Turffontein, 18/01

Frodo wrote: Competitive card on an overcast day - going may tend toward soft if the rain comes - thoughts .

R1: 5 runners in single figures - my preference is for Fireworks - some loyalty shown to a struggling jock who will be eager to prove his worth- was available yesterday at 15/2 which represented very good value imo; main danger could be Sultanah, who has also found some market support - but none of Bella Rosa, Meercat or Olivia can be ignored; Lightoftheunicorn, Wonderful Rock and perhaps Ocean Forest are quartet contenders with the unexposed Last Cheer

R2: Blue Spark has the right form, but the 1600 may be a stretch; on collateral form I do prefer General Jackson despite his wider draw; Enrique also may be better than his last run in yielding conditions, but is not finding any support in the betting market - these look the principles bar the unexposed first-timer Magic Duke

R3: I think Sidonie may be a bit high in the ratings, but in this field should be right there again; my preference at the weights however is for Secret Dream; Westwing Belter seems better over 1400, but does not look badly in, and can surprise with the cheek pieces to find a place ; I think Christmas Flower still needs to show that she is in the same class as Sidonie at level weights

R4: Waqaas stands out on form - has not run a place at this track though, so I think Darkest Hour looks very good each-value at 10s; Prince of Promise and Revelation come from nice draws and could place with Lasair, Written in Stone and Jackman who all need to overcome double figure draws; The Rocketman tries pacifiers, but needs big improvement on his current form imo

R5: Another race where one horse seems to stand out - Western Front has won his maiden in KZN and although there were two in that race, who won next time out, for me I'm always hesitant abt the KZN form; I do think Rockstar Child looks very good each-way value - last run most likely too far and penultimate run behind Top Rank can make him competitive here; So Long Spring inconsistent, but as is the case with Liberado, could feature if repeating their last runs

R6: Dawn Assault looks the right one again, with Diamond Dancer probably the main danger; Glider Pilot was highly rated as a younger horse, so if he comes back to that sort of form, he could be a big danger, while Odd Rob can also pop up in an open looking contest where only Tirzan looks unlikely to win

R7: Not a lot to choose between Social Order, Russian Beat (on his penultimate) and Leopold - so at the odds Russian Beat makes the most appeal; Saragon and Florida Quays next best imo

R8: 3 horses again stand out a bit imo; Pop Icon has obvious credentials with Movie Magic, while Rooi Tom has found market support - the others seem to have their work cut out

R9: Only race down the straight; obviously very competitive; recently it's been an advantage to be drawn towards the stand side, so for me Sweet Trial looks very good value at the odds; tries blinkers which could improve him a little, but even without those, he looks very well in here based on his penultimate behind behind Pearl of Siberia; others like Touch of Fate and the other Magner runners Varimax (morning Dom ) and Alex the Great not without a chance either

Enjoy