Clive Robinson
In South Africa, it is quite common to call the lower-division school sports teams the “fish and chips teams”, especially when it comes to rugby.
Let’s be honest, the third, fourth, and fifth rugby teams – like most cheap fish and chips shops – very seldom dish up something for the connoisseur, and for a player from that division to make it into the first XV is nothing more than a dream.
The eight races contested over the Vaal Classic course on Thursday 23 June is best described as “fish and chips” racing. But just like school sports, it does not necessarily mean it won’t be as competitive or entertaining. On the contrary, the lower divisions very often produce the most gruelling contests.
With three of Thursday’s races also reserved for apprentice jockeys, racegoers are sure to be in for some hard-knock action.
The first of the appy races is a Maiden Plate for fillies and mares over 1450m. With form comments such as “struggling”, “poor form” and “yet to show” the order of the day, one runner does stand out: the Fanie Bronkhorst trained Kill Shot.
This two-year-old daughter of Elusive Fort boasts three consecutive top-four finishes and should launch a successful attack from gate 5. Kaidan Brewer, second on the apprentice log for the season with 52 wins to his name, will be in the saddle.
If Kill Shot doesn’t hit the target here, it’s anybody’s guess if she ever will.
The biggest danger seems to be Stuart Pettigrew’s Nice Move. She followed up her debut second over this distance with a not so eye-catching effort over further, after which she was given time to mature.
It is expected that she will need this run before an assessment of her true ability can be made.
In Race 5, a Classified Stakes over 1800m for horses with a nett rating of 71 and below, four-year-old Mingshi gets the nod. This lightly raced Dynasty gelding will be having his second run for Paul Peter after moving from Duncan Howells’ care.
His first run on the Highveld saw him finish just 1.75-lengths behind reopposing Kool Baikal, but a 5kg swing in the weights should see him reverse that result, especially over the 200m shorter trip.
A number of others have the ability to steal the show late, most notably Dark Travel and Silly Fella. The latter has finished either second or third on his last seven attempts.
The last of the appy races is a Class D MR79 Handicap over 1200m where Brett Webber’s Successful Secret and Peter’s Double Magic look most likely to fight out the finish.
Despite jumping from gate 9, Successful Secret should be successful as Double Magic is taking his first venture beyond 1000m.
