Punters to go moggy in Syringa Handicap

Moggytwoshoes loves the inside track at this course where she has established a record of four wins and three places in her seven starts at the track. She has won three of her last four starts with her lone defeat coming at the hands of Santa Carolina in her penultimate start. On that occasion she lost ground at the start and by the time she got going the bird had flown.

The Louis Goosen-trained runner has the habit of dropping out to the rear and running at them from a long way back. In her last start, over 1450m at this course, she turned into the straight some 10 lengths off the pace and when Olive Leaf hit the front the race looked all over. But Moggytwoshoes appreciated the very fast pace set by Fanzene that day and cut a swathe through the field to win going away by 0.75 lengths.

Goosen admitted on that occasion that 1600m is on the cusp of her range but she does stay the distance on the inside track. It will also be in her favour that there has been almost no precipitation although there was a short stint of soft rain on Monday evening which could only have done some good.

Deon Sampson knows her well and he has the ride again. They jump from barrier No 1 but that could be a slight disadvantage as the four-year-old daughter of Mogok tends to drop back quickly after the start.

Mike de Kock saddles two runners and they look to be the main dangers. Ilha Bela has raced against the best in the country and on paper should be able to beat an ordinary field of fillies and mares. Her merit rating has started to come down and Anthony Delpech comes up to Joburg to take the ride.

The only concern is she has been contesting races between 1800m and 3200m and is now coming back in distance. Nevertheless, she loves this course and has a record of three wins and one place in her four starts.

On paper Festival Of Fire should beat Moggytwoshoes. De Kock’s second runner is 5kg better off for a one-length beating in a Pinnacle Stakes over 1450m at the track in March. Unfortunately she will have to overcome draw No 12 and she has not been producing her best form of late.

De Kock also saddles Whistle Stop in Race 6, a Pinnacle Stakes over 1600m. He has not raced since finishing unplaced in the Grade 1 Cape Guineas but there has been a lot of talk about him being a big runner in next week’s Daily News 2000 and the Vodacom Durban July.

He will need to win a race of this nature to show his wellbeing but the three-year-old son of Silvano will need to get the better of Pomodoro, who is the best-weighted runner.

The 2012 Durban July winner comes off two good Grade 1 runs and looks ready to get back on a winning track. Pomodoro is unbeaten in two starts on the inside track.

To add to the day is a Pick 6 carryover of R300,000 with the pool estimated at R2-million.