Craig Zackey and S’manga Khumalo look poised to dominate Thursday’s eight-race meeting at the Vaal on 18 September, with both top jockeys holding strong chances in the latter half of the card.
Khumalo reunites with Echo Check in Race 5 over 1400m. The Fabian Habib-trained gelding made a striking debut at Turffontein over 1160m ten weeks ago, winning with ease. With that experience under his belt and the step up in trip unlikely to pose an issue, the three-year-old is well placed to remain unbeaten.
In Race 8, Khumalo again partners Habib, this time aboard the talented Versace Onthetrack. The Danon Platina filly won two of her three juvenile starts—both under Khumalo—and now returns for her three-year-old debut. She looks capable of resuming on a winning note and could complete a double for the jockey-trainer combination.
Zackey, meanwhile, has a strong hand in the middle of the card. In Race 6, he climbs aboard Lucky Lad, the highest-rated runner on the day. A dual Grade 1 winner at two and three, Sean Tarry’s charge failed to win last season but wasn’t tried over his ideal trip. Back at 1200m, he is expected to bounce back despite a 173-day layoff.
Race 7 sees Zackey with another leading chance on Francilien, trained by Lucky Houdalakis. The lightly raced daughter of What A Winter returned from a long break with a close second last month and should strip fitter. With consistent form on her side, she appears ready to go one better.
With both Zackey and Khumalo holding such strong rides, punters can expect them to feature prominently in the closing races at the Vaal.
