Argo Alley to flaunt his heritage

The R500 000 World Sports Betting Grand Heritage (Non-Black Type) will be run at the Vaal on Saturday 21 December and there has been an entry of 61 runners for this popular race.

The success of the Grand Heritage is that it is restricted to horses with a net merit rating of 106 or below, which allows lower-rated horses to race for a really good stake.

The event is run over the unusual distance of 1475m up the Vaal straight and on Thursday at the course we get an early look at some of those contenders as Race 6, a Middle Stakes over the Grand Heritage trip of 1475m.

It comprises a field of 14 runners and most of them have entries for the Grade Heritage. However, should one of them that has not yet been entered for that race produce an outstanding performance, there is still a chance to get in as there is a final supplementary stage on Friday after which the weights will be announced.

Declarations close at 11am on Thursday 12 December.

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If Thursday’s field is any indication of the final 20 runners, we are in for a highly competitive race. There are a number of runners with winning opportunities, but the best value could lie with St John Gray’s runner, Argo Alley.

On form he should not beat Pomodoro’s Jet as he is 4kg worse off for a 2.50-length victory over James Crawford’s charge. That day he raced all alone down the inside of the track and the result was never in doubt. The question is how much he had left in the tank, and the answer appears to be quite a lot.

This time he is drawn one off the outside which is often seen to be the better going but all credit must go to the track manager and his staff who appear to have made it pretty even on both sides of the course.

Muzi Yeni has an excellent record on this five-year-old Argonaut gelding but of course he is out of action and sadly, we are unlikely to see him in action again in 2024. Raymond Danielson has picked up the ride.

Wyzeact ran a cracker last time when just snared short of the line by Musical Score over 1400m at this track. This Corne Spies-trained runner has been running against some decent horses, including the likes of Barbaresco. He will also benefit from the 2.5kg claim of apprentice Craig Mayhew.

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Radicchio has only recently joined the Barend Botes yard, but this five-year-old gelding comes off two solid victories at HWB Durbanville. The five-year-old son of Flower Alley is a six-time winner with three of them over 1400m and two over 1600m and would be an ideal candidate for the Grand Heritage.

He does not have an entry yet but that could all change with a promising performance in this Middle Stakes. Marco van Rensburg takes the ride.

Pomodoro’s Jet had his first race at the Vaal on 10 October when second behind Argo Alley and is another in with a big chance. His best efforts have been over 1600m but this is a stiff 1475m and it should suit him. Craig Zackey takes the ride.

Stablemate Raven Black is another with a Grand Heritage entry but he will line up in Race 7, a MR 96 Handicap over 1000m.

Once Raven Black was gelded, he imposed himself by winning three in a row, the last two by wide margins. This athletic Master Of My Fate gelding looked headed for the top as a sprinter prior to a long layoff. He had an issue or two having been off for more than 400 days but according to his trainer, he is working well but may just need it.