Spring is here and horses around the country responded with some notable performances. Secret Star (s/s 103) and Spring Wonder (103) fought out a tight finish in the For the Ladies Stakes at Turffontein, followed by Will Pays (s/s 99) sweeping past Angel’s Power (s/s 97) in the Spring Spree Stakes. Secret Star has a clean winning record of six from 13, whilst Will Pays was recording the ninth win of his career.

Big Bear’s score of 100 in a Novice Handicap suggests a very bright future for the son of Await the Dawn, and he is an early inclusion on the Horse Watch list for up and coming three-year olds. He was chased home by Ideal Secret (93) who put up an encouraging figure after three months off track.

Blackball (s/s 97) also shows smart promise. He won again at Scottsville stretching out over 1600m and is progressing nicely. Highest speed score of the day went to Wild Wicket, who again managed a triple digit figure (100) when beating off Saint Marco (100) in a life and death struggle. He handles turf and poly with equal aplomb and can keep up the winning habit. Saint Marco (s/s 100) received 10kgs from Wild Wicket, but can certainly pick up another couple of wins given this level of performance.

We all know how racing luck can play a decisive role in outcomes. Icon King (s/s 98) looked to have a Pinnacle Stakes in the bag at Kenilworth but jumped a grandstand shadow near the wining post, losing momentum, so got mugged on the line by Catkin. The horse Willie Carson rated as his fastest ever, Dayjur, lost the Breeders’ Cup at Belmont Park under similar circumstances, and grainy images of Devon Loch sprawling under Dick Francis when seemingly assured of victory in the Grand National are other cruel examples.

There is much that can go awry in racing to thwart all our diligent analysis – that’s why smart punters always look at the probabilities and try to get an edge at the odds, rather than fixating on having winners even if the price is too short. With so many variables involved, it’s very satisfying when it comes together neatly – all three horses promoted on the Cape Interbet podcast saluted on Saturday. The Snaith yard is sending it in early season, and they saddled the three selections – One Direction (14/10), Greenflashsunset (28/10) and Weston (8/1) rewarding backers.