Trainer Alan Greeff is enjoying his best season yet, and with a few weeks still to go, he has time to extend his already mammoth lead. He currently stands on 166 winners, with an excellent 24% win strike rate.
He looks set to add more winners to that tally at Fairview on Monday afternoon for the Polytrack meeting, and the toughest decision may be choosing the banker bet for exotics like the Pick 6.
The most solid option appears to be Mercantour in Race 7, a Pinnacle Stakes over 1400m. The Var gelding arrived at Greeff’s yard as a six-time winner, and the trainer has already added another two victories to his name. He looks like he still has more to offer.
The five-year-old gelding wasn’t beaten far on local debut behind stable companion and high-class sprinter Fairy Knight in March, and he was soundly beaten by star sprinter Kingdundee in April. Even so, he finished third that day and was not disgraced over the 1000M, especially considering it was his first run on the Polytrack.
The step up to 1200m saw him win easily over the Fairview Polytrack, and he followed up with another smooth victory over 1400m a couple of weeks later. Jockey Richard Fourie has partnered him in all three starts and retains the ride.
The wide draw of No 10 is clearly not ideal, but he quickens well, and if he’s within striking range, he can win again.
Earlier on the card, Fourie is aboard the stable’s Mr Fox, who has found his form of late. He was a wide-margin maiden winner on this surface and even more impressive last time out on the turf over 1900m, winning with ease.
Those two wins have seen his merit rating climb by 15 points, so it might be worth opposing him with Jack In The Green, a solid and still improving stable companion. Jack In The Green arrived in the yard as a maiden winner and has since added two more victories. He is proven over this sort of distance and could offer better value in the betting.
Unlucky but consistent Aticuno could also finally break through for a win under Fourie. The jockey has had four rides on the gelding without a win but has finished runner-up twice. A winning turn is surely near.
Clive Robinson
