There appear to be some decent bets at the Vaal on Tuesday and an All To Come in Races 2 and 7 should be the way to go.
Race 2 is a Maiden Plate for fillies and mares over 1000m and Empress Game looks ready to follow up on her impressive debut performance. This three-year-old daughter of Pathfork was the talk of the day when she came out for the first time on the Inside track at Turffontein last month and was backed in from 17-2 to 18-10 at the off.
All races are around quite a tight turn on that track and many runners having their first runs fall victim to the vagaries of the course. While she did produce the fastest final 400m the line came too soon and she was still 0.50 lengths shy of Qhawe Lami at the finish.
She was reported to be green and also made a respiratory noise during the running of the race.
On Tuesday at the Vaal she will race up the straight and that could make all the difference for the Johan Janse van Vuuren-trained filly.
The other change is that Gavin Lerena will be in the irons on this occasion and with the experience under her belt, Empress Game should be making her way to the winner’s enclosure at the end of the race.
The other good bet comes up in Race 7 were Mike de Kock sends out highly talented Cleaver Greene. The son of Rafeef had a glorious start to his career, winning his first two races and following them up with two successive seconds. Both races were narrow and the second, in the Man O’ War Sprint he finished just 0.50-lengths behind Master Archie, a runner who went on the win the Grade 1 Computaform Sprint.
That was in April 2022 and unfortunately, we did not see Cleaver Greene in action again until May 2023. He clearly needed his first run back and finished seventh, just 5.25 lengths behind Godswood.
But in his next start, the five-year-old gelding showed he was close to his best when running on best of all over 1160m on the Turffontein Standside track, going down to the talented Mrs Browning by a diminishing 0.25 lengths.
Cleaver Greene was giving her 6kg so it was an excellent effort, although he was reported to be hanging over the final 300m. This time, though, he will be fitted with blinkers for the first time.
He should be at his peak in his third run after a layoff and looks ready to find his way ack to the No 1 box in this merit rated 104 Handicap over 1100m.
Kabelo Matsunyane takes the ride once again.
Clive Robinson
