This ‘Miss’ will be a hit for Michel

Jack Milner

Mickaëlle Michel has clearly been enjoying her trip to South Africa and originally just using it to get experience and escape from the European winter, she enjoyed riding in the country to such an extent that she extended her visa until the end of our season.

The young French jockey has now earned the respect of some of the top trainers who have received great rewards for using her talents.

She does have the benefit of being able to weigh in at 49kg and she is also able to claim the 1.5kg allowance to female jockeys.

However, she cannot get that claim in feature races and she proved her ability recently when claiming her first graded race victory for former champion trainer Sean Tarry when she rode Jerusalema Rain to victory in the Grade 2 TAB Senor Santa Stakes over 1160m at Turffontein.

Just a few days later she was in action at Hollywoodbets Greyville and won her second Grade 2 when James Crawford-trained Star Major flew up late to win the World Sports Betting KZN Guineas.

At the same course one week later, she found herself riding a horse for current champion trainer Justin Snaith, Okavango, in a potent Pinnacle Stakes over 1600m, and kept her mount running to run out an impressive winner.

What makes all three wins even more remarkable was in each case she beat a hot favourite and all three are among the best horses in the country – Buffalo Storm Cody, Tin Pan Alley and current Horse Of The Year, Eight On Eighteen.

Racing on Thursday is on the Vaal Classic track and Michel will team up once again with Tarry in Race 5, a MR 93 Handicap for fillies and mares over 1000m, with Mystical Miss. This three-year-old daughter of Rafeef has raced 10 times for one win, which came on debut, and has placed five times. In all of her races she has not finished far off the winner.

Mystical Miss is carded to carry 53.5kg but with Michel’s allowance will come into this event with just 52kg on her back. Michel has ridden this filly in three of her last four starts, so she knows her well. Last time out Mystical Miss finished a 2.70-length third behind Fiery Rose over this distance on the Vaal main track.

Her penultimate start was over this course and distance where she came up against very talent Tony Peter-trained precocious and finished second, beaten 2.70 lengths.

This looks an ideal race for Mystical Miss to pick up her second career victory.

Jack Milner’s selections

Race 1: 4 Periodic Table, 1 Hammer Blow, 5 Spirit Of The Sea, 2 All On Red

Race 2: 6 Doesyourmotherknow, 3 Sheriff Bill Brown, 5 What A Warrior, 1 Dear Doc

Race 3: 1 Princess Of All, 4 Master’s Lady, 2 Elegant Edge, 7 Secret Life

Race 4: 9 Lilac Snow, 11 Oriental Bouquet, 1 Inafix, 8 Jet Cat

Race 5: 7 Mystical Miss, 1 Just The Two Of Us, 2 Vanakkam, 5 Russian Nobility

Race 6: 8 Wings Of Kildra, 5 Lovable, 12 Taking A Risk, 4 Jazz Pianist

Race 7: 1 Doitwithdiamonds, 7 Avoontoast, 8 Mount Etna, 6 Palace Dancer

Race 8: 4 Scarlet O’Hara, 6 Rosy Lemon, 7 Kortvandraad, 1 Surprise Party

BEST BET

Race 1: 4 Periodic Table

VALUE BET

Race 6: 8 Wings Of Kildra

BEST SWINGER

Race 3 1×4

BIPOT

R216

Leg 1: 4

Leg 2: 3, 5, 6

Leg 3: 1, 4

Leg 4: 1, 9, 11

Leg 5: 1, 2, 7

Leg 6: 4, 5, 8, 12

PLACE ACCUMULATOR

R216

Leg 1: 6

Leg 2: 1, 4

Leg 3: 1, 9, 11

Leg 4: 1, 7

Leg 5: 5, 8, 12

Leg 6: 1, 7

Leg 7: 4, 6, 7

PICK 6

R2592

Leg 1: 1, 2, 4

Leg 2: 1, 8, 9, 11

Leg 3: 1, 2, 7

Leg 4: 1, 4, 5, 8, 12, 13

Leg 5: 1, 7, 8

Leg 6: 1, 4, 6, 7

JACKPOT 1

R216

Leg 1: 1, 8, 9, 11

Leg 2: 1, 2, 7

Leg 3: 1, 4, 5, 8, 12, 13

Leg 4: 1, 7, 8

JACKPOT 2

R216

Leg 1: 1, 2, 7

Leg 2: 1, 4, 5, 8, 12, 13

Leg 3: 1, 7, 8

Leg 4: 1, 4, 6, 7