A curious thrust for a July berth
Jack Milner
Trainers Mike and Mathew de Kock are used to having to deal with waiting for the outcome of a photo finish, and they are in that position currently with three-year-old filly Curious Girl.
The three-year-old daughter of Futura has not yet made the top 20 of the log for this year’s R10-million Hollywoodbets Durban July and with the final field being decided on Monday and then revealed on Tuesday, they have one final shot at meeting that deadline at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday.
Curious Girl is carded to line up in Race 6, the Grade 3 Lucky Fish Winter Fillies Stakes over 3200m, and a victory there should surely provide the necessary impetus to earn her a berth in the Grade 1 race over 2200m at the course on 4 July.
She did win the Grade 2 TAB SA Derby over 2450m at Turffontein on 4 April, the first filly to win that race in more than 100 years. In fairness, however, it was probably one of the weakest Derbys in history and explained why the race had lost its Grade 1 status.
However, a victory on Saturday should be enough to open the door for Curious Girl.
She was a strong fancy to win the Grade 3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup on 30 May but could only manage third spot, beaten 3.20 lengths by Dance King but she might well have been in need of the run.
This looks to be an easier task as it is against her own sex and on what is a highly thorny card, she could stand out as the best banker in all exotic bets.
The runner who stands out as the main threat to her, Sean Tarry trained Gerbera, is untried over the distance, although she did win the Listed Independent On Saturday Insider East Coast Cup over 2000m at this course last month.
The likes of Woman’s World, She’s A Bomber and Plum Pudding have won over the distance, but they are all highly exposed and do not have the room for improvement that Curious Girl is likely to exhibit.
Gavin Lerena rode this filly to victory in the Ormond Ferraris Oaks Trial over 2000m but injury forced him to miss her next two rides. However, he is back aboard for this event.
As this is the KZN Breeders meeting which highlights the performances of horses bred in the province, there are some races with decent prize money on offers. However, they looks highly competitive and finding winners will not be easy.
The runner who stands out as the best bet on the card comes up in Race 1, the Macrath Stud KwaZulu-Natal Breeders Juvenile Plate over 1200m where trainer Siboniso Ngcobo sends out Better Never Ends, who gave his trainer his first feature-race success when winning the the two-year-old son of Declarationofpeace caused a major upset by winning the Grade 2 TAB SA Nursery at odds of 40-1.
Better Never Ends was still a maiden when claiming that race and then went on to contest the Grade 1 Gold Medallion at HWB Scottsville.
While he was beaten 9.05 lengths into fifth place, the race was dominated by Haute Couture and Rich Man’s World, and Better Never Ends was taken out at the start.
There have been some significant scratchings from Race 1 and that should make Ngcobo’s charge very hard to beat. It is interesting, nonetheless, that after racing so well in blinkers, they have been removed for this race.
Serino Moodley takes the ride.
Jack Milner’s selections
Race 1: 6 Better Never Ends, 1 Predator’s Crown, 2 Thyme To Talk, 5 Anushka
Race 2: 3 Hathighwaytothesky, 7 Tara Star, 4 Silver Tudor, 2 Buddy Boy
Race 3: 4 Hat’s Queen, 3 Fine Wine, 2 Blizzardboy, 5 Prince Of Troy
Race 4: 4 Liz Hurley, 10 Water Hyacinth, 11 Owner Of Creation, 1 Anything But Love
Race 5: 4 Happy Hooves, 5 Tears Of The Sun, 10 Queen Of The Air, 8 Valli Gal
Race 6: 6 Curious Girl, 7 Gerbera, 1 Woman’s World, 3 Plum Pudding
Race 7: 6 Go Grayson Go, 10 Golden Operator, 1 Palace Prince, 5 Soldier’s Eye
Race 8: 3 Hat’s Mambo, 5 Run To Rio, 8 Mississippi Spice, 10 Limitless Sky
Race 9: 3 Tommy Greaney, 5 L’Ultimo, 8 Misty Metal, 7 Paratrooper
BEST BET
Race 1: 6 Better Never Ends
VALUE BET
Race 9: 3 Tommy Greaney
BEST SWINGER
Race 3 3×4
BIPOT
R384
Leg 1: 3, 4, 7
Leg 2: 3, 4
Leg 3: 1, 4, 10, 11
Leg 4: 4, 5, 8, 10
Leg 5: 6
Leg 6: 1, 5, 6, 10
PLACE ACCUMULATOR
R216
Leg 1: 3, 4
Leg 2: 4, 10, 11
Leg 3: 4, 5, 10
Leg 4: 6
Leg 5: 1, 6, 10
Leg 6: 3, 5
Leg 7: 3, 5
PICK 6
R1875
Leg 1: 1, 4, 6, 10, 11
Leg 2: 4, 5, 6, 8, 10
Leg 3: 6
Leg 4: 1, 3, 5, 6, 10
Leg 5: 2, 3, 5, 8, 10
Leg 6: 3, 5, 8
JACKPOT 1
R125
Leg 1: 4, 5, 6, 8, 10
Leg 2: 6
Leg 3: 1, 3, 5, 6, 10
Leg 4: 2, 3, 5, 8, 10
JACKPOT 2
R75
Leg 1: 6
Leg 2: 1, 3, 5, 6, 10
Leg 3: 2, 3, 5, 8, 10
Leg 4: 3, 5, 8