Var Bay to find his form

Var Bay never raised a gallop last month when last seen out but that was a rare off day and Lucky Houdalakis’ charge could make amends when he lines up in a MR 80 Handicap over 1450m at Turffontein.

The five-year-old has won four races from his 14 career starts, three of those victories coming between June and September this year. He beat his stable companion Woza Madoda (won next time) over this course and distance in June and was then beaten into third behind Pivotal Pursuit over the standside track 1600m in July.

Var Bay then scored two wins in a row over 1400m at Turffontein and the Vaal respectively, with two other winners coming from the first of those successes.

So his failure to fire over this course and distance last time out, when he finished 11^th behind Noah From Goa, was unexpected. His merit rating has climbed from 65 to 75 but even the four-point (2kg) penalty he received for his most recent win does not account for that aberrant run. It was only the fifth time in his career he finished out of the top four and it may pay to forgive that run.

He is well drawn and will have leading apprentice Craig Zackey, who knows him well, in the saddle again.

Mike Azzie sends two horses into battle, including three-year-old King’s Apostle colt Scheme Of Things, who looks a nice handicapper.

He finished a promising third on debut over 1200m at the Vaal and made no mistakes next time out, when beating Neptune’s Jewel by 1.20 lengths over the straight Vaal 1400m, form that has worked out reasonably well. In his only post-maiden run, Scheme Of Things finished a well-beaten fourth behind Off To Gaul over 1800m – a distance that is possibly a bit far at this stage of his career.

He reverts to a shorter distance and could make his presence felt with JP van der Merwe in the saddle although there is a strong possibility that he will need this run to sharpen up again.

Spike Lerena and his in-form nephew Gavin team up with Cumberland, a four-year-old who is very fit after three races on the Vaal sand, the most recent of which yielded a victory over Sub Shaawes in a 1450m contest. The other two of his three career wins were recorded on the turf so the change in surface should not affect his ability.

The other runners in the field all have smatterings of fair recent form but cannot be relied upon to deliver of their best and small punters should take a chance and banker Var Bay in their Pick 6 permutations.

A weak field with three first-timers lines up in Race 4, a 1200m Maiden Plate, but Alec Laird-trained Gusheshe, the mount of Weichong Marwing, could be hard to oppose.

He was all at sea over 1150m at this track in his debut last month and finished fifth behind Tripadvisor when two subsequent winners finished behind him. He will know more about his job this time and should get off the mark.