No. 1868
4
MONDAY 10th - THURSDAY 13th SEPTEMBER 2012
ISSN 1023 / 6996
ARLINGTON
12:40pm (Monday) p.4
VAAL
Consistency personified: The 6yo Where's My Chop looks strong enough to beat Danesco at the Vaal on Tuesday
12:30pm (Tuesday) p.13
SCOTTSVILLE 12:25pm (Wednesday) p.26
VAAL (SAND) 12:05pm (Thursday) p.35
At the Vaal this Tuesday - MR90 DIVIDED HANDICAP over 1400m It’s a classic tale of the battle hardened warrior versus the athletic skills and talent of a relative new upstart on the block. That is the choice facing form-studiers at the Vaal on Tuesday where St John Gray’s 6yo Where’s My Chop faces up to Weiho Marwing’s smart-looking 3yo Danesco over the straight 1400m track.
T
he race falls slap bang into the usual expectations of the midweek muddle puzzle, but much interest is thrown into the pot by the anticipated spicy showdown between Marwing’s promising Albert Hall youngster and his elders. Weiho will surely know better where he stands with Danesco after this seasonal debut in a rather tough school. But it’s not a two-horse race either, by any stretch of the imagination.
Promising The youngest contestant in the twelve strong field, Danesco has only run four times and besides a categorical win on debut by 3,50 lengths over the Vaal 1200m,has produced some eyecatching efforts. We can ignore his second start when he travelled down to Scottsville for the Gr1 Gold Medallion. He was slow away and reported
not striding out and finished a dismal last and some 32 lengths off Potent Power. Despite being reported to be lame on the near hind after that abortive trip, he was sent out two weeks later at Turffontein and did not disgrace himself when finishing fourth and 4,50 lengths behind the promising Mogok’s Desire over 1160m. He showed good toe there and
Main Aim
Perfection There are others to consider. The charismatic perfectionist Mike Azzie sends out the Fort Wood gelding Lancewood, who was injured at his last start when finishing a rather one-paced fifth and 6,50 lengths off Directorate over 1800m. He has recorded his three wins over the mile and may just enjoy this 1400m from his 4 draw if allowed to use his stride. The 8yo Jallad gelding Ryan’s A Lion has breathing problems which hinder him from to time , but despite this drawback has managed to bank 9 winning and ten place cheques in a career that has spanned 75 runs. He won his penultimate outing over the course and distance when losing ground at the jump but getting up to beat War Front in an MR 80 Handicap. He has Jet Dot Com well held on that run and maintained the form when stepping up slightly in class with a solid third behind Great Smokey Improved sort Wallace Tolmay’s Celtic King is an interesting and vastly improved runner. A winner of his last two starts over the Vaal and
has great pleasure in an (GB)
Son of Champion Sprinter OASIS DREAM 6 wins incl 2xGr wins & 8xGr places (1200m -1400m)
Turffontein 1400m, his track record prior to that was largely undistinguished. This included a weak maiden win on the sand and a tilt at the Kimberley Classic, in between a few fairly moderate turf runs. The penny appears to have dropped though and his last two wins, while achieved against lowly rated handicap opposition, can hardly be faulted. He comes in on 52kgs and while it is difficult to imagine him registering a hat-trick of wins, he may burgle a place cheque and deserves trifecta and quartet consideration. The rest do not inspire a great deal of confidence. The former Emerald Cup winner Iron Wood appears to have soundness problems and has lost all semblance of any form. Jet Dot Com has proven disappointing after showing good promise, but is twice a course and distance winner from his seven victories. His last four runs have shown a downward spiral in his form graph and he would need to up his game to have a chance. cont on page 2
Highlandsnouncing
Oasis Dream – Orford Miss by Selkirk
Timeform 123
no side effects from his road trip and post-race unsoundness. A month later he was back on the N3 and travelled to Greyville where he did not disgrace himself when finishing just 3,25 lengths off War Horse in the Gr1 Golden Horseshoe after running green on the bend. It is worth noting that he had the subsequent Gr1 Premiers Champion Stakes winner The Hangman some two lengths behind him in that particular race. Taking that outstanding Gr1 effort over 1400m into account, and assuming that the handicapper is roughly on the mark with his rating, then he looks quite well in here if running to a semblance of his best ability.
The Chop But Danesco won’t have things all his own way and the ever consistent Announce gelding Where’s My Chop comes into the reckoning, with the services of the jockey who last won on him, and whose style suits him down to the ground. Piere Strydom is the noted master of the late assault and he won a cracker on St John Gray’s gelding when flying up late to win a Pinnacle Stakes over 1200m at the Vaal five runs away. He has done little wrong since-even switching to sand with fair effect – and he ran on well last Saturday when finishing 2,25 lengths off Dennis The Menace when conceding 6kgs. Where’s My Chop has matured lengths from the little horse that shed his maiden in a lowly Workrider’s race a few seasons ago, and now an eighttime winner from 34 starts, he should definitely prefer the extra 200m of Tuesday’s race. He has won over 1400m only once previously.
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