Aldo to find good grazing on Fairview turf

Trainer Justin Snaith will be bringing four runners to Fairview on Friday and he looks unlikely to go home empty handed.

His main focus appears to be in Race 6, the Betway Insurebet Friendly City Stakes (Non-Black Type) over 1800m, where he will be running two runners – Warrior and Hoedspruit. Both have been struggling to find a path to the winner’s enclosure and have not done so over 600 days.

However, they are well weighted for this event and could be more competitive in the Eastern Cape. Both have had a rest and have had at least one warm-up run.

Warrior appears to be the more likely pair to run well in this line-up and he will be ridden by JP van der Merwe who has picked up the rides for the stable, other than obviously Hoedspruit who will have Robert Khathi in the irons.

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Interestingly, Hoedspruit won the Listed Algoa Cup over 2000m, his only run at this course, in 2021, so Snaith will be hoping for a repeat performance from the six-year-old Legislate gelding. However, they both have in-form Grazing-in-the-grass to beat.

Alan Greeff’s charge has not put a foot wrong this year and will be looking for his sixth successive victory. His run on five successes have been made up of four on the Polytrack but he did win a Pinnacle Stakes over 2000m on the turf in February.

Richard Fourie who has ridden him in four of those wins, is listed among the “indisposed jockeys” by Aldo Domeyer, will be aboard and he road this Philanthropist gelding to victory last time out.

Others to consider are Quasimodo with Muzi Yeni up, and Bush Tracker, who has run well since joining trainer Sharon Kotzen.

However, Snaith should be in the mark in Race 2, where he sends out Zippy Over in this MR 86 Handicap for fillies and mares over 2000m. This five-year-old mare arrives in good form and looks far better than her local opposition.

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