Dan weighted to win

Night racing during the season is always fun at Turffontein as we not only have a Graded race on the card but lots of Plate races used to prepare the top horses for the upcoming major features.

Tonight’s eight-race card includes the Grade 3 Tommy Hotspur Handicap over 1000m. This race is the most difficult of the evening as every runner has a winning chance.

The collateral form is very close between many of the runners but it could be worth going with Doing It For Dan who is highly regarded by trainer Louis Goosen. The four-year-old Windrush gelding is not the easiest of runners to ride as he tends to play up at the start but he is an eight-time winner from 21 starts and this race is tailor made for him.

After beating Bad Boy Buddy Boy in the Listed Golden Loom Handicap over this course and distance at the end of October Doing It For Dan was rested for almost three months.  He came back in a Conditions Plate over 1000m at Turffontein last month and after his usual slow start, ran on well to finish a 2.55-length fourth behind Moofeed.  The two meet again and this time Doing It For Dan is 2.5kg better off and a lot fitter so he should be capable of turning the tables.

He is also 2kg better off with second-placed Mod Barley, who finished 1.25 lengths ahead of him and has a 3.5kg advantage over Lumya who was just a neck ahead of him.

The Golden Loom form also gives Doing It For Dan the edge over most of his rivals but they are close enough to him at the weights to make this race quite tricky. If Doing It For Dan does not play up too much or give too much start, he should win but if he is more unruly than usual then Gunter Wrogemann has a tough task on his hands.

Mike de Kock saddles two runners and perhaps Tiger Territory will have the edge over stable companion Moofeed. The five-year-old son of Trippi has run two decent races in his last two outings, finishing just a neck behind Viking Hero in the Grade 3 Lebelo Sprint over the course and distance in January.

Craig Zackey rode him on that occasion and he is back in the irons again while Gavin Lerena is on Moofeed after winning aboard the son of Duke Of Marmalade last month.

Alec Laird has his yard in top form so one needs to respect Dollar Dazzler who was touched off by Brutal Force in the Grade 2 Merchants but is not well weighted with Doing It For Dan on the Golden Loom run.