It is not an easy meeting on the Polytrack for punters on Friday, but we should see a big performance from Desert Cloud in Race 2.
Treasure Hunt in Race 4 looks an each-way speculation, while classy sprinter Fairy Knight should win Race 7, the first leg of the Non-Black Type Nelson Mandela Bay Racing East Cape Poly Challenge over 1200m.
Plenty went pear-shaped for Desert Cloud on her local debut and she really ought to have won. This Gimmethegreenlight filly has a lot of ground to make up to justify her R500,000 purchase price, but she showed improvement when trying the Polytrack and can go one better this time.
Desert Cloud was given a soft early ride by jockey Muzi Yeni, who allowed her to sit off the pace. However, the jockey briefly lost a stirrup iron, and on top of that she met some interference in the straight. When pulled out for her run, she hung while flying up behind the winner.
Interestingly, trainer Zietsman Oosthuizen will this time make use of jockey Louie Mxothwa in this Open Maiden for fillies and mares over 1200m.
He is also booked to ride Juan Nel-trained Treasure Hunt in the MR 84 Handicap for fillies and mares over 1400m. This seven-year-old mare has shown a resurgence of form since joining Nel’s yard in May. She seems to prefer the Polytrack these days and is well suited to this particular course and distance.
Only seven runners are carded for the first leg of the Poly Challenge but what it lacks in size, it makes up for in in-form runners. Fairy Knight had such a good season that trainer Alan Greeff and stable jockey Richard Fourie took a shot at the Grade 1 Golden Horseshoe over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on 31 May.
He did not handle the soft track and was well beaten, his first defeat since the addition of blinkers.
His three previous wins were impressive, particularly his demolition of rival Kingdundee over 1200m in March. The Global View gelding has won his last three Polytrack starts and yes, you guessed it, Mxothwa is aboard him as well.
Leg 2 of Poly Challenge will be run over 1400m on Friday 22 August and the third and final leg over 1600m on Friday 17 October 2025.
A bonus of R250,000 will be paid to the connections of any horse that wins all three legs.
Clive Robinson
