Form points to Chyavana at Turffontein

Chyavana should be able to concede weight to his opposition and still come out the winner of Race 7 at Turffontein on Saturday, a Middle Stakes over 1160m on the Standside track.

While this five-year-old gelding is not the best weighted runner in this 10-horse field, he does have one of the best form lines and a repeat of that performance should see him walk off with this event.

In his last race, a Pinnacle Stakes over 1000m at this track, the son of Flower Alley finished just 2.25 lengths behind Thunderstruck who at the time could lay claim to being the best sprinter in the country.

Sean Tarry’s charge had an excellent campaign in the Western Cape when winning three of his four starts and finishing second in his other, the Grade 1 Cape Flying Championship over 1000m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth.

Thunderstruck then returned to Joburg to win the Grade 1 Computaform Sprint over 1000m at Turffontein followed by that Pinnacle Stakes in his next start. Sadly, he suffered an injury either during that race or shortly afterwards and had to be retired from racing.

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For Chyavana to run so close to Thunderstruck is quite a feat, especially if one considers that he was returning to racing following a five-month layoff and was the victim of interference some 200m from the line.

Trainer Johan Janse van Vuuren has his yard in fine form currently and is producing a number of winners for owner Laurence Wernars.

Gavin Lerena is riding at the top of his game right now and there is hardly a meeting on the Highveld at the moment where Lerena goes home empty handed. He has quite a good rapport with this gelding having ridden him four times for two wins, a third and a fourth place.

His record at the course is three wins and three places from eight runs, so Chyavana has history in his favour as well.

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As a six-time winner Chyavana has been allotted 62kg, which means he has to concede weight to all the other runners.

The main threat is likely to come from Tulip Tree, who seems to be handling a drop in distance quite well. Stuart Pettigrew’s charge has been racing over further with some success and his return to sprinting seemed a strange move.

However, that changed two runs back when Pettigrew fitted him with blinkers and since then he has been producing strong finishes in his races. Calvin Habib has picked up the ride.

One standout bet on the card comes up in Race 2 where Tony Peter sends out Almond Sea. This speedy daughter of Canford Cliffs takes on the colt in this Juvenile Plate over 1000m but she has the speed to run this field off their feet. She won her first three races, all over 1000m, by a total of 18.75 lengths before lining up in the SA Fillies Nursery over 1160m.

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Peter suspected the extra 160m would prove her downfall and the fact the going was yielding did not help her cause. She led for 1100m before fading out to finish third, beaten just 1.25 lengths by talented Little Ballerina.

With the going on top and reverting to the minimum distance Almond Sea should have too much speed for her opposition.