WEEKEND RACING HIGHLIGHTS: 10 - 12 May

BIG FIELDS AND GOOD-VALUE TAB PAYOUTS THIS WEEKEND

There are sizeable fields at this weekend’s South African race meetings and that means good-value TAB payouts across the board, starting with the TAB East Cape Derby meeting at Fairview this Friday. Saturday’s South African double header includes Grade 2 and Listed contests, and the start of the Winter Series for three-year-olds at Turffontein. Plus there’s Group action in the UK on Friday and Saturday. Overall a weekend that will offer chances aplenty for TAB customers to cash in.

FRIDAY HIGHLIGHTS

FAIRVIEW: FAIRY KNIGHT CHASING R250,000 BONUS IN DERBY

Trainer Alan Greeff’s gelding Fairy Knight, winner of the first two legs of the 2024 Nelson Mandela Bay Racing Sophomore Challenge, will be out to bag a R250,000 bonus by winning the third leg, the East Cape Derby over 2400m. Fairy Knight is a six-time winner up to 1600m and the question is if he will see out the extra 800m in this testing contest. His connections will be relying on his class and pedigree - he is by Global View, a son of Galileo who has produced good stayers including recent Caradoc Gold Cup winner Rule Book.

Also to be noted is that Richard Fourie has chosen to ride Fairy Knight over useful stablemate and fluent 2000m winner Joy And Peace. Only four horses trained in the Eastern Cape have won the race in the last 21 years, but there are no raiders this year and Greeff should get the trophy back on his mantelpiece.

CHESTER: ISRAR IS SET TO SCORE FOR JOHN AND THADY

This is the first of three Premier meetings in the UK this weekend. Passenger (rested since last August), Israr and Hans Anderson are the main contenders in Race 4, the Group 2 Huxley Stakes over 2100m. Marginal preference is for John and Thady Gosden’s Israr, who has had two good prep runs.

SATURDAY HIGHLIGHTS

SHA TIN: BOURBONAIRE CAN MAXIMISE HANDY WEIGHT

Trainer John Size’s New Zealand import Bourbonaire has a low weight in his favour in Race 7, the Hong Kong China Rugby Cup over 1600m. Aside from the odd form blip, the six-year-old has performed well all season. Proven in this grade and over the distance, he could reel in likely pacemaker Flaming Rabbit and land a due reward for consistency. In-form Mr Ascendency is another to consider. The first race is off at 07:00.

HOLLYWOODBETS GREYVILLE: MUCH TO LIKE ABOUT FORMAGEAR

Future Swing is the early favourite for Saturday’s World Sports Betting Greyville 1900, but this is a most competitive contest in which even rank outsider Indian Ocean should be considered by virtue of being the only course-and-distance winner in the race. In consideration of merit rating versus weight, there is a lot to like about up-and-coming four-year-old Formagear. He’s a course specialist who has only won up to 1600m, but ran on powerfully in his only 1750m start and should find this trip right up his alley. At 54kg, he is better weighted than the favourite and comes into the race off an impressive preparation run.

The same holds true for Dynasty’s son Imelenzeyokududuma, but he has a wide draw. Safe Passage, who is slowly coming back to best and has tumbled in the ratings, is another with a value chance, while Charity Mile winner Atticus Finch is drawn well in his peak run and also handily weighted. Beautifully-bred and talented Mascherina (Race 5) looks the banker bet on the card.

SUGGESTED R2,688 PICK 6 (R266,80 for 10%):

Leg 1: 1, 4, 5, 9

Leg 2: 5

Leg 3: 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 14

Leg 4: 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 14

Leg 5: 3, 7, 10, 15

Leg 6: 4, 5, 6, 7

HOLLYWOODBETS KENILWORTH: WRIGHT THE RIGHT JOCKEY FOR BEREAVE

Gareth Wright, who was recently signed as Ridgemont’s retained jockey (an honour that last fell to Anton Marcus), has a good chance of winning the topliner on trainer Adam Marcus’ sprinter Bereave. A successful top-level sprinter during the Cape summer, he was placed in both the Grade 1 Cape Flying Championship and the Grade 2 Diadem Stakes. He’ll need a well-judged ride under top weight and his confident jockey looks like the right man for the job.

LINGFIELD: REMARQUEE COULD BE HARD TO BEAT AFTER WIND OP

RRalph Beckett’s multiple Group 1-placed filly Remarquee has not raced since last August and is reported to have had a wind operation. Ante-post betting for Race 5, the Group 3 Chartwell Fillies Stakes over 1400m, suggests she has recovered well and that a big run is expected. Roger Varian has engaged Ryan Moore for the first time on Listed winner Cell Sa Beela and she rates the biggest danger to Remarquee.

SUNDAY HIGHLIGHTS

KRANJI: REACH FOR THE STARS IN TWO FEATURES

Smart Star, who had valid excuses for not winning his last start, looks set to redeem himself in Race 4 over 1700m, the first of two features on the day. Smart Star cast a shoe and raced three wide throughout on the turf last time, but still ran on into second and now returns to his favourite Polytrack surface. Front-runner Nimbus Star is overdue and his consistency could be rewarded in Race 7 over 1400m. The meeting starts at 06.30.

TURFFONTEIN: PROMISING SABRE STRIKE COULD BE THE RIGHT CHOICE

Sabre Strike ran well above his merit rating when a good second to talented Barbaresco in a Graduation Plate at the Vaal last month. On that, the lightly raced son of William Longsword looks well weighted and capable of winning a tricky 2024 renewal of the Listed Secretariat Stakes over 1450m.

This R200,000 race is the first leg of the new Gauteng Winter Series. It has attracted several three-year-old contenders who were unsuccessfully tried in Graded features earlier this season, but are expected to be more competitive in Listed company. They include Presley, who reverts to shorter after finding 2450m too far in the Grade 1 SA Derby. He looks the main danger to Sabre Strike, but has to concede what may prove a telling 4kg.

LEOPARDSTOWN: O’BRIEN SENDS OUT THREE IN DERBY TRIAL

The Irish Derby Trial over 2000m (Race 5) is a traditional pointer to trainer Aidan O’Brien’s Epsom Derby prospects. In this year’s renewal, he saddles three high-quality runners in 2023 French Group 1 winner Los Angeles, Frankel’s son Euphoric and Justify colt London City. Dermot Weld’s highly regarded Spoken Truth is the one that should give O’Brien’s trio some opposition in what should be a cracking race.