Craig Zackey looks primed to turn Thursday’s midweek Vaal Classic fixture into a personal point-scoring exercise, and punters would be wise to ride shotgun. The leading jockey, already clear atop the national standings with 116 winners – a full 15 ahead of Richard Fourie – has a clutch of chances on a bumper 10-race card and could realistically add three more to his tally before the dust settles.
He should strike early. Race 2 over 1200m revolves around Quickfreeze, and it’s hard to argue otherwise. The Lucky Houdalakis-trained three-year-old colt shaped with real promise on debut when finishing second behind a more streetwise rival boasting solid form. That was a run that screamed “education”, not limitation. A R450 000 yearling by Querari, Quickfreeze is bred to improve with racing and any natural progression from run one to run two should see him go one better. At likely backable odds, he makes plenty of appeal as a banker-type early in the card.
Zackey can double up in Race 4 over 2400m with Cartagena, who did little wrong when winning over the same at the Vereeniging-based course less than a month ago. The Skit Skizzle mare powered clear to score by 2.70 lengths and, crucially, did it with something in hand. Heather Adamson’s charge cops a five-point penalty for that success, but she still looks well weighted under the conditions and the step back into similar company should see her right in the firing line again. If she repeats that last effort, the penalty won’t stop her fighting out the finish.
There’s also a strong case to be made for sticking with Zackey later on the card, particularly with improving types whose profiles suggest more to come. Race 8 features two runners from the Mike and Mathew de Kock yard, but it’s Clever Trevor who catches the eye. The Hollywood Syndicate-owned son of Soqrat won over 1400m last time and the bare margin doesn’t do the performance justice. He travelled like a horse going places and only did what was required late. Now stepping into his peak run, he looks open to further improvement and could easily follow up.
The De Kock influence extends to the finale, Race 10 over 1600m, where My Lucky Charm deserves another chance. Beaten by Clever Trevor last time, the Master Of My Fate gelding now returns to 1600m – a distance over which he is unbeaten from a single start. That form line suggests the extra 200m will play to his strengths, and with Callan Murray taking over in the saddle, a bold showing is on the cards.
Beyond the headline acts, the meeting as a whole offers a healthy mix of progressive sorts and exposed runners, making it a card where disciplined punting – rather than scattergun betting – should be rewarded.
Clive Robinson
