Van Zyl’s Lion to roar at the Vaal
Jack Milner
KwaZulu-Natal-based trainer Gareth van Zyl has a single runner carded to race at the Vaal on Thursday and he is hopeful of a big performance.
There is a nine-race card on offer for racing fans to enjoy and there do look to be some decent bets on the day.
Van Zyl’s charge, Lion Rampart, lines up in Race 9, the Betway Pinnacle Stakes over 1000m, and if he can recapture his old form will be very hard to beat.
This five-year-old son of One World began his career with Vaughan Marshall in the Western Cape and was predicted to have a bright future after winning four of his first nine starts and placing in a number of juvenile feature races.
Unfortunately, he had a lot of opposition in his own yard with the likes of One Stripe and All Out For Six tending to grab the majority of the headlines and despite wins in a couple of Listed races, he started going off form a little.
In April this year Lion Rampart was transferred to the Van Zyl yard and he did compete in some of the major sprint features during the season.
He made his stable debut for Van Zyl in a Conditions Plate over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Greyville in which he finished a 1.25-length third behind Taxi To The Moon. He was not at his best when finishing down the field in the Grade 2 Golden Horse Sprint over 1200m at Scottsville but did rebound nicely in his last start when a 0.60-length second behind Fortress Of Fire in the Listed Umngeni Handicap over 1000m at Greyville on 26 July.
Lion Rampart will meet a decent field at the Vaal tomorrow so he will need to be on point if he is to be competitive.
However, Van Zyl reassured his supporters. “He is in a very good space, and he is very well. I expect him to run to his ability.”
He will have the services of Gavin Lerena, who has ridden him on a few occasions and knows him well.
The main threat could come from Paul Matchett-trained Karate Kid. The consistent speedster was a creditable third under 60kg in the Listed Betway Spring Spree Stakes over 1200m last time, but his record tells the more important story – that four of his five career victories have come over this shorter trip.
Back over 1000m, reunited with Philasande Mxoli and with just 54kg on his back, Karate Kid has a lot in his favour. This is a competitive contest, but he looks the type to offer significantly more appeal at eachway odds than his rivals with less obvious claims.
Matchett and Mxoli also team up with rapidly progressive Mission To Mars in Race 6, a MR 96 Handicap over 2000m. Mxoli has partnered the Northern Hemisphere-bred son of Sea The Stars in all three starts and has felt the gelding improve dramatically with each outing.
A fast-finishing second over 1500m on debut was followed by a spectacular 1600m maiden victory, when Mission To Mars powered clear to score by more than 10 lengths. He then confirmed that promise when landing a handicap over this trip in his latest start, doing so off an opening mark of 86.
An eight-point penalty is the obvious concern, but the manner of that last-start success suggests there is plenty more to come. If he reproduces anything close to that performance, the handicapper may have merely delayed the inevitable.
Mission To Mars is likely to be heading for the Grade 1 Betway Summer Cup later in the season and is taken to complete his hat-trick of wins and stands out as the best bet on the card.
BEST BET
Race 6: 4 Mission To Mars
VALUE BET
Race 3: 3 Giddy Up Grace
BEST SWINGER
Race 2 1×10
BIPOT
R162
Leg 1: 1, 10
Leg 2: 1, 3, 9
Leg 3: 5, 6, 8
Leg 4: 4, 7
Leg 5: 4
Leg 6: 1, 3, 7
PLACE ACCUMULATOR
R324
Leg 1: 1, 3
Leg 2: 5, 6, 8
Leg 3: 4, 7
Leg 4: 4
Leg 5: 1, 3, 7
Leg 6: 2, 5, 6
Leg 7: 3, 7
PICK 6
R2000
Leg 1: 1, 5, 6, 7, 8
Leg 2: 1, 2, 4, 7
Leg 3: 4
Leg 4: 1, 3, 5, 7, 11
Leg 5: 2, 3, 5, 6, 11
Leg 6: 2, 3, 6, 7
JACKPOT 1
R100
Leg 1: 1, 2, 4, 7
Leg 2: 4
Leg 3: 1, 3, 5, 7, 11
Leg 4: 2, 3, 5, 6, 11
JACKPOT 2
R100
Leg 1: 4
Leg 2: 1, 3, 5, 7, 11
Leg 3: 2, 3, 5, 6, 11
Leg 4: 2, 3, 6, 7