Punters face a tricky card on the poly at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Monday but Kom Naidoo could provide for a nice priced winner when he sends out Seattle Beat in the fourth race, first leg of the jackpot.
Naidoo has recently recovered from a mild stroke and is keen to get his stable back to where it was before his illness. Seattle Beat was off the track for three months recently but has had two runs since, the last a promising effort behind Jetavana where he was running on late. He is unlikely to start favourite with the likes of National Dream and Bayview Express in the line-up but he does look primed for this event with Richard Fourie booked for the ride.
Alyson Wright sends out National Dream that has been a comfortable winner of his last two over course and distance. However, the handicappers have also had a hand in his preparation for this race and gave him an eight-point raise in the ratings.
However, such was the ease of those to victories, National Dream could still be under the handicapper’s radar and another success cannot be ruled out lightly.
Yogas Govender will fancy the chances of Bayview Express who finished second to National Dream when last they met. He is now 4kg better off at the weights for a three-length beating and should finish a lot closer this time around.
Another longer priced runner that can make the frame could be MJ Odendaal’s Ingakara. The six-year-old has been making steady recent progress and with Calvin Habib taking over the reins he looks set for a big effort.
Sean Tarry has been a bit of a nemesis for local trainers, not only in Champions Season features but also in the bread-and-butter races. He saddles Efficient Trader in the seventh who has been making steady progress on the poly without really threatening. However, although Tarry has stepped her up in class, she does come into the race with bottom weight and from a decent draw she should be a contender for top honours.
Derryl Daniels is still hunting that elusive winner since his return to the saddle and Odendaal looks to have set him up with a decent chance when he sends out Certainly. The filly finished 11th of 13 runners last time out at Hollywoodbets Scottsville but she was taking on males in much stronger company. The drop in class, the step up in trip and the switch to poly could prove to be the right recipe.
Duncan Howells sends out Mission Rocks in a bid for a third straight victory but she has drawn widest of all and the form of her last win has a few holes in it. Never the less, the stable is in form and she cannot be written off lightly.
Howells could get the afternoon off to a winning start as he saddles Keenonkelly in the card opener. The filly has taken time to come to hand but showed up well under apprentice James Lihaba last time out and he keeps the ride. Lihaba is no wet-behind-the-ears apprentice as he has had plenty of experience in the mature ranks. Ladies Day and What Now My Gal look possible dangers.
Majestic Power ran well below ability last start after a brace of victories, but that was his first run out of Summerveld which could have found him short of match fitness. The stable has come good of late and one can expect a much better effort this time around and could get the PA off to a winning start in a small field.
Giambattista and Winter Waves meet again in the last, a short head separating them last time out over course and distance. Winter Waves is now 1kg better off in the handicap and in theory should have the measure of his rival.
These two look to be the principal contenders but Parmenion took on way stronger last time out and was not far behind. Prior to that he put in a forward showing behind Dandolo in a six-furlong sprint and with Rachel Venniker’s 1.5kg allowance, he could spoil the party.
