TAB WEEKEND RACING HIGHLIGHTS: 22 – 24 MAY

SPRINT FEAST HEADLINES A DREAM WEEKEND OF BIG RACES

Here’s a dream month-end weekend for horseracing fans headlined by a speed spectacular at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Saturday featuring two Grade 1 and two Grade 2 championship sprints over 1200m. The four races comprise Jackpot ONE, which starts with a R250,000 carryover that should produce a bumper pool of some R1 million.

There’s top-class action Friday through Sunday, starting with two Listed features on the Polytrack at Fairview and ending with a Listed race at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth in which an emerging stayer looks hard to oppose.

Internationally, a Hong Kong champion bids to clinch the Triple Crown at Sha Tin on Sunday and trainer Aidan O’Brien brings his customary firepower to the Curragh for the Irish 2000 Guineas on Saturday followed a day later by the fillies’ equivalent, the Irish 1000 Guineas. TAB Win, Place, Exacta, Quinella, Swinger and Trifecta bets on all Curragh races on Saturday and the 1000 Guineas on Sunday will be commingled into the World Pool tote.

FRIDAY HIGHLIGHTS

FAIRVIEW: MARCHLAND CHASES A FEATURE DOUBLE

This meeting has been moved from the turf to the Polytrack due to underfoot conditions. Kelly Mitchley’s unbeaten two-year-old filly Marchland will look to follow up on her East Cape Nursery success in Race 5, the Listed Lady’s Slipper Stakes over 1400m. Mitchley said she was excited to see the filly return after a short break and expects her to appreciate the extra 200m.

In the other Listed feature, the Milkwood Stakes over 1000m (Race 7), trainer Dean Smith holds a strong hand with Song Of Myself and Danish Dynamite. Both are multiple winners over the distance and well suited to the Polytrack. Smith said: “I can’t separate them – they are fit and well.”

Alan Greeff’s in-form Zinovi bids for a hat-trick in Race 6, the Fairview 1400m. While he is arguably better suited over further, Greeff said that both he and jockey Richard Fourie believe the gelding has the versatility to win over this trip.

GOODWOOD: ENFJAAR IS READY TO PICK UP THE THREAD

Roger Varian’s useful stayer Enfjaar returns from a break and is expected to give a good account of himself in Race 5, the Listed Fitzdares Festival Stakes over 2000m. Varian commented: “He would have won the Wolferton at Royal Ascot last year, but he just had the door shut on him at the wrong time. He is in great form and I couldn’t be happier with him. This race will help determine where we go with him next.”

SATURDAY HIGHLIGHTS

SELANGOR: DUMA LOOKS THE KEY PLAYER IN CUP

The Baby Pery Cup (Race 6, 1300m) headlines an 11-race programme and gives talented four-year-old Duma another opportunity to add a Listed feature to his record. Trainer Frank Maynard’s gelding announced himself when winning the NZB Ready To Run Graduate Cup as a three-year-old last season and has since compiled an impressive record of five wins from 15 starts. He went close in the Grade 1 Tunku Gold Cup this year after overcoming a wide draw and his strong Class 3 credentials – including two wins from three starts at the level – stand him in good stead. The meeting starts at 06:30.

MAURITIUS: CAPTAIN MIKE APPEALS OVER HIS BEST TRIP

A Middle Stakes over 990m tops the bill on a seven-race programme at Champ de Mars and the in-form partnership of Raymond Danielson and Soon Gujadhar are represented by The Mauritian, who was touched off in the last stride by United Prince a month ago. He could go one better, but many will prefer Vincent Allet’s Captain Mike, who is at his best over this track and trip. The Place Accumulator starts in the opener with Leg 1 of the Pick 6 and Jackpot on Races 2 and 4 respectively.

HOLLYWOODBETS SCOTTSVILLE: CARRYOVER JACKPOT LOOKS THE BET OF THE DAY

The bet of the day at this annual sprint feast has to be TAB’s Jackpot ONE, which comprises the four championship events and starts with a R250,000 carryover. That should yield a total pool of over R1 million and punters are in for an amazing day’s racing. Below is a race-by-race guide to the carryover pool.

Jackpot ONE Leg 1 (14:00): Race 5 – 1200m ALLAN ROBERTSON CHAMPIONSHIP  (Grade 2)
There are four stakes’ winners and a minor feature winner in a field packed with talent. 1 QUERARI DANCER overcame traffic problems to land the recent Grade 3 Tote Strelitzia Stakes over 1100m at this track and had praise heaped on her by her jockey and trainer. She is clearly a filly blessed with natural ability. 5 FLOWER ISLAND produced an easy victory in the BSA Sales Cup over 16 KAVADY and the performance was full of merit. She was considered a few lengths short of peak fitness and should have come on from that effort. 13 GOOD DAY SUNSHINE beat 7 GRISELDA and 4 GET UP in the Grade 2 TAB SA Fillies Nursery, but GET UP reversed that form emphatically when defeating Good Day Sunshine by seven lengths in the Grade 3 TAB Pretty Polly Stakes. Three others make strong appeal. 2 TOP SECRET has the perfect pedigree profile. She is by Gimmethegreenlight and hails from the immediate family of several fillies who have enjoyed success in this race and the SA Fillies Sprint. 8 SECRETARY BIRD caught the eye when fifth behind exciting colt Turn It Up in the Race Coast Sales Slipper and has definite prospects on that effort. 15 PALACE OF ARVERNIA did not beat much on debut but won in the manner of a promising type. Take a chance with QUERARI DANCER as a banker in smaller perms, but all the mentioned runners deserve inclusion.

