Marcus has the right resolution

In Race 1 Astro looks hard to beat. The form alone seems stronger than that of the rest of the race runners. If one takes into account he had a very bad start last time and still managed to recover to race handily. He obviously tired late so with a bit of racing experience and normal improvement he should be very hard to beat.

I’m riding Penitent Pirate. Even though he has placed lately the form is not too strong and I’m not sure he will go the extra 160m.

In Race 2 Sovereign Mint is well weighted to win again. He has a tendency to pull so the fact he is well drawn will help him settle. I make him very hard to beat so a bet on the two of them should give you money for the rest of the day. .

In Race 3 I’m riding Bad Dream but unfortunately he has a bad draw. The same goes for the favourite Alshadhia. I rode a horse last week which had the best form but was badly drawn over this course and distance. Although he went a bit lame it was the draw that beat him. Alshadhia has the same draw. On form she shouldn’t get beat and should even improve but from No 15 draw you are taking a huge risk. I would consider including Bikini Athol, who is also drawn badly, and Celine, who is better drawn, in the Place Accumulator.

Race 4 is quite a difficult race in that you have a lot of moderate maiden fillies competing against one another and the form is very close. I picked up the ride on Lightning Lily and I’m not sure what to expect. The horses I would include in all bets, and I suggest you go wide in the PA and Pick 6, are, in number order, Bengawan Solo, Elusive De Lage, Tormentress, Mulberry Bay, Keep My Promise, Shirla and possibly the horse we all have to beat, Miss Rambo, who has the best scope for improvement.

Race 5 is another difficult fillies’ handicap. There are a couple coming off long rests and we are not sure about their level of fitness. The horse I’m leaning towards is Cio-Cio but she is one of those coming off a rest, and maybe even the stable companion Semra, who has dropped drastically in the merit rating but is coming off an even longer layoff.

The two who have fitness on their side are Break Of Dawn and Euphoria. I would include those two in the PA and for the Pick 6 add the two De Kock runners.

In Race 6 I’m riding Mirage Drive. He has some sort of a chance but seems held on a couple of runs so even though he needs to be included in bets he is by no means a banker. The horse with the best form is Magic Smoke but she had two marathon trips in Durban and they could take their toll. If she produces her best form she will be the horse to beat.

The next best form line is Storm Warning but he’s also coming off a marathon trip down in Durban. My next selection is Savage Wind and, in fact, he was the first call I made to look for a possible winning ride. I would include those three in the PA but for the Pick 6 add Mirage Drive and Augustinus.

Race 7 is once again a difficult fillies’ handicap. I’m riding She’s A Looker. She’s drawn No 1, which is useful, but I’m not sure she will stay 2000m and on current form she will battle to beat some of the other fillies.

My first choice is Sweet Water. She has a good draw and I’m only guessing but on breeding she looks likely to see out the distance. The dangers are Erin and Showdown but both have to overcome bad draws. For that reason, even though it’s quite competitive, you could banker Sweet Water in the PA and you could get quite a bit of value for it.

For the Pick 6 put in all three as well as Sisters Of Mercy, who continues to win, and Miss K who is well weighted against my horse, although that was on the sand.

In Race 8 I’m riding Empire Of The Moon. She is drawn wide, has some soundness and breathing problems and I’m not convinced she will see out the distance. I will probably have to ride her conservatively and could find myself well back unintentionally.

One always tries to get the best possible mount and my first call was for Lady Muffet and she is my best bet on the day. She has the strongest form by far and in the past has had some shocking draws to overcome. Her last run was against the colts. The only danger I can see is Gypsey Myth but she’s poorly drawn. So Lady Muffet is my banker in all bets.

In the last race I’m riding Brave Princess. If you take the claiming into account she can’t beat Sylvan Gold. Last time I rode Yangtze Kiang, who was my first call in this race, but unfortunately she had a bad start and I could have erred by trying to move towards the outside, which could have jeopardised her chances. She’s one to consider as she could probably improve quite a bit from the last run.

Sylvan Gold could be a banker. She’s had three runs for two wins and now has the benefit of a claimer. She could be good enough to continue winning. I’m going to take a chance and again make her a banker in all bets.