The winners have started flowing again for apprentice jockey Rachel Venniker after a few quiet months.
She made an amazing start to her career and has now again reeled off a double in each of her last two meetings at Greyville in KwaZulu-Natal. Her impressive poly strike rate could continue in the Eastern Cape on Friday 6 May.
She has some decent rides, and two in particular stand out. Both Sailaway With Me and Glacier Gold are best weighted in their respective races and Venniker’s 1,5kg claim sweetens their chances even moreso.
Sailaway With Me runs in a 1300m Maiden Plate (Race 2) for fillies and mares. In her last race the only other horse to make up ground faster was the winner, with Sailaway With Me clocking the second fastest finish. This suggests she is on the up and stacks better than her earlier poly run when beaten just over 8 lengths.
A set of blinkers has been added to ensure she races closer to the pace.
Likely threat Babyitscoldoutside, entitled to much improvement on her local debut when jumping from a wide draw, didn’t make too memorable an impression and will need to find a bit more on ratings to challenge the selection.
In Race 7, the only horse Glacier Gold hasn’t beaten from the field she meets, namely Persica, is badly off form and badly out at the weights. More importantly, Glacier Gold beat main dangers Joyful Noise and Franca by 6.00 and 6.35 lengths in different races respectively.
Now the latter two are most effective on the poly and will be out to settle the score but Glacier Gold has won three in a row while having her rating upped and could be ready to meet the top local sprinters soon.
This Pinnacle Stakes for Fillies and Mares over 1200m looks the best race on the day.
The best value option on the day could be Drive By for the in-form combo of trainer Kom Naidoo and Calvin Habib in Race 6. This filly won two of her last three on the poly and obviously well regarded was entered in a turf feature where she ran downfield.
Back on the poly after a rest she quietly made progress to finish behind Savannah Winter and Shine A Light but this time she has secured gate one while the latter two have drawn wide and very wide respectively.
Clive Robinson
