Captain’s Song to hit high note

There is no stand-out banker at Turffontein today when racing takes place on the Inside track.

One of the harder races on the programme is Race 7, the R106,000 topliner, a FM 89 Handicap for fillies and mares.

Quite a few people will side with the in-form combination of trainer Sean Tarry and jockey S’manga Khumalo, who team up with well-drawn Seventh Heart.

The four-year-old filly took no interest when downfield behind Tiger’s Touch in the Sycamore Sprint over 1160m on the Standside track last month, so that run should be ignored.

In her penultimate start she only weakened late to seventh, 3.30 lengths behind Off The Mark in the Acacia Handicap over 1600m, and before that placed twice in a row over 1400m, indicating that perhaps this is her optimal distance.

However, she will have to lift her feet some if Mike de Kock-trained Captain’s Song is tuned up after a 290-day rest.

This promising three-year-old went wrong in the Golden Slipper over 1400m at Greyville last year, when she closed late for sixth behind Chestnuts ’N Pearls. The form of that race is not the strongest, even though it yielded two winners and two place-getters.

Before that Captain’s Song had placed behind Sapsan and Frosted Honey and won third time out, beating Archetype (now a two-time winner) by an impressive seven lengths. She is not that well drawn but that is something veteran jockey Weichong Marwing, having his second meeting back from injury, can help to overcome.

Miss Tweedy, from the Stuart Pettigrew yard, has a light weight in her second run out of the maidens. She followed her only win to date with a second to two-length winner Princess Pearl and the form of that race is not working out too badly.

Topweight Drifting Dusk also failed to fire in the Sycamore Sprint but her previous form was good enough to see her shape here. She ran a 2.70-length fourth behind Easy Game in the Bauhinia Handicap over 1000m on the Standside track and beat Jungle Mist over this course and distance in her third-last start.

Lucky Houdalakis-trained Firsttimesacharm is another runner with the credentials to win. Apprentice Lyle Hewitson takes 3.5kg off her back and she could earn, although she was disappointing in her only run over this course and distance. She went on to place in her next two starts, both over 1400m on the Standside track. She is well drawn in pole position.