The Vaal Classic nine-race card on Thursday 8 January may not boast headline features, but it offers punters something just as appealing – value aplenty.
This is the sort of midweek meeting where smart betting, not blind form-following, can pay handsome dividends, and several runners stand out as attractive betting propositions rather than short-priced certainties.
At the heart of the card are two runners from the shrewd Stuart Pettigrew yard who are poised to reward each-way bettors, while a pair of tough, reliable four-year-old fillies – Gerbera (Race 5) and Accept Cookies (Race 6) – also make plenty appeal.
Pettigrew’s first strike could come early in Race 2 over 1450m via Delaware River, a filly who has done everything right except get her head in front. The Danon Platina daughter has finished second in each of her last two starts, both narrow defeats, and crucially one of those came over this very course and distance.
Her recent figures stack up well in this company and she doesn’t need to find improvement – merely a touch of luck in running – to finally shed her maiden tag.
From a betting perspective, she’s the kind of runner punters should be siding with before the market cottons on.
Pettigrew can double up later in the afternoon with Cape Saffron in Race 8, also over 1450m, and she may be the stable’s stronger hand. The Flower Alley filly confirmed her progress with a confident last-start victory over the same trip on Turffontein’s Inside track and she looks a filly very much on the up.
Still lightly raced for a four-year-old and improving with racing, she should cope comfortably with the three-point penalty. The fact she is co-owned by HSH Princess Charlene of Monaco Grimaldi only adds a touch of class – but it’s her upward curve that really matters.
She shapes as a solid win bet.
The middle of the card revolves around two consistent fillies who have been knocking loudly and now look ready to strike.
Gerbera, in Race 5 over 1800m, appears well placed to snap a 336-day drought. Sean Tarry’s One World filly produced a sharp late run when third in a Listed contest over this trip just 12 days ago, and that effort against stronger opposition reads extremely well here. She meets male rivals, but off an unchanged mark, she won’t need to improve to win.
Roy Magner-trained Accept Cookies looks best in Race 6 over 1600m. Few combinations at the Vaal are more reliable than Accept Cookies and Gavin Lerena, and their record together speaks volumes – four wins and three places from seven rides. The Gimmethegreenlight filly is a proven specialist over this course and distance, boasting two wins and a second from three attempts.
She wasn’t disgraced when fourth behind Boom Boom over 1800m last time and now meets that rival on 2kg better terms. Everything points to a bold showing.
Clive Robinson
