Big Burn is ready to fire at the Big T

The filly Big Burn owes her supporters a fair bit of money and has a perfect opportunity to settle the debt when she heads the field for the Grade 3 Sycamore Sprint at Turffontein on Saturday.

In her last three runs, the three-year-old has been heavily backed – not surprisingly, having won four out of her first five races before that. She surely must have been showing her fitness at home, too.

But she encountered problems in all three of the recent efforts and couldn’t quite convert confidence into accolades, finishing third and twice second. Still, it was bumps and saddle slips that kept her out of the winner’s circle, not a lack of talent or gumption.

Trainer Paul Peter and jockey Warren Kennedy will be praying for an incident-free gallop up the Turffontein straight from the 1160m starting pole. All things being equal, Big Burn should win this feature comfortably as she is the best horse in the race by any measure you care to use.

Thanks to those four early-career wins, she has a merit rating of 115, with the next highest ranked horse a fellow three-year-old filly, Bold Act, on 105.

Of course, weight could play a part, with two four-year-olds, Tanzanite Queen and Full Velocity, a lot less burdened than Big Burn.

It just seems that Peter has his charge supercharged for this assignment and will surely be keen for the connections to recoup both money and pride.

SELECTIONS

Turffontein Saturday

1: 1 Master Of Coin, 4 Mcebisi, 2 Blonde Act, 10 Canada Square

2: 2 Pashasha, 4 Pretty In Pearls, 5 Hydrangea, 1 Bellevarde

3: 2 Barak, 6 Masaaken, 5 Mystery Boy, 7 Smiley River

4: 1 Jaipur Jewel, 11 Lamborghreeni, 4 Bulletin, 2 Leeson

5: 13 Naval Guard, 3 Duke Of Sussex, 12 Kool Baikal, 5 Have A Go Jo

6: 1 Bold Fortune, 4 Pin Up, 9 Opera Glass, 6 Rouge Allure

7: 1 Big Burn, 7 Tanzanite Queen, 8 Full Velocity, 4 Bold Act

8: 1 Super Agra, 2 Noble Striker, 6 General Hancock, 12 Power Ranger

9: 3 Ice Man Cometh, 1 Secret Is Ours, 2 Sequoia, 7 Wondering Star

Pick 6: 1,4,11 x 3,4,5,8,12,13 x 1,4,6,9 x 1,4,7,8 x 1,2,6 x 1,2,3 (R2160)

PA: 2 x 1 x 3,12,13 x 1,4 x 1,7,8 x 1,2 x 1,3 (R72)

Scottsville Sunday

Best: Race 4 No 7 Fearless Kitty

Value: Race 7 No 7 Keep On Dancing