MONDAY 31st AUGUST - THURSDAY 3rd SEPTEMBER 2015
No. 2178 ISSN 1023 / 6996
JC PHOTOS
The 9yo Mirage Drive has lost none of his enthusiasm for racing
FLAMINGO PARK 12:20pm (Monday) p.4
KENILWORTH 1:10pm (Tuesday) p.11
SCOTTSVILLE 1:05pm (Wednesday) p.21
VAAL SAND 12:55pm (Thursday) p.28
CONDITIONS PLATE at Vaal on Thursday There is no substitute for experience and Tyrone Zackey’s hardknocking 9yo Mirage Drive steps out for his 60th racetrack appearance at the Vaal on Thursday. The son of Kahal rattled the rafters at Turffontein last Saturday when turning a grass gallop into an exotic bet knockout – and he could follow up.
M
irage Drive, who races these days in his trainer’s pink and orange silks, was returning from a nine month break and started unfancied at 14 to 1 when going from gun to tape to beat Tora Tora in the MR80 mile turf event.
The amiable Zackey said afterwards that as he wasn’t permitted to utilise Turffontein for grass gallops, he had used the race instead to bring his charge on. It was the best bit of paid grasswork that Mirage Drive had done in his life and he comes in to the Thursday topliner full of confidence – and a length or three fitter. He is likely to be ridden with more restraint
in this 1800m Conditions Plate by Karl Zechner, but he has beaten better than he faces here.
De Kock Four
Mike De Kock threw punters a curved ball at last week’s Vaal topliner when Masnoon, the 40 to 1 shot in his quartet, came through to win. De Kock has once come to the party in numbers again and saddles forty percent of the field, with an upset a distinct possibility again. His two 5yo course and
distance winner are the proven sand campaigners. But neither are particularly consistent or reliable. Guy From Dubai ran a flat race last week when finishing over 9 lengths behind stablemate Masnoon. He ran a much better race at his penultimate outing in handicap company when going down a quarter length to Roman Carnival.
Girl In Time)
Green Desert - Park Appeal (Ahonoora)
Stakes winning sprinter TFR 118 Full brother to CAPE CROSS - sire of Sea The Stars
Cont. p.2
Formula One
The Australian-bred Nigel Mansell was quite a boom
ands bred 3 recent Highlfillies winning on (x Proud Peyt 31 July won Fairview
youngster but after winning three quick races, he lost the plot and was rested.
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atriarch ElephantofMAm erica) (x Voice 4 Aug won Greyville
ilight MysticalngTLiwght) (x Fadi lle 5 Aug Won Durbanvi
Tel: Mike Sharkey 082 372 2682 www.highlandsfarmstud.co.za