Leg 2 (14:35): Race 6 – 1200m GOLD MEDALLION (Grade 1)
This shapes as a three-cornered contest among Grade 3 TAB Protea Stakes winner 5 TIME IS PRECIOUS, facile Grade 3 Tote Godolphin Barb Stakes winner 6 RICH MAN’S WORLD and runaway debut winner 8 HAUTE COUTURE, who faces a far stiffer test here but could be anything. Having already won a juvenile feature at the track gives smart RICH MAN’S WORLD a definite edge on paper. He won with effortless authority and the step up to 1200m should be ideal.

Leg 3 (15:15): Race 7 – 1200m GOLDEN HORSE SPRINT (Grade 2)
In an open contest the value may lie with 7 COSMIC SPEED, a class act whose only outing over this course and distance produced a second behind Proceed in the 2024 Grade 1 Gold Medallion as a two-year-old. Cosmic Speed was campaigned over further as a three-year-old and the first half of his four-year-old career – with success at Grade 1 level – but recently showed that he retains the speed to compete at the highest level in sprints when finishing a close third in the Grade 2 TAB Senor Santa Stakes over 1160m. On that occasion he was narrowly beaten by 14 JERUSALEMA RAIN (0.5kg worse off) with subsequent winner 13 ZIYASHA and 10 WILLIAM ROBERTSON finishing well behind him. Most of the established sprinters bring winning credentials. They include last year’s winner 4 TENANGO, runner-up 2 O’TENIKWA, third-placed 16 KING OF THE GAULS and sixth-placed 11 OUTLAW KING, who has since added two stakes victories to his record. The depth does not end there. Quality three-year-old 1 ONE EYE ON VEGAS possesses a sharp turn of foot and could spring a surprise, while classy stablemate 8 MIAMI MOUNTAIN is unbeaten over 1200m. 12 CAFÉ CULTURE is capable and appears to have returned to form. It looks a case of COSMIC SPEED or the field.

Leg 4 (15:50): Race 8 – 1200m SOUTH AFRICAN FILLIES SPRINT (Grade 1) brought to you by The Witness
1 MIA MOO defeated 8 ASIYE PHAMBILI by a short head in last year’s contest with 14 WHISTLE THE TUNE (1.35 lengths), 10 DOUBLE GRAND SLAM (1.40 lengths), 9 MAI SENSATION (2.35 lengths) and 4 JUST BE LEKKER (3.20 lengths) further adrift. But champion filly DOUBLE GRAND SLAM would arguably have won had she enjoyed better luck in running. She is the standout runner in the field and arrives in hot form. If she stays out of trouble and secures a clear passage, she could give her rivals a galloping lesson.

SUGGESTED R270 JACKPOT ONE PERM (Leg 1 Race 5 @ 14:00):

Leg 1: 1, 2, 4, 5, 8
Leg 2:  5, 6, 8
Leg 3:  FIELD (1-18)
Leg 4: 10

THE CURRAGH: GSTAAD HARD TO OPPOSE IN IRISH GUINEAS

There are three Group features and a Listed race on an excellent nine-race card including Race 5, the Group 1 Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas in which Aidan O’Brien-trained Gstaad is odds-on favourite. Gstaad has had a busy time of things as a juvenile and was second in three Group Ones before finally getting his day in the sun at the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf last November. He was no match for Bow Echo in the English 2000 Guineas earlier this month but finished way ahead of the rest. “That was his first race this year and to go out and do what he did was great. The Irish Guineas is his next step,” said O’Brien.

SUNDAY HIGHLIGHTS

SHA TIN: ROMANTIC WARRIOR HUNTS TRIPLE CROWN FAME

Romantic Warrior chases history as he tries to become only the third horse to take the Triple Crown in Race 8, the $HK13-million The Standard Chartered Champions and Chater Cup over 2400m. It will take a serious performance to beat him. His last defeat on home soil came in this race in 2023, when he was a much younger horse. He led that day and has not done so since, and barrier 4 should allow him to get the perfect run off stablemate Romantic Thor and Numbers. All TAB Win, Pl
/ace, Quinella and Swinger bets will go into the massive Hong Kong pools for Race 8. The meeting starts at 06:30.

HOLLYWOODBETS KENILWORTH: FUTURE FREE LOOKS WELL WEIGHTED

Justin Snaith’s Future Free has shown steady improvement since gelding, recording three wins from 10 starts and making rapid progress through the ranks. He finished on the heels of Hollywoodbets Durban July hopefuls La Pulga and Viva’s Liberte in the recent Grade 3 Legal Eagle Stakes over 1800m, doing his best work late and finishing ahead of Otto Luyken, Sheriff John Stone and Magic Verse. He looks well placed under 55kg in Race 7, the Listed Pocket Power Stakes over 1950m, and could hand jockey Andrew Fortune another Graded success.

THE CURRAGH: O’BRIEN TARGETS A GROUP 1 DOUBLE

Aidan O’Brien looks set to dominate both Group 1 features on the programme. His runner Minnie Hauk is odds-on for Race 5, the Tattersalls Gold Cup over 2100m, and his charges Precisely and True Love head the betting for Race 6, the Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas over 1600m. TAB Win, Place, Exacta, Quinella, Swinger and Trifecta bets on the two Group 1 features will be commingled into the World Pool.