No. 1880
MONDAY 22nd - THURSDAY 25th OCTOBER 2012
5
ISSN 1023 / 6996
ARLINGTON
12:45pm (Monday) p.3
SCOTTSVILLE 12:20pm (Tuesday) p.12
TURFFONTEIN NIGHT 17:05pm (Tuesday) p.21
DURBANVILLE 12:50pm (Wednesday) p.33
Rested - Mike De Kock's talented mare Atlantic Oak could come out fighting after a rest
VAAL 13:25pm (Thursday) p.40
R165 000 Gr3 YELLOWWOOD HANDICAP OVER 1800M at Turffontein on Tuesday
A
The R165 000 Gr3 Yellowwood Handicap will be run over 1800m under the lights at Turffontein on Tuesday evening.This race produced the 2010 Gr1 Sansui Summer Cup winner when Flirtation won it for Mike De Kock. Is there a possibility of history repeating itself?
nything is possible when Mike De Kock goes racing. The master trainer saddles a blue-blooded coupling of Berry Blaze and the rested 6yo Singspiel mare Atlantic Oak, who take on fourteen opponents in this capacity field. And we saw last Tuesday evening how De Kock gets them to win, with Welwitschia and Silver Flyer achieving smooth victories – even after being rested. Weather Punters will be hoping that we see this meeting to its conclusion after losing the ninth and tenth races last Tuesday
evening when the weather turned nasty. Powered by Eliezer, this is a race known for being competitive and of some substantial quality. Admittedly neither Berry Blaze nor Atlantic Oak look like Summer Cup winners at this stage of the game, but the dynamics and unpredictability of the sport we love have taught us not to take anything for granted. Stable jockey Anthony Delpech, refreshed after his recent annual holiday break, has opted to ride the beautifully– bred Berry Blaze, who disappointed last time when a onepaced 5,50 length fifth be-
hind stablemate Festival Of Fire in the Joburg Spring F&M Challenge. Berry Blaze went off a 2210 favourite in that feature event, but after being slow away, was never in it despite the urgings of jockey Anton Marcus. She eventually finished 3 lengths behind Without Malice, whom she meets a half kilo better off here. That may not be enough to make the required difference, but she will enjoy the extra ground. This will only be Berry Blaze’s fifth start of 2012, and on the evidence of her best performances, she is capable of a Gr 3 win.
Deep Sea Atlantic Oak is another beautifully bred import who was rested after an indifferent fifth in the Off To Stud Handicap towards the end of July at Scottsville. Her form prior to that included a luke-warm effort in the Queen Palm a month earlier. But she won 4 of her 6 previous starts and could be a factor despite her race-readiness doubts. Piere Strydom has the benefit of a 1 draw on the Tamburlaine filly Katy’s Lane, who is yet to recapture her 3yo form. She ran a poor race when 15 lengths behind Silver Flyer last Tuesday evening in a Pinnacle Plate, but will be a lot more comfortable against her own sex here. She is also 1,5kgs better off with Berry Blaze after she finished a whisker behind the De Kock horse in the Joburg Spring Challenge. Katy’s
Lane is bound to also enjoy this trip and the opportunity of being settled by Striker Strydom, and allowed to run on off what is bound to be a healthy pace. Himalayan Hill hails from inform yard of Alec Laird and won a good race when clinching the Off To Stud Handicap at Scottsville at her penultimate outing. She disappointed though at her next start over the Vaal straight mile when fading badly late in the race to finish 13 lengths off Alessandria. The Laird charge is 6,5kgs better off with Alessandria on Tuesday’s weight difference, and will prefer the extra 200m of this race The Azzman
Magic Smoke has shown good ability in the peaks of a rather inconsistent formline, and does not jump from the best of draws here. Nuresh Juglall rides her for the first time and she is a long-striding filly who could relish being allowed to use her stride. That said, she will have to up her game a good few notches to stand a chance of upsetting the better girls. Barend Botes saddles the Count Dubois filly Up Front who botched her Emerald Fillies Sprint effort with a no-show 24 lengths behind Formation. She had won 3 of her 4 previous starts though, and gets the services of Felix Coetzee from a nice Mike Azzie sends out the Fort draw. Cont on p.2 Wood galloper Magic Smoke, a winner of 3 of her 8 career starts. Magic Smoke started her career with plenty of promise and is held in high regard by her shrewd trainer. Azzie won the Yellowwood last year with Queen’s Bay, who also won the race in 2009.
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