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Horse Racing, General News, Tony Peter, Lucky Houdalakis, Calvin Habib, Craig Zackey, Mike and Mathew de Kock, PARIS FUN, STEP INTO IT, SOHO HEARTTHROB

Youngsters face stern handicap tasks at Vaal

September 2025

Jack Milner

It looks a case of youth versus experience at the Vaal on Tuesday and on this occasion it could be the younger set who have the edge.

It is not easy for recently turned three-year-olds to take on some capable hard-knockers but at this stage of their careers they do get a weight-for-age allowance to help them along.

The concern though, is whether their given merit rating is an accurate gauge of their ability. It is no fault of the handicappers, it is just because they have very little form with which to work so early in their careers.

The first comes up in Race 2 where trainer Tony Peter sends out filly Paris Fun in a MR 70 Handicap over 1400m, the same course and distance over which she opened her account as a two-year-old nine weeks ago.

This improving daughter of Futura beat older rivals in her final outing as a juvenile and she remains open to any amount of further progress on her handicap debut.

However, there are a couple of concerns. The first is that she is taking on the colts and will have to give weight to all of them, in spite of the 8kg weight-for-age allowance. The second is her last race was in a work riders’ event and they do not tend to have the strongest of fields. That has to make the quality of that field somewhat questionable.

However, she can only win and that she did with ease, beating Madame Pompadour by 2.40 lengths. And that transpired despite her losing ground at the start and hanging in over the final 400m.

Calvin Habib will take the ride on this occasion.

Lucky Houdalakis sends out an interesting runner in Race 3, a MR 86 Handicap over 1400m. Soho Heartthrob has only raced four times and after running a 0.20-length second on debut, came out to win his next start, beating Mizzen Sword by 1.25 lengths. The son of Gimmethegreenlight was sent out a weak 6-1 favourite for the Highveld Winter Juvenile Stakes over 1400m at Turffontein but was never in it and finished sixth.

However, it was his last run, over the same course and distance which is notable when he raced with cheekpieces and ran a 2.25-length third behind Jan Van Goyen. Mike and Mathew de Kock’s charge won by 2.20 lengths and short heads separated the next three – Nyaka Nyaka, Soho Heartthrob and Shadowfax.

Jan van Goyen went on to win the Grade 1 Premiers Champion Stakes by 3.70-lengths at Hollywoodbets Greyville and on that basis Soho Heartthrob, who will carry 54.5kg with Craig Zackey putting up 0.5kg over the carded 54kg, could prove very hard to beat.

The final one is promising three-year-old Step Into It who looks an exciting prospect for the De Kock stable. This Elusive Fort gelding could have bigger targets on his agenda should he emerge unscathed from Race 7, a MR 66 Handicap over 2000m, on his handicap debut.

Step Into It confirmed the promise of his debut fourth over 1600m by running on strongly to shed his maiden tag over the same distance 16 days ago.

On the evidence of that performance, the extra 400m will hold no fears for the De Kock charge who has most scope for improvement of the 11 runners in the race.

However, he has been thrown into the deep end for this race as even with his weight-for-age allowance, which is 9.5kg over this distance, he still comes in carrying 60.5kg and will have to give weight to the remaining 10 runners.

Zackey has been given the task of bringing this one home as well.

 

Jack Milner’s selections

Race 1: 2 Gonna Catch You, 5 Never Never Land, 1 Amandla Ngawethu, 8 War Summit

Race 2: 3 Paris Fun, 2 Sunshine Day, 6 Commander Of All, 1 Spirited Girl

Race 3: 7 Soho Heartthrob, 3 Open Highway, 1 Master Christmas, 5 Sutherland

Race 4: 3 Golden Aspen, 1 Western Wishes, 2 Mattiazo, 5 Sheets And Goggles

Race 5: 1 Zip Code, 3 Unsolved Riddle, 4 Futurewolff, 5 Santiago's Pride

Race 6: 2 Damova, 3 Royal Mazarin, 1 Romeo's Magic, 5 Nuclear Force

Race 7: 1 Step Into It, 2 Stop The Traffic, 6 Bob Lee Swagger, 10 The Merciful

Race 8: 1 King's Express, 9 Teo Torriatte, 4 Mount Darwin, 2 Hawkbill

 

BEST BET

Race 3: 7 Soho Heartthrob

VALUE BET

Race 4: 3 Golden Aspen

BEST SWINGER

Race 1 2x5

 

BIPOT                          

R96

Leg 1: 2, 5

Leg 2: 2, 3

Leg 3: 7

Leg 4: 1, 2, 3, 5

Leg 5: 1, 3, 4

Leg 6: 2, 3

 

PLACE ACCUMULATOR

R108

Leg 1: 3

Leg 2: 7

Leg 3: 1, 2, 3

Leg 4: 1, 3, 4

Leg 5: 2, 3

Leg 6: 1, 2

Leg 7: 1, 4, 9

 

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