Almond Sea looks a tough nut to crack at Vaal

Bettors will have to take short prices but a TAB double or All To Come bet on Races 1 and 2 at the Vaal on Tuesday when they race on the Classic track, is expected to yield a profit.

Both runners have only made one appearance at a racecourse and have attracted attention for different reasons.

Trainer Tony Peter saddles Almond Sea, a facile debut winner on Summer Cup Day, in Race 1, a Juvenile Plate for fillies over 1000m. The daughter of Canford Cliffs was well backed to make a winning debut even though taking on a 17-horse field of unexposed runners including colts and gelding, some with potent pedigrees.

The race was over 800m and Almond Sea went clear from the opening dive and had the rest soon treading water. She ended up 5.25 lengths clear of Proceed who was unlucky to bump another highly regarded Peter first-timer in Pistol Pete in his next start.

ALSO READ: Mzansi’s touch of Hollywood: Toasting the stars of racehorse-ownership in SA

Sean Tarry’s charge will be back in action at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday in the Listed Summer Juvenile Stakes over 1100m.

There looks to be no creditable opposition for Almond Sea to take on this time. Five of the six have raced but have not shown her level of ability and the comment on the first-timer, Nordic Ice, is ‘needs further’. That makes Almond Sea a banker in all bets.

The story of Marauding Horde in Race 2 is totally different. This three-year-old Vercingetorix colt made his debut over 1400m at Turffontein last month and went off at around 8-1. However, he was totally lost in the race and turned for home at the back of the 11-horse field and some 12 lengths off the leader.

ALSO READ: Muis brushes off a wide draw in the Met

With 400m to run he was still ninth and 6.50 lengths off the front runners. At some point coming into the closing stages Marauding Horde suddenly woke up to the fact that he needed to galvanise into action and absolutely took off to finish second, just 1.10 lengths behind Presley.

With that experience under his belt and an additional 200m to race in the Maiden Plate over 1600m, this Mike de Kock-trained colt looks very hard to beat. Kabelo Matsunyane rode him last time and he will be back aboard on Tuesday.