Yeni-Howells combo is a big factor in the Greyville Pick 6

Muzi Yeni and Duncan Howells join forces at Greyville on Wednesday to provide punters with a bit of backbone to the Pick 6. The jockey-trainer combo will have high hopes of winning both the sixth and seventh races on the card – and possibly providing a banker for braver souls in the tricky exotic bets.

In Race 6, an FM78 Handicap over 2000m, Yeni gets a leg up on the mare Aquae Sulis, who has hit top form since switching to Howells’s care in April. Removal of blinkers seems to have given her a new perspective on racing and she comes off two consummate wins in a row at Scottsville.

The one question mark over Aquae Sulis in Wednesday’s outing is the Polytrack surface. She was tried on it twice and didn’t shape. However, that was some time back when she was inexperienced and competing over shorter distances.

The daughter of Traffic Guard improved a lot when tried over ground and she looked very comfortable when winning over 1950m last time out. A draw of four will allow Yeni to place her well as the field dives down the hill at Greyville.

Wendy Whitehead-trained Integrity finished 2.0 lengths adrift of Aquae Sulis in June and is 4kg better off at the weights this time. Also, she has won on the Poly.

Others to consider, if one is hesitant to banker Aquae Sulis, are Papillon and Crimea.

In Race 7, an FM78 Handicap over 1200m, the Yeni-Howells nexus goes with the dasher Irish Belle. This daughter of speed sire What A Winter is not for catching if the track is fast and she has a head-start.

Yeni was aboard for one of her three career wins to date and he simply let her gallop away from her opposition over this very course and distance.

Rivals in this race who might have the wherewithal to peg back Irish Belle are Umzinduzi, Nikiya and Flaming Lass.

SELECTIONS

Race 1:

7 Finding Freedom, 12 Ethiopian Queen, 4 High Born, 6 Indomavel

Race 2:

1 Accolade, 3 Airways Law, 8 Story Book, 6 Hippocrates

Race 3:

7 Sanctity, 9 Fists Of Fire, 1 The Green Gallant, 10 A Thousand Tunes

Race 4:

6 Golden Groove, 7 Cordobesa, 5 Red Riding, 4 Sparkling Flame

Race 5:

3 Maidens Prayer, 8 Eager Duchess, 2 Alphonse Baby, 1 Captain Ariano

Race 6:

4 Aquae Sulis, 7 Integrity, 8 Papillon, 3 Crimea

Race 7:

4 Irish Belle, 6 Umzinduzi, 5 Nikiya, 1 Flaming Lass

Race 8:

2 Varistocracy, 4 Canadian Bolt, 12 Transonic, 9 So Var

Pick 6:

1,7,9,10 x 3,4,5,6,7 x 1,2,3,8 x 4,7 x 4,5,6 x 2,12 (R1440)

PA:

1,3,6,8 x 1,7,9 x 6,7 x 3,8 x 4 x 4 x 2 (R48)