No. 1984
MONDAY 21st - THURSDAY 24th OCTOBER 2013
ISSN 1023 / 6996
ARLINGTON
1:15pm (Monday) p.3
SCOTTSVILLE
12:45pm (Tuesday) p.11
TURFFONTEIN NIGHT 5:40pm (Tuesday) p.19
DURBANVILLE
12:55pm (Wednesday) p.30
VAAL SAND
1:20pm (Thursday) p.37
Overdue. Mike De Kock trained Bluroute is champing at the bit for a first stakes win and should be right there
Gr3 YELLOWWOOD HANDICAP at Turffontein on Tuesday night
I
In 2010 Mike De Kock’s Silvano filly Flirtation won the Gr3 Yellowwood Handicap and used it as a springboard into a glorious victory in the Gr1 Sansui Summer Cup just a month later. That puts Tuesday night’s Turffontein double feature bill into perspective.
t’s a longshot, but don’t say that you weren’t warned. The R175 000 Gr3 Yellowwood Handicap and the supporting R150 000 Listed Java Handicap add quality and substance to the eight race programme under the lights, and while we are not suggesting that another Flirtation lurks amongst the eleven ladies
engaged, stranger things have happened in this game.
Knockout
Paul Peter sent out last year’s shock winner Enchanted Kingdom, who got up to catch the pacesetting Without Malice and another outsider Up Front, in a PA knockout. Peter does not have a runner this time round, but his colleague Mike De Kock will be keen to
get back on to the scoreboard after a dismal race last year. De Kock saddled the favourite Berry Blaze as well as the lesser fancied Atlantic Oak, and they both ran right downfield. The champion trainer saddles Bluroute and Al Kindi on Tuesday evening.
Eyecatcher
Bluroute is a very capable daughter of Dubai
Destination, who caught the eye when running on strongly for fifth behind stablemate Ilha Bela in the Joburg Spring F&M Challenge a fortnight ago. She should be a lot fitter when lining up now and is the mount of stable jockey, Anthony Delpech. She seldom runs a bad race and looks much better than a three time winner at this stage of the game. Her year younger stablemate Al Kindi used the same pipe opener, but was over six lengths adrift of Bluroute and appears well held. She will naturally, however, improve over this extra
ground, and is a consideration for place money.
Very Fit
St John Gray’s Sarge mare Formation is an interesting runner. A noted exponent of sand galloping, Formation runs off a 94 on turf (after adjustment) and a 100 plus on the sand. She won the Emerald Fillies Handicap for the second year running on Emerald Cup day, to add to her career haul of eight victories. Two of those victories were achieved on the turf, and she is interestingly, a course and distance winner. She also has the distinction of having registered a victory
over subsequent Triple Tiara winner Cherry On The Top almost a year ago to the day, and then gave weight to the champion, too! Formation is very fit, and has the benefit of the 1 draw. She was also scheduled to run at the Vaal on Thursday, as we went to print, and the form of that run may be worth considering. Cont. p.2