Stars ready to shine

As far as Vaal cards are concerned today’s meeting has to be one of the best staged at the course for quite a while.

There are two Pinnacle Stakes races over 1000m, which comprise many of the best sprinters on the Highveld, as well as a MR 80 Handicap over 1400m in which some top three-year-olds will be running.

As is often the case at this time of the year many of them are coming back from a rest but even sometimes when not 100% fit, good horses know how to win so all three should be intriguing contests.

Race 6 is a Pinnacle Stakes for all horses and it is interesting trainer Johan Janse van Vuuren has opted to run Green Pepper in this event rather than the fillies’ race. A share in this filly has been sold to Drakenstein Stud and she will now run in their blue-and-white colours.

Sean Tarry has taken the same route with Man O’ War Sprint winner Exquisite Touch who should hold Green Pepper based on that last race.

Those are the two best handicapped runners, however, the horse they may all have to beat is Talktothestars, who has not won a race in a while but has gone very close in his last two starts.

The merit rating of Coenie de Beer’s runner has fallen 10 points over the last year so he is no longer the best weighted runner but he did well enough over 1000m at Turffontein last time when a 0.55-length third behind The Thinker, to indicate he is ready to win again. The Thinker is 1.5kg worse off this time and that should be enough to turn the tables.

Race 5 is Pinnacle Stakes for fillies and mares and based on handicapping Wrecking Ball could be very hard to beat. The danger could be three-year-old Daring Diva who has a good record over the minimum trip so they should be all you need for the Place Accumulator.