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RACE BY RACE PREVIEWS: TURFFONTEIN INSIDE@2025.08.17
Turffontein Inside, 17.08.2025, Race 1, Gallops, 1200m, Turf, R105.000, 12:15GMT+2
Race Summary: SLENDER SILHOUETTE ran well in both starts as a 2yo earlier this year and she is open to any amount of improvement on her Highveld debut after a 5-month absence. ACTUARY should also have more to offer after a pleasing introduction. WARM RECEPTION and LANTERI are well-bred newcomers worth a market check on debut, especially the latter who benefits from her rider’s 2.5kg weight allowance. NEVER NEVER LAND and EXPLOSIVE CHARM are others to keep an eye on.
Selections: #8 Slender Silhouette, #7 Lanteri, #9 Warm Reception, #1 Actuary
Turffontein Inside, 17.08.2025, Race 2, Gallops, 1200m, Turf, R100.000, 12:50GMT+2
Race Summary: SARAGOSSA CAT was outrun late on debut over this track and trip. She would have benefitted from that experience and should open her account with any improvement. AMAZE ME, FIRE ON FIRE and CONCORDIA have the form and experience to make their presence felt, though a bigger threat could come from well-bred newcomer RISSIEPIT. Watch the betting!
Selections: #8 Saragossa Cat, #7 Rissiepit, #3 Concordia, #1 Amaze Me
Turffontein Inside, 17.08.2025, Race 3, Gallops, 1600m, Turf, R105.000, 13:25GMT+2
Race Summary: ALPHA WORLD confirmed the promise of his debut 4th over 1200m with a close-up 3rd over the same trip last time when returning from a rest and gelding. He is open to further progress but won’t need to improve much over this extened trip to open his account. STEP INTO IT would have benefitted from a pleasing course-and-distance introduction and with natural improvement should have a role to play. WORLD ORDER, SO AMERICAN and newcomer TRURO LEGACY complete the shortlist.
Selections: #3 Alpha World, #6 Step Into It, #7 Truro Legacy, #1 World Order
Turffontein Inside, 17.08.2025, Race 4, Gallops, 1600m, Turf, R100.000, 14:00GMT+2
Race Summary: MATCHA MINT has finished 2nd in 3 consecutive starts, including both outings over this distance, so she wouldn’t be winning out of turn. Well-bred SPECIAL STAR would have come on appreciably from her pleasing course-and-distance introduction and should have a role to play too, especially with blinkers reached for. ZAHRA DOMINIA, AMBER’S FATE and newcomer AMAZON QUEEN appear best of the rest.
Selections: #1 Matcha Mint, #7 Special Star, #2 Zahra Dominia, #4 Amazon Queen
Turffontein Inside, 17.08.2025, Race 5, Gallops, 1600m, Turf, R100.000, 14:35GMT+2
Race Summary: CHESTNUT BOMBER didn’t go unnoticed on his reappearance over 1400m and would have tightened up with the benefit of that outing. He is the best-weighted runner in the race and better suited to 1600m so is the one to beat. Consistent DANCE KING and progressive PIONEER SQUARE have the means to fight out the finish, while unexposed PENNSYLVANIA could be anything stretching out to this trip for the first time.
Selections: #1 Chestnut Bomber, #2 Dance King, #5 Pioneer Square, #6 Pennsylvania
Turffontein Inside, 17.08.2025, Race 6, Gallops, 2000m, Turf, R125.000, 15:10GMT+2
Race Summary: THE ULTIMATE KING completed a hat-trick when winning last time over 2000m and the runner-up has franked that form by winning since. AMERICAN REBEL and EIGER SANCTION are weighted to turn the tables but have less scope for improvement than their last-start conqueror. LUCE VERDE caught the eye on his Highveld debut over 1600m and is unbeaten over 2000m, so he should play a leading role. ARUMUGAM and VESUVIO complete the shortlist.
Selections: #1 The Ultimate King, #4 Luce Verde, #5 American Rebel, #6 Eiger Sanction
Turffontein Inside, 17.08.2025, Race 7, Gallops, 1200m, Turf, R110.000, 15:45GMT+2
Race Summary: FRANCILIEN has maintained form and consistency at a higher level and she is open to any amount of improvement after a lenghty absence. KOMATI RIVER fits a similar profile so must be respected. Unexposed PRETTY PERSUASIVE receives chunks of weight from those older rivals and should have more to offer on her reappearance. SUMMER WINTER and SAIGON SUZIE also have the form and experience to get involved.
Selections: #1 Francilien, #5 Pretty Persuasive, #2 Komati River, #7 Saigon Suzie
Turffontein Inside, 17.08.2025, Race 8, Gallops, 1200m, Turf, R100.000, 16:20GMT+2
Race Summary: RIFLE QUEEN, one of 4 last-start winners in the line-up, outran market expectations when beating male opposition on debut (runner-up has won since). She would have benefitted from that experience and is open to any amount of improvement, so it should pay to follow her progress. ON THE RUN and stable companion BLUSHING BLOOM are improving fillies with scope for further progress. Gavin Lerena rode both to victory last time out so riding arrangements would suggest the latter is preferred. JAPANESE GARDEN and recent runner-up PRINCESS LOLA can also make their presence felt.
Selections: #1 Rifle Queen, #3 Blushing Bloom, #2 On The Run, #5 Japanese Garden
Turffontein Inside, 17.08.2025, Race 9, Gallops, 1200m, Turf, R100.000, 16:55GMT+2
Race Summary: RODEO DRIVE is proven at this level and better suited to this distance, over which she finished 2nd at Grade 1 level as a juvenile. BJORN IRONSIDE races well fresh and is weighetd to be competitive on his reappearance. NYAKA NYAKA showed promise as a 2yo, has scope to improve, and the form to make his presence felt. BAKWENA, FROZEN FANTASY and PRINCE OF KILDARE shouldn’t be far off the mark.
Selections: #2 Rodeo Drive, #8 Nyaka Nyaka, #4 Bjorn Ironside, #9 Bakwena
Best Win: #8 SARAGOSSA CAT
Best Value Bet: #1 RIFLE QUEEN
Best Longshot: #1 RIFLE QUEEN
