TAB WEEKEND RACING HIGHLIGHTS: 29 – 31 MAY

PICK 6 CARRYOVER ADDS LUSTRE TO GREYVILLE FEATURES

The KZN Champions Season gathers momentum at Hollywoodbets Greyville this Saturday with two graded features, a listed contest and a TAB Pick 6 R500,000 carryover to the. Several Hollywoodbets Durban July hopefuls will be in action with plenty at stake as they make their final bids to impress the selection panel ahead of the announcement of the final field.

FRIDAY HIGHLIGHTS

FAIRVIEW: SMITH HOPES TOO LATE MY MATE WILL BE ON TIME

Former Gauteng-based filly Too Late My Mate has been installed favourite for her Eastern Cape debut in Race 5 over 1400m. She’s now with trainer Dean Smith and champion jockey elect Craig Zackey takes the ride. Too Late My Mate has won only once in 17 starts, but competed in strong handicap company and was arguably unlucky not to add to her tally on a few occasions. Smith commented: “She is a quirky filly, so we’re fitting her with a compression mask to help her relax. Her work has been good and her only win came over 1400m, so we’re expecting a nice run.” This meeting has been moved to the Polytrack and Race 6 will be contested over 2200m.

SATURDAY HIGHLIGHTS

MAURITIUS: SELUKWE MUST OVERCOME WIDE DRAW

A full field of 10 will face the starter for the Bicentenary Cup over 1500m as the island’s big guns rev up their engines for the Barbe Cup over 1600m at the end of June. Last season’s champion jockey Manoel Nunes returned this week to ride for the Carl Hewitson stable in the wake of Ivaldo Santana’s departure and partners early-favourite Selukwe, who faces a touch passage from a deep draw.

HOLLYWOODBETS GREYVILLE: LIKELY R2-MILLION PICK 6

There should be good money to be won on the carryover Pick 6, which is set to total some R2 million. All three feature races are included in the bet and the final two legs are competitive Polytrack contests, so there are strong prospects of a healthy dividend. Below is a brief guide to the Pick 6 races.

Leg 1 (14:55): Race 4 – 1400m RADISSON BLU, DURBAN UMHLANGA MAIDEN JUVENILE PLATE

Well-bred 4 NAVIGATION is likely to have benefited from his 1200m debut in which he was doing his best work late. With that experience behind him, he appears the right choice in a contest in which 2 IMPRESSIVE and 6 KAZ FROM ALCATRAZ have had several opportunities without success, while 8 SCOTT’S BAR failed to make an impression on debut. 10 BENNY AND PAUL and 11 COAST OF THE SUN have hinted at ability, but both faces the challenge of awkward draws.

Leg 2 (15:30): Race 5 – 2400m LONSDALE STIRRUP CUP (Listed)

Hard to look past 2 CURIOUS GIRL, who made short work of her male opposition to become an historic winner of the Grade 2 TAB SA Derby. With only 53.5kg, she will be hard to peg back. There are a few hard knockers among her rivals with Grade 3 winner 11 AHEAD OF THE FACTS having arguably the most scope. He is correctly weighted, but 62kg remains a tough ask over this trip.

Leg 3 (16:05): Race 6 – 2000m LUCKY FISH WOOLAVINGTON 2000 (Grade 2)

Champion filly 5 WISH LIST returned from a break in fine style when defeating 7 KEUKENHOF and 1 BEACH VERSE in the Grade 2 World Sports Betting Fillies Guineas in her first outing of the KZN Champions Season. She should strip fitter for that effort and, with the July just a month away, will be approaching her best. WISH LIST had older mares 3 RAINBOW LORIKEET and 6 MINOGUE in her wake when capturing January’s Grade 1 Cartier Paddock Stakes. Both are better off at the weights but Wish List should have improved in the four months since that win. 4 CALLMEGETRIX is a serious contender on the strength of her impressive victory in the Grade 2 TAB Igugu Stakes in an eye-catching first attempt over 2000m. But the younger filly is still improving and rates the one to beat.

