Lucky Houdalakis will head to the meeting at the Vaal on Tuesday 22 August with a certain degree of optimism, given that most of his nine runners on the day look more than capable of delivering the goods in the seven races that his stable is represented.
The Vaal-based trainer has on the face of it, carefully picked and placed his runners across the nine races on the card and that shrewdness is likely to pay off handsomely. Five of his runners are of particular interest and it could pay to follow their progress on the day, either including them in a TAB All To Come or backing them on the nose.
What A Winter colt Kinshin Sha made the expected improvement in his second start after an encouraging introduction, racing prominently throughout at this course over 1200m only to be outrun late by the 0.25-length winner.
He returns to the same course and distance in Race 1 and, with further progress on the cards, could get Houdalakis off to a winning start under Marco van Rensburg who has ridden the unexposed three-year-old in both starts.
Richard Fourie is a notable jockey booking aboard the stable’s runner, War Queen, in Race 3 over 1000m This Act Of War filly debuted as a two-year-old in a Work Riders’ race against older rivals but showed a professional attitude on that occasion, as she raced freely at the head of affairs before tiring late into third over 1000m.
She too, makes her reappearance over the same track and trip in Leg 1 of the Place Accumulator, and with the benefit of that experience coupled with the likelihood of natural improvement, Houdalakis may well find himself back in the winners’ enclosure.
That jockey-trainer combination is represented by Wazzup, one of two runners from the stable, in Race 5 over 1400m and, although a case can be made for several participants in the race, this son of Trippi has to be included in all bets after a promising debut fifth over 1200m.
This three-year-old gelding would’ve come on appreciably from that outing and should also improve over the extra 200m.
Lightly raced four-year-old Total Surrender can be backed with more confidence in Race 7 over 2000m, having confirmed his potential with two wins and two seconds from four starts. This son of Flower Alley was touched off over 1800m on his handicap debut but took no prisoners when stepped up to 2000m last time. He relished the sterner test of stamina and on Turffontein’s Inside track, ran out an authoritative 2.20-length winner of a similar contest to that in which he lines up on Tuesday.
He ought to make further improvement so a resultant six-point penalty is unlikely to prevent him from following up.
Bettors should also be sweet on the chances of Houdalakis-trained What A Winter mare What A Honey who is good value to bounce back to winning ways on her return to 1200m with Craig Zackey reunited in Race 8 over 1200m.
The pair have struck up a potent partnership that has yielded three wins, two seconds and five third-place finishes in 10 starts together. That impressive record will more than likely be improved when What A Honey lines up over the course and distance that has already seen her register two of her four career successes.
Clive Robinson
