6, 7
Leg 4: 1, 2, 3, 4
Leg 5: 3, 4, 5
Leg 6: 5, 7, 12, 13
Despite just one win from 35 starts, former Singapore galloper Tantheman looks set to score second-up in the 1300m Class 5A contest at Kuala Lumpur. The five-year-old caught the eye on his Malaysian debut with a fast-finishing third over 1150m on 6 April. Backed into favourite after a six-month absence, he settled at the rear and closed strongly to finish just two lengths off the winner - a promising run suggesting better things to come.
It’s FWD Champions Day and horses from six countries will compete in three Grade 1 blockbusters - the HK$22 million Chairman’s Sprint Prize over 1200m, the HK$24 million FWD Champions Mile over 1600m and the HK$28 million FWD QEII Cup over 2000m. The Hong Kong World Pool will operate on all three races. In the Champions Mile Mr Brightside, Australia’s superstar miler with 19 career wins, nine at Group 1 level, brings elite credentials, including a close second to Romantic Warrior in the 2023 Cox Plate. He has the form to win and has had ample time to settle in and produce his best. Race 1 is @ 06:45.
The Western Cape invasion of KwaZulu-Natal for the Champions Season is on and a number of visitors will line up in the four sprint features. The three Grade 3 races are the Strelitzia Stakes and the Godolphin Barb Stakes, both for two-year-olds, plus the Dennis Drier Poinsettia Stakes over 1200m for fillies and mares. Some of the invaders will need their first runs in KZN, but it’s hard to look past Roccapina in the Poinsettia Stakes in which she is by far the best-weighted runner. Candice Bass-Robinson’s charge is best over a little further, but has raced against a lot stronger and is at least 3kg better weighted than her opposition.
Johan Janse van Vuuren and S'manga Khumalo are proving a successful combination and could provide punters with two winners - Curtiss Condor in Race 4 and Heavyliesthecrown in Race 8. Both have only raced once with Curtiss Condor finishing third over 1200m at Vaal and Heavyliesthecrown scoring a runaway win. Curtiss Condor lines up in a Maiden Plate over 1450m and the manner in which he finished off his last race indicates the increase in distance will be ideal for this son of Lancaster Bomber. Despite a slowish start, Heavyliesthecrown was soon in front in her debut and the result was never in doubt. She takes on the boys but should be too good.