Parisian Walkway looks ready to win again

Jack Milner

An appealing Pinnacle Stakes over 1450m headlines Saturday’s eight-race meeting on the Turffontein Inside track and it does look quite competitive.

The Highveld summer season officially gets underway on Saturday 3 October with the running of the Grade 2 Betway Joburg Spring Challenge and the fillies-and-mares equivalent and a number of trainers have begun sharpening up their runners for the upcoming features.

Some of those horses will be in action in this Pinnacle Stakes and punters should prepare themselves for a thrilling finish.

Perhaps the runner coming into Race 6 with the best pedigree is Alec Laird-trained Parisian Walkway. This son of Ideal World appeared to be heading straight to top after winning the 2025 Grade 2 Gauteng Guineas over 1600m on the Turffontein Standside track, fighting on bravely to hold off Greaterix by 0.40 lengths.

Sadly, he has not won a race since. He was given a lengthy rest from December last year until July and has run two promising races since then, notching up a 1.50-length second to Money Heist, followed by a 2.40-length third behind Powerandtheglory.

Now, in his third race after the layoff, he should be at his peak and looks ideally suited to both the course and distance. He is well weighted with just 54kg on his back and will meet Money Heist on 2kg better terms.

Diego de Gouveia rode him to victory in the Guineas and will be back in the irons for this race.

Tony Peter-trained Money Heist must be a contender at the weights and will again be ridden by Kabelo Matsunyane who has been having a great run. He has already ridden 18 winners this season, most of them for the Peter yard, and is currently lying in second spot on the jockeys’ log behind Keagan de Melo, who is on 27 wins.

Cosmic Speed is another who has not won since 1 March 2025 when he captured the Grade 1 Horse Chestnut Stakes at Turffontein, but there was a lot to like about his fifth place behind Buffalo Storm Cody in the Grade 1 Mercury Sprint over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Greyville in July.

He does have 62kg to carry but on that last performance, Sean Tarry’s charge, who will have De Melo up, must be respected.

 

Jack Milner’s selections

Race 1: 1 Celtic Manor, 6 Champagne Air, 2 Empress Of Peace, 4 Be The One

Race 2: 4 Uncle Bob, 1 Clairwood Breeze, 7 Disdain, 6 Echo Of The Wild

Race 3: 3 Sword Of Light, 1 Nicci’s Law, 6 Democrat, 2 Life And Letters

Race 4: 6 Ariovistus, 3 Master Christmas, 7 Command Pilot, 3 Secret Chord

Race 5: 7 Aint No Doubt, 3 Redlightgreenlight, 6 Bay Empire, 2 Brave Waam

Race 6: 8 Parisian Walkway, 7 Money Heist, 1 Cosmic Speed, 9 I’m A Fireball

Race 7: 7 Time Will Tell, 6 Sergeant Soqrat, 3 Taking A Risk, 1 Hammer Blow

Race 8: 1 Stoneywood, 8 Traditional Belief, 5 Little Boy Blue, 6 Blindfire

 

BEST BET

Race 3: 3 Sword Of Light

VALUE BET

Race 8: 1 Stoneywood

BEST SWINGER

Race 1 1×6

 

BIPOT

R216

Leg 1: 1, 6

Leg 2: 1, 4, 7

Leg 3: 3

Leg 4: 3, 6, 7

Leg 5: 2, 3, 6, 7

Leg 6: 1, 7, 8

 

PLACE ACCUMULATOR

R216

Leg 1: 1, 4

Leg 2: 3

Leg 3: 3, 6

Leg 4: 3, 6, 7

Leg 5: 7, 8

Leg 6: 3, 6, 7

Leg 7: 1, 5, 8

 

PICK 6

R2000

Leg 1: 3

Leg 2: 3, 4, 6,7

Leg 3: 1, 2, 3, 6, 7

Leg 4: 1, 7, 8, 9, 10

Leg 5: 1, 3, 6, 7

Leg 6: 1, 3, 5, 6, 8

 

JACKPOT 1

R400

Leg 1: 3, 4, 6,7

Leg 2: 1, 2, 3, 6, 7

Leg 3: 1, 7, 8, 9, 10

Leg 4: 1, 3, 6, 7

 

JACKPOT 2

R500

Leg 1: 1, 2, 3, 6, 7

Leg 2: 1, 7, 8, 9, 10

Leg 3: 1, 3, 6, 7

Leg 4: 1, 3, 5, 6, 8