Clive Robinson
Spring has officially begun in the country and it will be celebrated at Turffontein on Saturday with the running of the Listed Topbet Spring Spree Stakes over 1200m and The Lady’s Stakes (Non-Black Type), both over 1200m on the Inside track.
The two races also indicate the start of the Summer Season on the Highveld which will run through until early December.
Many of the runners have taken a break after the long KwaZulu-Natal Winter season and many will be using these races to prepare for bigger events coming up.
While called a stakes race, the event is actually a handicap and that in theory gives many horses winning chances.
One runner who is in good form right now and did not travel to Durban for the winter is Rollwiththepunches. This Roy Magner-trained four-year-old gelding reeled off three wins in a row and remarkably won easier as his merit rating increased.
Two run back he defeated Val D’Orcia who is likely to start favourite for this race so he has the class to win a race of this nature. But there are two concerns. His best races have been up the straight and in two outings on the Turffontein Inside track where 1200m is run around the turn, he has failed to find a place.
The other is that on a course where draws play a huge part, Rollwiththepunches will have to jump from barrier No 9. However, he does have a top jockey in Calvin Habib.
Top weight Prince Of Fire has been running against some of the best around and in fact, his last start was in the Grade 1 Gold Challenge over 1600m at Greyville in June.
This Johan Janse van Vuuren-trained runner would probably prefer this race to be a bit further but he won his only start over this course and distance and can be a huge danger racing fresh.
However, he also has a wide draw at No 10.
Supreme Quest ran against some of the best in the country last season and did not disgrace herself. Her last outing was in the Grade 1 Mercury Sprint over 1200m at Greyville but she ended up in all sorts of traffic and finished up near the rear. Remarkably, she produced the fastest final 400m to ended up 4.60 lengths behind the winner, Captain’s Ransom, who was recently named Horse Of The Year.
However, Val D’Orcia could well be the one they all have to beat. He won the Grade 2 Post Merchants over 1200m at Greyville and has a great record at this track.
Paul Peter’s charge is drawn No 2 and has Gavin Lerena in the irons.
The outcome of The Lady’s Stakes will depend on the behaviour of Mercury Rising. She can be a difficult ride but did make a winning debut for the Peter stable last time.
She has the benefit of jumping from No 1 draw and has Muzi Yeni in the irons.
