Jockey Gavin Lerena is set for a big day at the Vaal. Picture: Supplied
It could be worth going Green at the Vaal tomorrow.
No, I’m not talking about saving the flora and fauna at the track but rather about the Racing Roulette bet in Race 6.
The concept of the bet was only introduced recently but it is a really fun bet which gives you plenty of options. The best part is that it really is quite simple – it’s almost like playing red or black on a roulette table at a casino.
There are a couple of differences in that the Racing Roulette bet offers three colours – red, black and green – and the horses have been put in their groups to reflect the opening betting.
The Red Group invariably contains the favourite and other runners, the Black Group has the second favourite and others while the Green Group has the third favourite and other runners.
So, there is a slight bias in favour if the Red Group, but this is where a bit of skill comes in. Race 6 at the Vaal tomorrow is a MR 72 Handicap over 1200m and contains 15 runners.
As is so o en the case in races of this nature, the betting is wide open. In this race, Certifiable is favourite at 7-2, Moon Warrior is at 11-2 while Smoke is next bets at 13-2.
They head up the respective Red, Black and Green Groups.
Also in the Red Group are Manx Park, Price Jor-dan and Rambo. The Black Group includes Battle Creek, Supanova, Golden Man and Anjaal, while all the remaining runners fall into that Green Group.Analysing the leading protagonists of the latter group you have Smoke, who has a win and two paces in our runs, Snow In Seattle, who ran third over 1000m last week but has four wins over this course and distance, as well as Cumberland, who has a record of two wins and a third in five runs over the course and distance and has a 1.5kg claimer up.
Piere Strydom rides Smoke, who contested an Assessment Plate last time a er a layoff and fi nished a 5.25-lengths fi h be-hind San Fermin.
The average merit rating in that race was 82, it is just 62 in this handicap. Snow In Seattle did finish two lengths behind Moon Warrior last time but the latter has only placed once in four races over 1200m and is definitely better over 1000m.
Other than those three, you also have Alphamikefoxtrot, Minnesota, Sharp Gitano and Good Emperor in the Green Group.
If any one of those seven runners wins, you are in the payout queue.One can take Racing Roulette bets at Flamingo Park tomorrow in Races 6, 7, 8, and 9.
For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.
Download our app and read this and other great stories on the move. Available for Android and iOS.