Gimme A Nother big-race banker

Pick 6 punters might feel a trifle nervous about bankering big-race odds-on favourites after last weekend’s torpedo in the Cape Town Met. Yet, dangling tantalisingly before them, are two such prospects in the main events on Guineas Day at Turffontein on Saturday.

Sandringham Summit and Gimme A Nother are short-priced standouts for the TAB Gauteng Guineas and the Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas respectively – as Joburg’s vaunted three-year-old crop enter the Triple Crown/Tiara arenas in traditional 1600m curtain-raisers.

As the other legs of a predicted R3-million-pool Pick 6 are very competitive, the urge to banker one or both of these precocious striplings will be overwhelming for many.

David Nieuwenhuizen-trained Sandringham Summit might have clinched only three wins in seven starts but one of those was a Grade 1 race and the callow youth is regarded so highly by the experts that he has already been syndicated to stud.

He turns out in his new sparkly white Varfontein Stud silks for the first time in the R1-million Grade 2 Guineas and expectations will be high among the new rights holders.

Last time out, the son of Gimmethegreenlight finished third in the Dingaans over the same course and distance – his lowest-placed finish thus far – but had rotten luck in the running. He is likely to be placed in a better travelling position by jockey Gavin Lerena this time around, from draw 3.

William Iron Arm

The ante-post betting for this race has thrown up a poser for banker hunters. William Iron Arm, with two wins in his first three starts, but who hasn’t raced for seven months, went straight onto the boards at 4-1 – indicating lots of early money and a degree of confidence from the connections.

The “mystery horse”, a very well bred colt, has since been trimmed to 7-2 – the sort of market move that Pick 6 players can hardly ignore.

Purple Pitcher’s Dingaans triumph was his fifth in a row since joining the stable of up-and-coming trainer Robyn Klaasen and must come into the Guineas reckoning, too.

Mike de Kock holds the key to the Fillies Guineas with his five runners, including Gimme A Nother, who is unbeaten after her first four starts. This Mauritzfontein darling is weighted to win with ease, but does have the widest draw of 11 to overcome.

In her penultimate start, the Betway Mile over this course and distance, Gimme A Nother was slowly away and looked well out of her ground with 500m to go, yet cruised to a comfortable win when her turbo boosters kicked in.

Her next effort, in the Grade 2 Ipi Tombe Challenge under very similar conditions, she showed growing maturity and composure and doddled in.

On that evidence, Gimme A Nother surely looks a safer Pick 6 banker candidate than Sandringham Summit.

SUGGESTED PICK 6 PERM

1,4,5 x field x 1 x 1,2,8 x 1,2,4,6,8,9,12 x 4,5,7,8,10 (R2,205)