WEEKEND RACING HIGHLIGHTS: 18 – 20 SEPTEMBER

TALENTED RUNNERS GET READY FOR THE BIG TIME

There are some great betting opportunities this weekend. Many trainers are beginning to expose their talented runners as they prepare them for upcoming features and several interesting younger horses are making their seasonal debuts. Rain has disrupted the schedule and Friday’s meeting at Fairview has been moved to the Polytrack, while the night meeting at Hollywoodbets Greyville has been postponed to Sunday and will also be run on the Polytrack. Meanwhile, in the UK, one runner is looking to equal a record that has stood for 95 years.

FRIDAY HIGHLIGHTS

FAIRVIEW: GREEFF ROLLS OUT HIS BIG GUNS ON THE POLYTRACK

Some of the best runners in the Alan Greeff Stable will be making their seasonal debuts headed by star filly Anotherdanceforme in Race 5, the Betway Friendly Stakes over 1800m. This Master Of My Fate filly has won 11 of 13 starts and is unbeaten in two runs on the Polytrack. Both those wins were full of merit and she is a very short price for this contest. “Anotherdanceforme is taking on mixed company for the first time, but she is a class filly and I think she’s going to be very competitive once again,” said Greeff on Track Talk.

Greeff is well represented in Race 6, a Pinnacle Stakes over 1200m, with the top-rated runners in Golden Palm and Splicethemainbrace. “These two fillies are not really sprinters, but Golden Palm needs the benefit of a sprint,” said Greeff. “I was hoping they would stay on the turf but it hasn’t worked out that way. This 1200m is a little on the short side for both fillies, but they are classy and nine out of 10 times class prevails.”

AYR: BEAUTIFUL DIAMOND CAN GLITTER AGAIN IN ARRAN SPRINT

Course-specialist Beautiful Diamond should prove hard to beat on her return to Ayr in a bid to win the Listed Arran Scottish Sprint EBF Fillies’ Stakes twice running. Karl Burke’s five-year-old mare shone 12 months ago with a 2.50-length success and certainly feels at home on the southwest coast of Scotland. From four previous starts at Ayr, Beautiful Diamond has three victories – one was a dead-heat with Azure Blue – and a third last time out. The daughter of Twilight Son has stepped up to Group company this season and has not disappointed, finishing third behind stablemate Night Raider in the Temple Stakes at Haydock in May.

SATURDAY HIGHLIGHTS

TURFFONTEIN: GELDED JIMMY VEGA CAN SCORE UNDER FOURIE

Richard Fourie makes the trip to the Highveld for seven rides and Jimmy Vega looks his best opportunity to strike early in Race 3 over 1450m. The Soma-trained three-year-old son of Malmoos has placed in all four starts but has twice disappointed as a short-priced favourite, including his latest effort over this course and distance. He has since been gelded and if that has brought the expected improvement, Jimmy Vega has the class to finally break through. There has been rain on the Highveld and the going is likely to be on the soft side. There are several possible Pick 6 bankers and this looks a must-play bet.

SUGGESTED R96 (10%) PICK 6 PERM (Leg 1 Race 4 @ 14:00):

Leg 1: 8

Leg 2: 5

Leg 3: 1, 3, 5, 6

Leg 4: 1, 2, 5, 6, 7

Leg 5: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Leg 6: 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9

MAURITIUS: DANIELSON TO HIT GOLD IN 1400M TROPHY

Jockey Raymond Danielson has been having a hot run in Mauritius and can bag another winner when he rides Paved With Gold in the Duraco Solar Ltd Trophy over 1400m. This Ramapatee Gujadhur runner has had four runs on the island – fifth on debut, the five-year-old son of Pathfork then finished second and has gone on to win his next two. This will be the first time Danielson takes the ride.

AYR: RUN BOY RUN AIMING TO EMULATE 1931 FEAT

Richard Spencer-trained Run Boy Run bids to become the first horse since Heronslea in 1931 to win the Ladbrokes Ayr Gold Cup in successive years. The five-year-old, one of four runners in the race for Spencer, will again be ridden by George Wood. He partnered him a year ago and his mount has only 2.5kg more to carry this time round. Spencer expects the son Rajasinghe to go close again after some near misses this season. “He’s been relatively unlucky in a few runs this year and I think the ground is a big thing with him. He loves that ground up at Ayr, which is going to be soft, and he should go close. We’ve put blinkers on him on Saturday which I think will help. We did it last year and we’ve waited to change it up slightly before the end of the year.”

SUNDAY HIGHLIGHTS

HOLLYWOODBETS GREYVILLE: MARK’S MASTER FOR FOUR IN A ROW

Mark Dixon-trained Master Du Rouvray will be looking to chalk up his fourth successive victory in Race 7, a Middle Stakes over 2000m. The move to the Polytrack is unlikely to hold any fears for the five-year-old Master Of My Fate gelding as two of those previous wins were on the surface. But he does face strong opposition. Uzwano franked the Master Du Rouvray form when winning next time out and they now meet at level weights. Mohave Prince has had the measure of Uzwano on two recent occasions and will be a strong contender from the best draw.

At the time of writing, the fate of the meeting originally scheduled for Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Sunday was undecided. Weather permitting, there is a chance it could take place on Monday 21 September. It’s the last meeting before the track undergoes its annual spring treatment and could be an ideal opportunity for the “mudlarks” to shine if it goes ahead. An announcement will be made in due course.