Be quick and clever, go for Dalley at Vaal

One in every five of trainer Lucky Houdalakis’ runners at the Vaal have won in the last six weeks and he can maintain his high strike rate at the Vereeniging track tomorrow.Only four of Houdalakis’ string will be competing at the race meeting and at least three of them have good prospects of finishing in the frame. Best is arguably Dalley in the main race, a R105,000 Middle Stakes for fillies and mares over 2400m.

The Ideal World four-year-old is holding form well with two wins and three places from her last five starts. She is a talented stayer, having gone down just a short head to B Twenty One (a race that has been franked) over 2600m on the Inside track at Tuffontein in March and then beating Peg O’ My Heart (third next time) by three lengths over this course and distance last time out.

Arte, Blue Sage and The Right Answer were six and more lengths behind her.

She is only the second best weighted runner in the eld but Tobesuretobesure, the horse ranked higher on that table, has finished 19 lengths behind the winner in both her starts since a rest and needs improvement.

Champion jockey elect Anthony Delpech, who is retained by owner Jessica Slack’s Mauritzfontein Stud, will be in the saddle again and Dalley should post her fourth career win.

Rose Water, the mount of Weichong Marwing, should relish this distance, which she tries for the first time, and could get closest.

This Roy Magner-trained daughter of Silvano has been running consistently well over 2000m and 1800m recently and last time out finished second to Bright Bronte on the Tuffontein Inside track.

The Right Answer, Arte and Cranberry Crush were behind her that day.

Memphis Belle seems to have a tougher task in Race 6, a FM 68 Handicap over 1000m, but has the ability and the form to win

The three-year-old Var filly had good reasons to finish a close- up sixth behind Ponchielli over 1200m last time out because she cast a shoe and sustained an over- reach injury.

In her six career runs before that she recorded a win, threeseconds and a fourth. My Treasure ge ing back into the Topweight Cataluga, Analyse money in Race 5.

That and Lady On Fire look her main threats.

Just An Affair might have to settle for a minor placing as Sweet Juliet and Singaswewin look likely to fight out the finish. My Treasure meets a eld with a nice depth

Just An Affair is Houdalakis’ runner in Race 3 and, coming in off two third placings in a row, must have a good chance, while a of quality, with Tiger’s Legacy 4kg claimer could see the stable’s looking the one to beat.