Going in to bat with Willow Magic

As has been the case in the past, and should be the situation again, the draw will play a part so you should lean towards the lower number draws which are on the inside of the track.

We will try to give you a Jackpot for the meeting but as two of the races are for juveniles, those could be a little unpredictable.

The first Grade 1 is the Allan Robertson Championship for two-year-old fillies and we have some runners who have won their first and only starts so they could make massive improvement and upset the applecart. But in my opinion you have the two Mike de Kock-trained fillies, Shaama and Entisaar, who have campaigned in feature races and are likely to improve even further.

You could pick one of the two for your Place Accumulator and banker her but as they are juveniles running for the first time on this track it might be worth including both. For the Jackpot you have to put in both.

I’m riding Madame Dubois. She’s only had one run for a win. That was only a maiden while the others have already won feature races so there is quite a jump in the class of opposition. Unfortunately she also has a bad draw. In saying that she won her start very well and I’m hoping she could be good enough to overcome all those obstacles.

Race 6 is the Tsogo Sun Golden Medallion. I’m leaning towards the two horses who have won their first starts convincingly – Muwaary and Prospect Strike. I would again consider both for the PA. The other horse with the best feature-race form is Redcarpet Captain and those are my three for the Jackpot.

I ride Donny G. He is quite a laid-back horse and didn’t beat a strong field first time out so I would be happy with a place.

The City Of Pietermaritzburg Fillies Sprint looks a two-horse race between Alboran Sea and Carry on Alice. On form I have to lean towards Alboran Sea but as Carry On Alice has the better draw she could turn the form of the Computaform Sprint around. For the PA you could banker either of the two but for the Pick 6 you must go with both and could even consider Fly By Night and possibly Jet Belle.

I ride Tzigane. She’s well held on handicapping and form so she will battle to place. The reason I’m riding her is because none of the favourites were available to me!

The main race is the R1-million Tsogo Sun Sprint which is a handicap and should give all horses an equal chance. I think the bottom weights are now better off as they have been running against the best horses at level weights.

You will also have to choose between the youngsters versus the old brigade. I’m leaning towards the young brigade which consists of Brutal Force and Zambezi River. Their form line shows there is not much between the two of them. The reason I’m leaning towards them is that Brutal Force beat Castlethorpe in a very easy manner which makes me think they have the better form line.

Of the older brigade I’m leaning towards my mount, Willow Magic. Unfortunately he has his issues. He plays up badly at the start, has soundness problems and was coughing last time. As this is a competitive race I would suggest putting all three into the PA and for the Pick 6 it is the type of race you could go very wide and hope for a result.

Tomorrow we are back at Turffontein for an eight-race meeting and we race on the inside track.

Race 1 is for juveniles and is quite competitive. Once again it is difficult to know who will make the most improvement. I’m leaning towards Schillaci although unfortunately I couldn’t get the ride. He’s had a couple of runs but that could be to his advantage in the inside track. The danger could be Hypothermic but he has a shocking draw. One could also include Romany Prince in Trifectas and Quartets as he could has a good draw and could improve markedly on his debut run.

Race 2 is the opening leg of the Place Accumulator and is another Juvenile Plate for fillies. There is a lot of collateral form which has them close together and it is a matter of who improves the most.

I’m leaning towards Archetype, Bank The Bill and Windy Desert but Guest Lodge and Night On The Hill can’t be ignored. It could be worth including all five in the PA in what is an open race.

Race 3 is a very difficult affair where you might have to include quite a few horses. For the PA I would go with Rose Of Castille, Pied Piperess, Upon A Dream and Zavaroni. For the Pick 6 you might have to include Hit The Big Time based on her good first start at this course.

I have ridden Pied Piperess in her last couple of starts. She doesn’t show much interest and struggles to keep up with the pace. I’m not convinced about this track where you need speed but I’m hoping the extra distance might help to improve the form.

In Race 4 I ride Movie Man who must have an undeniable chance. But he has had many chances to win a race and to my amazement last time he was priced up at 1-5. I find it quite strange when a horse has already had so many starts without a win and the bookmakers believe the horse warrants a price like that.

For the Place Accumulator I would consider Movie Man and Jolie Roger. As Movie Man has had many opportunities and might struggle with this fast track, you could consider the field for the Pick 6.

Race 5 is a Pinnacle Stakes and your best handicapped horses should fight it out. They are Halve The Deficit, Heavy Metal and Tellina. As Halve The Deficit beat the other two last time in the President’s Champion Challenge and is better weighted this time I will take the chance and banker him in all bets.

Race 6 is the Syringa Handicap and is quite a competitive handicap but I’m leaning towards Estidraaj, Seventh Heart and Maayaat to fight it out. Pick two of those for the PA and all three for the Pick 6.

I ride Not Sulking. I have always felt she is a better sprinter so I’m not sure she will stay the distance, especially as she has to give weight all round.

Race 7 is a fillies’ handicap and finding a winner is rarely easy in these events. I’m leaning towards Soldier Girl and Noor Dubai but it doesn’t stop there. You could consider Sebonac and Mirror The Moon so for the PA go with the first two and one of the others.

I ride Luala. Her last win was in very heavy going and as she changes legs quite often during the running I’m not sure how she will handle this sharp track. If you think she will handle the track then she has to be included.

Go with all five runners for the Pick 6.

The last race looks an absolute nightmare as the horses showing form are drawn quite wide over a track and distance where the draw is vital. The horses who have run often come out of poor form lines and are badly drawn.

Therefore I’m going to take a chance and banker Windinmyhair who ran a decent first race and is well drawn. This filly has the most scope for improvement and has a lot of factors in her favour by having a good draw on a track where it is vital, and an opposition who have a lot of obstacles to overcome.