Rugby 8 Win Margin, for Friday, 25 October 2024, C/Over: R29476
Pool Closes @ 20h35, Sport 65 Pool 1

Soccer10, for Friday, 25 October 2024, C/Over: R100 000, Pool Closes @ 19h30, Sport 7 Pool 1 Estimated Pool: R1.5 Million

Scccer13 for Saturday, 26 October 2024, Pool Closes @ 15h15, Sport 10 Pool 1, Guaranteed Pool: R57 Million 13 of 13

Soccer4, for Saturday, 26 October 2024, C/Over R25 000, Pool Closes @
18h00, Sport 17 Pool 3: Estimated Pool: R75 000

Soccer10, for Saturday, 26 October 2024, C/Over: R100 000, Pool Closes @ 15h00, Sport 12 Pool 1 Estimated Pool: R1.5 Million

Soccer ANY13 Xtra, for Saturday, 26 October 2024, C/Over, R75 000, Pool
Closes @ 14h00, Sport 13 Pool 1, Estimated Pool: R350 000

David Thiselton

Turffontein Inside stages an intriguing nine race meeting today, which will offer opportunities for both exotic and on the nose punters.

The highest rated race at the meeting is the seventh, a MR 94 Handicap for fillies and mares over 1450m, and Andi’s Girl is a stand out selection on form. She has run over this course and distance in her last two starts and finished a 2,25 lengths second to Back In Business and a head second to Fiery Pegasus. Both of the latter are looking to be top class and she actually gave the year younger, but 12 point higher rated Fiery Pegasus 3kg in the latter race. She also has pole position and in form Gavin Lerena aboard. The progressive Across The Pond represents the in form combination of St. John Gray and Muzi Yeni and jumps from a good draw of five. Gray has had 15 wins this season at a strike rate of 16.48%, but Yeni has been aboard for every single one of those 15 wins so their strike rate together is very high indeed. Across The Pond will be a threat and the risk averse should include him in the Pick 6. Duenna loves this course and distance and could also have a say from a fair draw of six.

In the first leg of the Pick 6 over 1000m Basingstoke won her maiden over 1000m from start to finish in fluent fashion and from pole position could follow up. She is a banker possibility, although giving the in form seven-year-old mare Twice As Wild 7kg won’t be easy and the latter has a low enough draw of six to make her good early pace effective. Smelting beat Twice As Wild last time, albeit with a 4kg claimer up, and she is only two points higher so could make her presence felt.

The second leg is over 1000m too and Arilena is on the up and tipped to make it three successive turf wins. She did have a run on the Hollywoodbets Greyville poly in between those two wins that can be ignored as she won with ease on either side of that run over 1000m and 1200m respectively. However, she does have a tricky draw of seven and a merit rating raise of five to overcome. Therefore, Autumn Var and Stroopsoet might be worth including. Autumn Var will enjoy the step back to 1000m and has a plum draw and Stroopsoet showed big improvement last time to win her maiden, but she does have a tricky draw to overcome.

In the sixth race over 1000m Poblano looks to be promising after running on strongly down the wrong side of the track to win on debut, but she does have an 87 merit rating to deal with. Bosum Buddy has run some fine races against decent opposition and should be in the shake up from a plum draw. Nettleton has a six point raise to deal with, but might have come on a bit from that last win, although her draw of five out of eight is tricky. Valieva has not been disgraced against top sorts and won her maiden with authority, so can also be considered despite a tricky draw of six. Green Flash has ability and is suited to the minimum trip so also has to be considered from draw three with Lerena up.

In the eighth race over 1450m Alphabetty is well drawn and off a competitive merit rating might make her presence felt over this step down in trip. Queen Of Love hasn’t run since winning her maiden easily back in May but is drawn well over a suitable trip, albeit off a tough 88 merit rating. Future Date should be in the shake up if repeating her last run. She has a tricky draw but Yeni is up. Shampimpi is capable of earning here. Say It Loud could also improve and from pole position has to be considered.

In the last race over 1450m Palace Dancer has some good form and should take to the step up in trip from a good draw under Gavin Lerena. Oxalis Gold disappointed first time out the maidens over this course and distance but she was returning from a layoff and drifted significantly in the betting. The form of that race has been franked and she is now drawn in pole. Princess Lola has shown ability and should now have a chance of staying this trip. Princess Iliara is consistent and well draw and has a definite form chance. Courageous has always been well regarded and could pop up.

In the first leg of the PA Birthright is a big, scopey sort and from a good draw has a good chance over a suitable 1800m trip. Hazlo Grande showed the potential he had always promised last time and Eiger Sanction has been in devastating form since the blinkers have been removed and might make it five in a row.

In the first leg of the Bipot Guy Alexander and Callaburn could fight it out.

In the first race Panning Gold will need to bounce back from a below par run. He runs over a step up in trip that he should easily get on pedigree, but he has not been tried over it before and fading over 1600m last time does not augur well, although he was caught wide without cover which probably explains it. The Merciful ran well last time but it was a maiden handicap and this will be tougher. Yojimbo has the form to be a contender but it is his first run for three-and-a-half months.

