It has been an interesting week yet again in the world of South African racing as I continue on my steep learning curve about racing in the Rainbow Nation before I get to suggestions for the racing at Greyville on Sunday afternoon.
First up we had the Air Mauritius International Jockeys Challenge that saw Frankie Dettori win two races on the card on board Joe Soma’s Turn back time, the 28/10 favourite, and then on Seattle Lady who score comfortably at 4/1 for a nice little double.
More importantly in my view, his and others attendance garnered bigger crowds and plenty of media attention away from the sports pages which can only help the sport we all know and love.
Here in England it didn’t in all honesty get the attention it deserves but with the explosion of interest from the bookmaking industry, who frankly call the tunes over here whether anyone admits it or not, it can only grow month on month and year on year and we will all just have to be patient.
Looking ahead to Greyville on Sunday and I admit I have been scouring the Gold Circle Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Gold-Circle-213817345296792/) for whatever snippets I can find for this is afternoon and the future, I have to start by commenting on the field sizes.
On Sunday here in the UK (if they survive the weather, Carlisle have already gone) we have field sizes varying from three to fifteen at Leicester, while at Greyville we have a huge ten race card, which is unheard of in the UK, of full fields of twelve on the polytrack and up to sixteen on the turf with reserves waiting in the wings to replace the non-runners.
That shows the good health of the sport over there (or the decline over here, you decide), especially with much lower prize money and perhaps the BHA or whoever need to send a delegation over to find out where we are going wrong.
On to the racing and who came up with the amazingly named Beekman Management Services KZN 3YO Series Fillies 1600 (Non Black Type), not the catchiest name ever seen and henceforth known a Race Eight (or the 4.10pm local time)!
Fourteen runners are set to go to post but more importantly eleven of them won last time out, two others placed, and two arrive unbeaten, so pick the bones out of that, as they say. As I write Weiho Marwing’s Black Minnaloushe filly Beaute Noire heads the betting and is perhaps the one to beat.
However, with jockey Anton Marcus in such good form of late it may be worth risking a little in the Charles Laird trained African Sunbird who caught the eye on her debut when the penny finally dropped before running on to win by an easy length and a quarter. She clearly needs to improve on that but looks the sort to go on from there and as a daughter of Trippi out of a Wolfhound mare there is every reason to expect big things from her this afternoon.
Finding another bet was never going to be easy but I have a job to do, and with the stable and the jockey in top form it may be worth a little on Newyorkstateofmind in the third race at 1.15pm local time. Sean Tarry’s gelding is in good form and seems well weighted in this 1200m handicap but whether the value has all gone is neither question but on a tough card he is the only other sensible bet I can find.
