Azzie’s charge set for a handsome second run

Jack Milner

By the time La Bella Mia was retired to stud, she was an eight-time winner. Among those successes was the 2019 Grade 2 Post Merchants over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Greyville.

This daughter of Gimmethegreenlight was trained by Weiho Marwing when she won that feature but ended her racing career with Gavin Smith in the Eastern Cape.

Her first foal is Hello Handsome, a son of Canford Cliffs, and he only made his debut last month as a four-year-old in a Maiden Plate over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville. He was reasonably well fancied and went off at 8-1.

It was a decent enough appearance as he was up with pace and at the line he finished third, 2.60 lengths behind Snow Warrior.

He returns to the same track on Sunday to contest Race 4, a Maiden Plate over 1400m, and this Adam Azzie-trained runner looks hard to oppose.

This gelding should enjoy the extra 200m this time and he has the benefit of jumping for No 3 draw and will have Gavin Lerena in the irons.

Interestingly, his younger sister, Thorn Bird, has already run and won. This three-year-old daughter of Rafeef, trained by Mike and Mathew de Kock, made her debut over 1000m on the Vaal Classic track last month and also ran third.

However, 16 days later she contested a race over 1200m on the Turffontein Inside track, and going off at 33-10, beat Rafeef’s Queen by 0.40 lengths.

Hopefully history will repeat itself.

Jack Milner’s selections

Race 1: 1 Clean Sweep, 15 Barry’s Boy, 9 Belligerent, 2 Annushka’s Light

Race 2: 3 Tiger Cody, 2 Champagne Mac, 4 Mont Loisir, 5 Bless Me Fred

Race 3: 11 That’s A Gimme, 9 Pink Skies, 12 Glitter Paint, 1 Magical Spring

Race 4: 3 Hello Handsome, 6 Le Concierge, 5 Gimme Sunshine, 7 Maggiano

Race 5: 4 Please Be True, 3 Tam’s Knight, 5 Major Tommie, 2 Nordic Chief

Race 6: 1 Serengetti Sun, 6 Stronger Together, 4 Arverni Princess, 8 Luneluck

Race 7: 4 Sweet Green, 6 Erik Dubois, 5 Ascalon Dancer, 2 Blazing Fury

Race 8: 1 Blue Lagoon, 5 Your Ladyship, 7 Lady Godiva, 11 Flying Fate

BEST BET

Race 4: 3 Hello Handsome

VALUE BET

Race 2: 3 Tiger Cody

BEST SWINGER

Race 1 1×15

BIPOT

R128

Leg 1: 1, 15

Leg 2: 2, 3

Leg 3: 1, 9, 11, 12

Leg 4: 3

Leg 5: 3, 4

Leg 6: 1, 4, 6, 9

PLACE ACCUMULATOR

R162

Leg 1: 2, 3

Leg 2: 9, 11, 12

Leg 3: 3

Leg 4: 4

Leg 5: 1, 4, 6

Leg 6: 4, 5, 6

Leg 7: 1, 5, 7

PICK 6

R1500

Leg 1: 1, 6, 9, 11, 12

Leg 2: 3

Leg 3: 3, 4, 5

Leg 4: 1, 4, 6, 8, 11

Leg 5: 2, 4, 5, 6

Leg 6: 1, 5, 7, 8, 11

JACKPOT 1

R60

Leg 1: 3

Leg 2: 3, 4, 5

Leg 3: 1, 4, 6, 8, 11

Leg 4: 2, 4, 5, 6

JACKPOT 2

R300

Leg 1: 3, 4, 5

Leg 2: 1, 4, 6, 8, 11

Leg 3: 2, 4, 5, 6

Leg 4: 1, 5, 7, 8, 11