The 10-race meeting at the Vaal on Thursday 11 December has the look and feel of a programme that could be shaped by one rider and one yard.
Gavin Lerena arrives with seven well-placed mounts and every chance of turning the afternoon into a personal bounty, while Lucky Houdalakis sends out a pair of progressive three-year-olds who appear destined for bigger things in the months ahead.
Lerena can strike the first blow in Race 1 aboard the improving Korcula, a Hawwaam filly from the Johan Janse van Vuuren yard who continues to take positive steps. She bumped into one too good over 1700m last time but shaped like a winner in waiting, travelling sweetly, quickening, and only giving in late. Dropped to 1600m, with Lerena retaining the ride, she won’t need to find much to shed her maiden tag at the fifth attempt. The market will likely react accordingly, and justifiably so.
Houdalakis introduces one of the better bets on the card in Race 2 with Agoge, a Gimmethegreenlight gelding who made a striking debut when rattling home for second over 1400m. That closing effort screamed “mile” and the additional experience should tighten him up. With natural improvement expected and the stable bullish about his trajectory, Agoge looks set to take care of business.
Lerena’s next major strike should come in Race 5 with sprinting machine Buffalo Storm Cody, one of the Tony Peter yard’s flagship talents. Since being gelded, the son of Buffalo Bill Cody has transformed into a relentless winning force, capturing six of his last seven runs and thriving on the challenge every time the bar is raised. His latest 1160m Turffontein Standside win, also under Lerena, came with authority, and although he has picked up a three-point penalty, he is still well enough in to keep the winning streak going. At this stage of his career, backing against him feels counterintuitive.
That same Peter-Lerena partnership could cash in again in Race 8 with Doitwithdiamonds, a Silvano mare whose consistency begs for a return to winning ways. She ran a gallant second over 1800m at the same venue just a week ago – a run that places her firmly among the leading contenders – and a repeat should see her right back in the winner’s box, provided this quick turnaround doesn’t blunt her edge. Her form is unmistakably solid, and she fits beautifully into the day’s Lerena narrative.
Houdalakis unleashes another of his promising three-year-old prospects in Race 9 with Ringa Ringa Roses, a filly clearly on an upward trajectory. The fitting of cheekpieces and a compression hood has transformed her, igniting back-to-back wins over 1450m on the Turffontein Inside track, including a convincing handicap debut success a fortnight back where she dismissed familiar rivals Opera Fan and Grace’s Kiss. She does face tricky weight turnarounds now but the stable is confident she’ll raise her game further over 1600m. In a race filled with known quantities, she offers notably better value than most.
With Lerena primed for multiple visits to the winners’ enclosure and Houdalakis rolling out two three-year-olds with long-term potential, Thursday’s Vaal Classic meeting sets up as a card where the script looks unusually well signposted. Punters who read it correctly may find themselves rewarded handsomely.
Clive Robinson
