One of the highlights of the year for racing in the Eastern Cape is the Algoa Cup meeting which will take place at Fairview today.
Trainers from the Western Cape have once again strongly supported the Listed Algoa Cup itself over 2000m and it should provide a thrilling finish.
All of Candice Bass-Robinson, Justin Snaith, Glen Kotzen and Brett Crawford have runners and a large field has been assembled.
It looks a very open race and bookmakers are sure to lay more than one or two of them.
Hoedspruit is a weak favourite but Snaith does not only rely only on Hoedspruit as he has also the consistent Bayberry ready to run another big race.
Hoedspruit is in good form and is the one to beat.
Kotzen has three runners and jockey arrangements suggest Crimson King could be the stable’s preferred runner but blinkers seem to have made a difference to Cat Daddy of late and although badly drawn he is versatile enough to hold a winning chance, no matter where he finds himself in the running.
Muzi Yeni takes the ride.
Crimson King has proven to be just short of Group level but did have Hoedspruit 2.75 lengths behind him in June and is 2kg worse off, so there should not be much between those two runners.
Local hopes rest with Marmara Sea who demonstrated he was not just a Polytrack specialist with dominant wins on the turf in his last two races. The step up in distance, though, could be his undoing.
Jack Milner’s selections
Race 1: Don Reposado, Rock Garden, Jet Mirage, Cashing In, Psychedelic Eric
Race 2: 1 Double Check, 3 Grayswood Pink, 6 Silver Slippers, 4 Route Sixty Six
Race 3: 6 Cairon, 2 Sabina’s Prodigy, 3 Saint West, 1 Grazinginthegrass
Race 4: 1 Global Drummer, 2 Foreign Source, 7 Regimental, 9 Mister Vargus
Race 5: 2 Swazi Queen, 1 Colorado Springs, 3 Katie To, 9 Follow The Star
Race 6: 2 Norton Sound, 6 Sun Dazed, 1 Peace In Our World, 3 Captain’s Knot
Race 7: 4 Hoedspruit, 9 Cat Daddy, 2 Marmara Sea, 3 Crimson King
Race 8: 2 Santa Therese, 1 Carioca, 5 Veronica Mars, 7 Encryption
Race 9: 4 Blingking, 9 Knights Templar 2 Arctic Drift, 3 Oscar Wilde
BEST BET
Race 6 No 2 Norton Sound
VALUE BET
Race 3 No 6 Cairon
BEST SWINGER
Race 2 1×3
BIPOT
R144
Leg 1: 1, 3
Leg 2: 2, 3, 6
Leg 3: 1, 2
Leg 4: 1, 2, 3
Leg 5: 2
Leg 6: 2, 3, 4, 9
PLACE ACCUMULATOR
R108
Leg 1: 2, 3, 6
Leg 2: 1
Leg 3: 1, 2, 3
Leg 4: 2
Leg 5: 2, 4, 9
Leg 6: 2
Leg 7: 2, 3, 4, 9
PICK 6
R648
Leg 1: 1, 2, 3
Leg 2: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9
Leg 3: 2
Leg 4: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9
Leg 5: 2
Leg 6: 2, 3, 4, 5, 9
JACKPOT 1
R36
Leg 1: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9
Leg 2: 2
Leg 3: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9
Leg 4: 2
JACKPOT 2
R36
Leg 1: 2
Leg 2: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9
Leg 3: 2
Leg 4: 2, 3, 4, 5, 9