Johannesburg, 15 October 2024 – 4Racing in conjunction with the Handicappers have published the first log for the 2024 R6 million Gr1 Betway Summer Cup to be run at Turffontein on Saturday 30 November.

Second entries close at 11am on Tuesday 05 November, and final entries at 9am on Monday, 18 November 2024, after which weights will be announced. Declarations must be in by 11am on Wednesday, 20 November 2024 and barrier draws will be conducted at a Betway event on 20 November 2024. The final log will be published on Tuesday 05 November 2024.

TABGOLD have added a Pick 6 to their daily menu of QuickMix bets, which are popular with many customers because they combine races from different local and international meetings, and are completed much quicker than multi-race bets on single meetings.

The addition of the Pick 6 brings the number of QuickMix pools offered most days to six – three Jackpot QuickMixes and a QuickMix BiPot, Place Accumulator and Pick 6. Until further notice, the QuickMix Pick 6 will always be the last six legs of the Place Accumulator QuickMix.

To play the Pick 6 QuickMix, TABGOLD retail customers must mark VENUE SPM and RACE 2 on the betting form.

It must be noted that the Pick 6 first-timer rule will apply to South African races in the bet if these races form part of a South African Pick 6. The first-timer rule will not apply to all other races, including South African races that are not part of a local Pick 6.

Andrew Harrison

Sunday was a Gr1 R18 million race in Singapore. Yesterday it was a R90K maiden winner on the poly at Hollywoodbets Greyville as Muzi Yeni went back-to-back on two continents.

The conditional maiden looked to be a two-horse race between Glamorz and Head Girl but it proved to be a lot closer than expected but not with Head Girl involved. Calvin Habib had no hesitation in taking Head Girl to the lead in spite of a stiff headwind in the straight and she came up empty. Yeni stalked the pace on Glamorz and set sail at just the right time as he had to work hard to keep the late charging Miss Mayfly at bay with Chakpori holding station for third.

Siphesihle Hlengwa is obviously living up to Garth Puller’s high standards as the former champion jockey is giving the young rider more and more chances. He made no mistakes on the rejuvenated Masterbling as he made a bee-line up the straight to tackle longtime leader Ndaka with Love In Winter also making a nuisance of himself up the inside rail. Ndaka tried gamely to hold onto his lead but Masterbling out-ran him over the final 50m.

If you doubted Hlengwa’s ability, he reenforced a half-hour later as he rode the perfect race on the Puller-trained African Dusk. With the scratching of ante-post favourite Field Marshal, the Mike de Kock pair of Jaham and Woodland Glade were at the top of the boards. Woodland Glade made the early running but folded tamely in the straight leaving the way clear for Jaham. However, Hlengwa was wide awake and tracking in from the outside he joined Jaham who looked at one stage to have gone on by. But African Dusk was far from done and kept finding to get the better of his younger rival in spite of giving him 6kg.

Hlengwa and Rachel Venniker were in the same final year in the SA Jockey Academy and they have done the world-respected intuition proud. Venniker has been afforded international exposure and flown the country’s flag high and has made huge strides locally to where she is among the top echelon of riders. Mentored by the maestro himself, Michael Roberts, Venniker continues to improve with the experience afforded her as she showed aboard the Roberts-trained Chill In The Air. The son of What A Winter is obviously progressive but won fluently from Brave Bomber, the pair pulling many lengths clear of the opposition including favourite Amor Fati who folded tamely in the straight.

Calvin Habib had been making the second box his home in the early part of the season but the wheel appears to be turning. He did it all right on Mark Dixon’s mare Spirited Flight as he tracked the early pace and took the shortest way home catching a break on favourite Purple Flower. All the late money was for Purple Flower but Athandiwe Mgudlwa was caught out by a wide draw and had to settle probably much further back than planned. Alyson Wright’s mare was making up ground fast in the closing stages but Spirited Flight had already flown.

Puller is always keen to mentor apprentices who show some talent and commitment and he gave Mxolisi Mbuto his first winner aboard Littleblackvelvet. Drawn wide and instructed to tuck in, Mbuto said that he went to ‘plane B’ and raced on to make the pace.

 Mbuto obviously has some ‘bottle’ because he sat and sat in the straight in spite of the opposition attacks, and only at the 300 m mark did he ask for maximum. The filly, with a hollow or sway back, responded to the riders urgings, and without using the stick, she came home in fine fashion.

One does expect stable rider Craig Zackey to be on the ‘right’ one but it does not always work out that way as Sean Veale took advantage to get ‘second string’ Savantrix home in the seventh. Before slating Craig Zackey, who gave favourite French Flame a perfect ride, giving his mount every chance, rather take note of what goes on behind the scenes. There is not enough space in this piece to explain the all the intricacies but it will be worth it for those that are interested to listen to the explanation from Dean Kannemeyer’s assistant Nicolette Roscoe to fully understand what goes on when working out where to place a horse in the ‘right’ race. It is a difficult task that does not always work out as expected.

Serino Moodley rounded off the afternoon riding a confident race on Andre Nel’s runner Querari’s Dream. Well back in the early exchanges, Moodley hunted a dream gap up the inside as Forest Jump and King Bavarian stuck to their guns but Querari’s Dream pulled out the extra to win comfortably.