Leg 4 (16:45): Race 7 – 2000m DAILY NEWS 2000 (Grade 1)

On their Grade 1 Lucky Fish Cape Derby clash over this trip, 6 NOTE TO SELF should hold the edge over 5 VIVA’S LIBERTE, 9 HAPPY VERSE and 11 STAR MAJOR. But there’s little separating them on form and HAPPY VERSE is likely to show improvement after gelding. Beyond them, dual Grade 1 winner 7 JAN VAN GOYEN and Grade 1 SA Fillies Classic heroine 3 HAZY DAZY come into the reckoning, the latter having bypassed the Woolavington 2000 in favour of this stronger assignment against the males. Throw wild card 8 CHRONICLE KING into the mix and this becomes a difficult puzzle to solve. At his rating of 114, which currently leaves him outside the Top 20 on the July log, VIVA’S LIBERTE arguably has the most to gain from victory. His trainer knows how to peak them on big days and there could be some value in his opening quote of 16-1.

Leg 5 (17:25): Race 8 – 1200m BERLINER CLASS 4 (F&M)

A tricky Polytrack contest in which 2 MYSTIC DANCER, 5 WHATASTAR and 6 RUBY RISING are the only runners with winning form on the surface. But there are several others with competitive credentials, including well-drawn 1 THOUGHT CONTROL, highest-rated 9 CELESTIAL DIAMOND and 7 CAPTAIN’S PRIDE, who was unlucky not to score in her penultimate outing and should enjoy her first 1200m race on the Poly. It’s a race requiring a wide spread in exotic bets.

Leg 6 (18:00): Race 9 – 1200m E-EDITIONS CLASS 4

Another Polytrack sprint in which several runners hold legitimate claims, but Peter Muscutt’s 3 LITTLE BOY BLUE makes the most appeal. He was campaigned against stronger during a Cape campaign last summer and his only previous attempt on the Polytrack produced a solid second behind Exocet. LITTLE BOY BLUE has dropped to a rating that should make him competitive and the booking of Gavin Lerena adds further encouragement. Disappointing 2 GALLIC VICTOR tries blinkers, 4 TURBO POWER is a three-time winner over this distance, 6 IRELAND FOREVER has fair Cape form and 10 AZZURRI comes from an in-form stable. 8 GRAND APPEAL has not won for 297 days but has been knocking on the door.

SUGGESTED R288 (20%) PICK 6 PERM (Leg 1 Race 4 @ 14:55):

Leg 1:  4, 10, 11

Leg 2:  2, 11

Leg 3:  4, 5

Leg 4:  5, 6, 7, 9

Leg 5:  1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 9

Leg 6:  2, 3, 4, 6, 10

CARLISLE: ESTRANGE SET TO HEADLINE HISTORIC DAY

Top-class mare Estrange is set to be the star attraction as Carlisle Racecourse, situated in the village of Blackwell, stages a group race for the first time. Estrange has been entered for Race 3, the Group 3 Betway Lester Piggott Fillies’ Stakes over 2200m. She won the race when it was run at Haydock last year, before going on to finish runner-up at Group 1 level in both the Yorkshire Oaks and on Champions Day at Ascot. Trainer David O’Meara is pleased with her condition. “Ideally for us, we’d like a little bit of rain and not too much warm weather during the week, but we’re very happy with how Estrange is going,” said O’Meara.

SUNDAY HIGHLIGHTS

SHA TIN: TOP WEIGHT NO BAR TO RAGING BLIZZARD

Raging Blizzard steps out of Ka Ying Rising’s shadow for the first time in a long while in the 1200m Hong Kong Vase (Race 9). He shoulders top weight as the highest-rated runner in the field, which makes this no easy assignment, but he sets the standard. His biggest threat could be Patch Of Stars, who has secured the coveted inside draw. That’s a significant advantage in a competitive handicap.

HOLLYWOODBETS KENILWORTH: SHEZARIPPER CAN TURN TABLES

Eight promising juveniles line up in a competitive renewal of Race 7, the Listed Somerset 1200. Tag And Release is the most accomplished runner in the field. He attracted strong betting support before accounting for Shezaripper and much-vaunted Kalahari King in the recent Grade 3 Western Cape Nursery over 1100m and is clearly above average. A follow-up feature victory will not come easily though. Shezaripper meets him on 3kg better terms for a 0.75-length beating and did finish strongly late in the Nursery. On that evidence, she has solid prospects of reversing the form over the extra 100m.