Final Field & Draws - Golden Horse Casino Sprint

Is Val De Ra a great price at 22/10 or will the punters be Blue?

all the best JJ and Lucky

JACK MILNER:

If the bookmakers have got it right then Mike de Kock is going to win three of the four Grade 1 sprint races over 1200m at Scottsville on Saturday.

They have priced his runners up favourite for the South African Fillies Sprint, the Allan Robertson Fillies Sprint and the Golden Reef Resorts Medallion and the only reason they have not done so for the Golden Horse Casino Sprint, is because he doesn’t have a runner.

In that race Charles Laird’s Warm White Night is a soft favourite at 7-2 with the older and less speedy Mythical Flight at 5-1. Weiho Marwing’s up-and-coming four-year-old Moroccan is at 6-1, with Tropical Empire and JJ The Jet Plane, who is having his first race since returning from overseas, both at 7-1.

Kavanagh, who cantered home on debut to win The Nursery (G2) over 1160m at Turffontein, has been opened at 12-10 to do the same in the Golden Reef Resorts Medallion. He beat a strong field of juveniles on that occasion and he could be hard to beat here.

The bookies see Laird’s Sport Coach and the unbeaten Tuscan Sky as his dangers and they are at 9-2 and 11-2 respectively. Link Man, who won his last two races by a total of 16 lengths, is at 6-1.

De Kock’s unbeaten Mahbooba is at the top of the boards for the Allan Robertson Fillies Sprint but is on offer at 33-10. The only reason she is available at those odds is that last time over the course and distance she took a while to get going before mowing down her opponents and the layers are hoping that 1200m could be touch sharp for her.

But the main talk around the tracks in KwaZulu-Natal regarded the SA Fillies Sprint where unbeaten Val De Ra and De Kock’s import Gibraltar Blue will go head-to-head in arguably the most exciting duel of the day. The bookies have priced up Gibraltar Blue at 16-10 with Val De Ra on offer at 5-2.

De Kock's Rock Of Gibraltar filly is northern hemisphere-bred and thus six months younger than her three-year-old counterparts, but one would never think so looking at her as she is powerfully built and has been very impressive in her two, hard-pulling wins over 1450m and 1600m since arriving in South Africa.

``I wouldn't be running her if I didn't think she could beat Val De Ra. Val De Ra will be tested,’’ said a confident De Kock.

Val De Ra, a three-year-old filly by Var, looked her usual laid back self in Denis Drier’s yard after her workout. Drier has been very pleased with her preparation.

Regular work rider Sean Veale gave her a gentle canter on the sand and said: ``She is doing very well. She is the best horse I've ever sat on. I can't see her being beaten.’’

Neutral trainers or assistant trainers Kevin Wright, Alyson Wright, Colin Scott and Frank Robinson also went with her, while Herman Brown sided with Gibraltar Blue.

Of the opposition trainers Kumaran Naidoo felt Gibraltar Blue was the horse to beat, while Glen Kotzen felt it was Val De Ra.

The only other runner in single figures is Sean Tarry’s Captain’s Gal who is at 7-1

GOLDEN HORSE CASINO SPRINT

7-2 WARM WHITE NIGHT; 5-1 MYTHICAL FLIGHT; 6-1 MOROCCAN; 7-1 JJ THE JET PLANE, TROPICAL EMPIRE; 10-1 INTELLECTUAL; 14-1 AND UPWARDS OTHERS

SOUTH AFRICAN FILLIES SPRINT

16-10 GIBRALTAR BLUE; 5-2 VAL DE RA; 7-1 CAPTAIN`S GAL; 14-1 AND UPWARDS OTHERS

ALLAN ROBERTSON FILLIES SPRINT

33-10 MAHBOOBA; 5-1 ROMANTIC MOON; 11-2 HOLLYWOODBOULEVARD; 6-1 IBROX PARK, WAYWEST GODDESS; 8-1 BIG ON BROADWAY; 12-1 AND UPWARDS OTHERS

GOLDEN REEFS RESOTRS MEDALLION

12-10 KAVANAGH; 9-2 SPORTS COACH; 11-2 TUSCAN SKY; 6-1 LINK MAN; 8-1 COPPER PARADE; 10-1 SKY MARSHAL; 16-1 AND UPWARDS OTHERS

(Betting supplied by Betting World - www.bettingworld.co.za )

All the best to JJ team!!!! Personally I wish you'll run them over however I cant see it happening. Should have gotten him a prep run before this... question is, how does he run fresh?

"He will not be at his peak," said Houdalakis. "He is about 85% fit and all we can do his hold thumbs."

Houdalakis said earlier this month that only the race would tell whether he retained his former ability as he had never been a good work horse and always worked on his own.

He was happy with his draw of six.

Captains gal and Val De Ra to fight out the fillies race

JJ has gone 4/1 fav :S hope they are correct.

I dont think any of the Gauteng runners have a chance in any of the features.
The powers have moved to the Cape. De kock not considered a Gauteng trainer i must add

In my view, if JJ is back to his old self, he will win and win easily - before he went overseas be beat Rebel King by 4 lengths at level weights, and Rebel King then ran right next to Warm White Knight giving him 2 kg's - so even if JJ is not quite 100% ready, he should be able to beat Warm White Night; I also like Thunder Key for the places, but if JJ is not back to his best and WWN flops again, anything can win.

I think the Fillies Sprint is a 2 horse race between Val de Ra and Gibraltar Blue (don't think Captain's Gal has the class to beat either of them) and the bookies probably have this one priced up correctly.

The juvenile colts race seems at the mercy of Kavanagh, with the only possible danger being Sports Coach who won his maiden by more that 9 lenghts - and I have my doubts about Tuscan Sky being as effective over 1200, so once again it seems the bookies have priced them right.

The juvenile fillies is open in my view, with Mahbooba possibly needing more ground already (and this does not bode well for the ones beaten by her last time) - Oochee Agent beat Waywest Goddess on good ground and looks real good value at 40/1.

Some great racing to look forward to (although the rest of the card looks a bit 'iffy' imo - hopefully Baby Elvis can get us off to a winning start - although looking at the betting two of the first timers are attracting the money)

me thinks Val de ra & mythical flight a good double, throw in Kavanagh for the treble !