Day trippers have the whip hand at Fairview

The usual posse of month-end visitors to Fairview from Cape Town look more like an invading army than a hit-and-run raiding party this week. The influx is because there are three feature races and some decent prize money on Friday’s programme, which is raced on the turf track.

Champion trainer Justin Snaith leads the cavalry charge and he is flanked by Glen Kotzen and Andre Nel.

Snaith’s runners Native Tongue and Captain Tatters dominate the early betting for Races 5 and 7, the Fairview Mile and the Fairview Merchants respectively.

These two are top horses in Western Cape so should have the beating of their PE country cousins. But, of course, there many a slip…

Native Tongue was a star in Snaith’s KwaZulu-Natal satellite yard last year and was relocated to Cape Town for a summer features campaign. He has been game and competitive without hitting the jackpot at Kenilworth, but we must bear in mind that he has bumped some very good opposition.

Here he meets Marmara Sea, one of the smartest local gallopers, from the yard of Alan Greeff, but one fancies Native Tongue will prove superior with all that high-quality racing in his legs.

Captain Tatters is an equally willing servant and would have more than just two wins from 17 runs to show for his efforts if he hadn’t had to tackle some of the best sprinters around.

This 1200m Merchants is Captain Tatters’s peak run and comes after a close second place (the seventh of his career) last time, behind the esteemed Russian Rock.

Heading the defence of local pride is another Greeff runner, Whatever Next.

Sandwiched between these two races is the Lakeside Handicap, a 2400m affair in which Snaith, surprisingly, has no presence. This leaves the way clear for Kotzen to challenge with his consistent stayer Follow The Star.

The mare knows all about Fairview, having raided three times before – for two wins and a second, the last triumph being in October over the same course and distance as this assignment.

The day’s biggest winner could be jockey Richard Fourie, who is booked for all three of our picks – as well as a few other choice runners.

SELECTIONS

1: 3 Smith And Wesson, 2 Forest Spy, 6 Holly’s View, 4 Sunset Reaper

2: 2 Zambaq, 3 Miss Nibbles, 6 Oh So Squishy, 4 Twice To Heaven

3: 13 St Patrick’s Day, 3 Arizona Sky, 10 Boy Named Sue, 2 Tozzetti

4: 7 Savannah Winter, 4 Winter Scout, 10 Versailles, 2 Mifid Two

5: 3 Native Tongue, 1 Marmara Sea, 9 My Bestie, 6 Cat Daddy

6: 5 Follow The Star, 2 Miss Strange, 1 Master Supreme, 6 Cairon

7: 1 Captain Tatters, 6 Whatever Next, 9 Spring Awakening, 7 Green Light Gal

8: 3 Star Of The South, 10 Tizona, 1 Irish Willow, 8 Van Gogh

Pick 6: 2,3,6,9,10,13 x 2,4,6,7,10,11,14 x 3 x 1,2,5 x 1,6,7,9 x 1,3,10 (R1512)

PA: 2 x 3,13 x 4,7,10 x 3 x 5 x 1,6 x 3,10 (R24)