“Class on the grass” is an enduring racing adage. Punters who swear by this maxim would have collected in both the G3 Diana and Matchem Stakes, where Front and Centre and One World proved best. Front and Centre duly disposed of Freedom Charter as the top two on official ability ratings fought out the
Genuine speedball, Pacific Trader won the G1 Computaform Sprint back in May and he returned after being off track since then to sidle to an un-extended victory in a Pinnacle Stakes at Durbanville on Saturday. He has run super-swift figures of 111 and 113 in the past, though was not required to go as
Claiming races form the bedrock of the American program. Connections set a value to their horse then enter it at an appropriate price level. This is a most effective way to ensure competitive racing as every horse is entered for sale at a specified, and most often, realistic amount determined by the owner/trainer, with
Over the years, this newsletter has focussed mainly on the best performances by South African racehorses. Highlighting thoroughbred merit using speed figures as the measuring tool is useful to all fans of the game, but particularly to help Interbet punters compile a list of horses’ worth following that may carry betting value soon after
Early Spring is an important period for horseplayers with an eye to the future as they monitor the better three year- olds stepping out. Trainer Vaughan Marshall has won many Classic’s over the years and he unveiled two very promising youngsters this week. Black Knap destroyed a Maiden field with an eye-popping speed score
Favourite, Prince of Kahal and Angel’s Power shared honours in the G3 Spring Spree Stakes at Turffontein on Saturday. They each earned speed figures of 103 which was a best effort for Angel’s Power, though Prince of Kahal has run a touch higher (106 – 107) on a few occasions. Both got perfect trips
Whilst big things are happening in the Northern Hemisphere at York (witness wins by stars Enable, Bataash and Japan), Saratoga in the US and in France, August is typically a low-key month in South African racing. This follows the end of season awards and with horses having an easier time of it upon receiving their
Top trainer Sean Tarry sent out Culture Trip to be second on Thursday earning a figure of 90 behind The Sands. The Pomodoro gelding ran just two days later on Saturday at Turffontein and won a good race over Bien Venue, boosting his speed figure to 96. Punters are not used to handicapping runners
Class droppers have a higher probability of winning than those rising in grade. Punters following that angle honed in on Saturday entries, Prince of Kahal and Wonderwall who were dropping into Pinnacle Stakes after previously competing in much stronger races. The son of Kahal ran two lengths off Pacific Trader and Chimichuri Run in
The 18/10 favourite, Seattle Skyline (s/s 95) won the Flamingo Park mile quite comfortably from Happy Pills (s/s 90) and Phil’s Power (s/s 89). Formerly from Durban, Seattle Skyline has taken readily to the red Kimberley dirt, winning three of four starts there whilst trained by Sarel von Willingh Smit. The universal stat for