Insert your own Derby day headline here

Where to start in talking about Saturday’s Derby day race meeting at Turffontein? There are so many highlights it’s not easy to single out one for prominence.

The old journalism wheeze of bullet points is a way around the conundrum:

• Rain In Holland is at odds of 1-4 to land the fabled Triple Tiara by winning the Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks, the third and final leg of the series.
• Kommetdieding, winner of both the Durban July and the Cape Town Met in the last year, makes his Joburg debut in the Grade 1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes – and starts at even money for the win.
• A pool of R5 million is predicted for the Pick 6 wager on the day – thanks to a carryover R1-million kickstart.
• The venerable WSB SA Derby – nominally the headline event – is a wildly competitive race, with only one of the nine runners having tried the classic 2450m trip before and every horse in with a winning chance.
• Supporting features, the Man O’War Sprint and the Caradoc Gold Cup, have line-ups representing some of the best speed and stamina horses around. The Citizen MR104 Handicap, Race 3, also has an exciting field of top-class runners.
• The whole shebang has been dubbed the Joburg Seafood and Jazz Racing Festival – meaning there will be treats for palate and ears along with eyes on the green turf.

Rain In Holland will have to suffer a major mishap to let the Tiara slip. She is bred to handle this 2450m and has looked increasingly comfortable as she has been stepped up in trip thus far.

None of her regular opponents seems to have the capacity to turn around the form, while her new rivals don’t seem to be in the same class.

There’s a huge weight of expectation on trainer Sean Tarry and jockey Richard Fourie, with the daughter of Duke Of Marmalade likely to be a banker in most exotic permutations, but the seasoned pros have the experience and temperament to make a little more history.

Red Saxon won the 1800m SA Classic with a resolute performance over 1800m and is a clear ante-post favourite to take the Derby as well. But there are doubts about his stamina capacity over the extra 650m as his sire, Red Ray, was an out-and-out sprinter.

A horse like Aragosta, once fancied as a Triple Crown candidate himself but who failed to land either of the first two legs of the series, looks a more likely winner in this final leg of the dead rubber. Mike de Kock’s runner has not met expectations thus far but has the ideal pedigree for such a test of endurance and class.

Kommetdieding? The 1600m is perhaps a bit sharp for him nowadays, but the competitive spirit runs strong in his veins and a victory would be a showstopper.

SELECTIONS

Turffontein Saturday

1: 7 Shikoku, 2 Mayenne, 1 High Flyby, 3 Oceans Pride

2: 11 Free Wylie, 1 Forward Spell, 4 Sea Of Galillee, 16 Kuznetsov

3: 3 Willow Express, 11 City By The Sea, 5 Irish Tractor, 10 Fight Song

4: 5 True To Life, 2 Mr Flood, 1 Bohica, 9 Godswood

5: 5 Mufasa, 3 Sound Of Warning, 7 Alula’s Star, 4 Gallic Chief

6: 1 Kommetdieding, 2 Al Muthana, 11 Captain Lannister, 3 MK’s Pride

7: 1 Rain In Holland, 3 Eternity Ring, 6 Quiet Rebellion, 2 Clafoutis

8: 2 Aragosta, 7 London Roads, 5 Litigation, 1 Red Saxon

9: 3 Nebraas, 6 Black Thorn, 4 Green Haze, 8 Masaaken

10: 5 Invincible Warrior, 7 Admiral Dooley, 9 Duke Of Sussex, 10 Fateful Day

Pick 6: 1,2,4,5,6,9 x 2,3,4,5,7,8 x 1,2 x 1 x 1,2,4,5,7 x 3,4,6 (R1080)

PA: 3,5,11 x 1,2,5 x 3,5 x 1 x 1 x 2,5,7 x 3 (R54)

Scottsville Sunday

Best: Race 1 No 7 Grinkov

Value: Race 5 No 1 Chijmes