Peace Garland gets huge weight advantage

Danie Toerien

With seven of the nine races on Tuesday at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth reserved for maidens, seven runners are basically guaranteed to earn their biggest paycheques to date.

For bettors, the maiden races also offer an opportunity to play smart, especially in the Pick 6.

Race 4, a Maiden Plate over 1200m and the first leg of the Pick 6, sees three standout runners in the field of seven.

Fractal, trained by Shane Humby, produced a gallant effort on debut back in November when finishing third. He has been gelded since that run and given time to mature, so he should be a big runner under Aldo Domeyer.

His solitary race has produced two subsequent winners, so if he improves on his form, he should be right there.

Madra Rua from the yard of James Crawford will also be making his first appearance as a gelding. His penultimate is easily forgiven as he battled with the 1400m and had trouble finding his footing around the left-hand turn. Back in distance and travelling down the straight, he looks the main danger. Richard Fourie rides.

Witch Hazel will be making his debut for his new yard after three runs on the Highveld. With Callan Murray engaged for the ride, this three-time third-place finisher deserves the utmost respect.

In Race 5, a Maiden Plate over 1400m, the Justin Snaith trained Navasnine travels beyond 1000m for the first time. He finished runner-up in his last two and was the hot favourite last time out when jumping at 33-20. In his third run after gelding he will take all the beating if staying the distance.

The most likely challenger is Superhero from the yard of Andre Nel, despite having been off the track for 315 days.

Nel has been in prolific form, with all four his runners at Kenilworth on Sunday making their way to the winner’s enclosure. Nel has tasked Muzi Yeni with the ride.

In Race 6, a Maiden Plate for fillies and mares over 1400m, two-year-old Peace Garland takes on older horses for the first time.

This daughter of Declarationofpeace, trained by Vaughan Marshall, gets the benefit of a 4kg age allowance, as well as her jockey Mickaelle Michel’s 1.5kg sex allowance. This definitely swings the scale in her favour.

Peace Garland has hit the frame in all three her career runs and will find the back of the net sooner rather than later.

SELECTIONS:

Race 1: 6 Odds And Evens, 3 Final Say, 4 Evana, 5 Sing Forevermore

Race 2: 9 El Cohete, 7 One Magic, 4 My Bonny Boy, 8 Rust Never Sleeps

Race 3: 1 Ruby Rex, 7 Roman Beauty, 3 Red Flag, 4 Piteraq

Race 4: 4 Fractal, 7 Witch Hazel, 8 Madra Rua, 6 Catch Me

Race 5: 4 Navasnine, 2 Superhero, 7 Oh So Onederful, 1 Big Deal

Race 6: 4 Peace Garland, 1 Chinwag, 5 Before Sunrise, 7 Ntibindi

Race 7: 4 Echo Foxtrot, 5 Ain’T Misbehavin’, 9 Master Coiner, 8 Glenalmond

Race 8: 2 Heavenly Prince, 1 Tothemoonandback, 4 Double Dash, 6 Gold Index

Race 9: 6 Chance Encounter, 5 Bonelli, 4 Caesar’s Ransom, 7 Blind Date