Chance for redemption

South African punters have had a tough week, to put it mildly. First, there was the loss of two race meetings at Greyville in Durban due to bad weather, sparking some ill-tempered questioning of jockeys’ testicle counts. Then came a series of results that socked it to humble betting folk and saw three Pick 6 carryovers in a row.

Punters are nothing if not believers in luck turning, though. Which brings us to today’s fixture at Turffontein, in the shadow of gold dumps that remind us of fortunes made and lost. It’s the chance for redemption. Two highly competitive Pinnacle Stakes races within the Pick 6 will force gamblers to “go wide” and include as many runners as possible.

So, finding a banker in one of the other legs is an imperative. Computaform’s doughty tipster Rod Bechus recommends putting all our eggs in the basket of FSquadron in race four, leg one. Banking on a horse in a Maiden Plate is a brave call, but perusal of all other options suggests Bechus might have got it right.

Dorrie Sham-trained FSquadron has been second in his last two outings, one of them over the course and distance. With in-form Callan Murray in the saddle and a No 1 draw, the gelding looks primed to win. Another race to go narrow in is Race 6, leg three, where Captain Morisco and Spanish Boy are likely to fight it out.

The Pinnacle Stakes events feature a host of horses trying to qualify for big races coming up, such as the Summer Cup. In race five, it might be tempting to leave out an outsider called Western Fort. Don’t. This fellow showed his worth in the SA Derby before losing his way a bit in top company.

He has now been gelded, has a headgear change and is one for the shrewdies over 2 000m.

– news@citizen.co.za

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.