HANDICAPPED. Doosra is likely to start favourite for the Grade 3 Tony Ruffel Stakes at Turffontein on Saturday but could face a tough task and has been beaten by two of his rivals in the race.
Doosra has been showing consistent form in her last few runs and looks the ideal candidate to win Race 6 at the Vaal tomorrow.
This five-year-old son of Captain Al has talent but his best distance seems to fall in that area over which there are not always a lot of races.
He finds 1200m a touch too short, although he did win his maiden over that distance, while 1600m is at the end of his scope.
However, 1400m is just perfect and that is the distance of this MR 104 Handicap.
He has raced six times over the distance for three wins and three places. His fifth win was over 1500m.
What was spectacular was his last run which was in the Grade 2 Peermont Emperors Palace Charity Mile in which he finished a 0.30-length third behind Coral Fever.
This Johan Janse van Vu-uren-trained runner received no penalty for that good run so even though he is carrying 6kg more than last time, he remains the runner to beat. He reunites with jockey Gavin Lerena who has rid-den Doosra to victory in four of those five races.
One has to expect a strong challenge from Infamous Fox. Candice Dawson’s charge was never in the hunt during the Charity Mile but he jumped from No 13 of the 16-horse field and probably was in need of the run.
He came into the Charity Mile with only one run under his belt so the fact he only finished 5.40 lengths behind Coral Fever was not a bad effort. He is 0.5kg be er off with Doosra and has Raymond Danielson, who rode him to victory in three of the four successive wins in June and July, in the irons once again.
Those two look likely to fight out the finish and should be enough for the exotics, but if one is looking for a third option perhaps Kings Archer could answer the call.
A lot of what has been said about the ideal distance for Doosra applies to this seven-year-old except that he has won a couple of races over 1600m.
However, Kings Archer is the kind of horse who needs a lot of things to go his way.Jockey Piere Strydom thought this son of AP Arrow would run well last time at Turffontein but he did not find a finish and was no match for highly talented Buffalo Bill Cody.
While Kings Archer has not won over this course and distance he has placed all five times he has raced over the straight 1400m at the Vaal so must have some kind of chance.
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