Summer is here and despite the traditional Highveld rains, the racing fields have become bigger and more competitive, so it will not be easy to find the winners at Turffontein on Thursday 4 December.
There are, however, a few runners that should go close to winning.
Trainers Mike and Mathew de Kock are formidable conditioners and they have a decent hand in the opening event, a Progress Plate over 2000m. Read All About It has been a bit of a disappointment so far, having only won once in seven starts, but it was his most recent defeat that caught the eye.
This three-year-old gelding won over 1000m on debut and ran a couple of promising places after that, but none of those runs were as good as his latest effort when runner-up behind The Ultimate King over 2000m on the Turffontein Inside Track. That was his first try at the distance and he was only beaten 0.25-lengths. The winner is very useful and took his place in the Betway Summer Cup run over the weekend.
It is interesting that the yard have also accepted stable companion Take No Prisoners into the race, as that gelding showed vast improvement last time when trying blinkers for the first time, and he could be a lot better than his merit rating.
Roaming Spirit has always been unreliable, but she is talented when in the mood and she can run well in Race 7, a FM 97 Divided Handicap over 1160m. This Buffalo Bill Cody filly has won three of her 13 starts and it is worth noting that the last time jockey Callum Murray rode her, she won. That was in September over 1000m on the Turffontein Inside Track. She has, however, also won on the Standside Track and has proven effective on soft ground.
Quiet Winter has been a bit of a disappointment in that it took her five starts to get her first victory. She was an easy winner last month and that did indicate that the penny may well have dropped with her, and jockey Craig Zackey has stuck with her, which is a good sign.
Clive Robinson
