11-5-4-1-9

The promising CHEPARDO has won all of his four starts. Can be followed again and will be finishing strongly. Takes on stronger but should be up to it. BULLETING HOME  has excellent form over the distance and was running on when winning last time. Main challenger. Another who will be running on is PIVOTAL PURSUIT. Form is very good and should be a challenger. TORO ROSSO has the ability but has been a bit off form. NATIONAL KEY has not won in nine months but is never too far away. Can earn.


RACE 2:

1-3-4-6-7

It is good to see former champion jockey, Richard Fourie come up for the day. He has a very good chance on COOL CHARDONNAY. He has finished well in his last two. ARCH RIVAL found a good finish last time over slightly shorter. He must be respected and should be in the shake up. FORTUNE FELLA is holding form well and his last two runs were improved. ELUSIVE FLYER is as honest as they come. His last three runs have been improved ones. He can count himself unfortunate last time when he cast a shoe. Expect improvement. SMART MART has been messing around at the start in his last three but has been finding a good finish. Top yard!

RACE 3:

4-7-5-3-13

Watch for the improving two year olds. The unbeaten EXQUISITE TOUCH from the Sean Tarry yard is unbeaten after two starts. She does look promising but there could be others who could make the improvement necessary to win this race. The progeny of VAR are happiest over 1000m. The slightly extra could see her weaken late, but on promise, include. Stable companion MYFUNNYVALENTINE is unbeaten after one start. That win was over this C & D and she could be the main challenger. I took FURSA four runs to win her maiden. She may need to confirm but respect all Mike De Kock runners on the day. ELECTRIC LADY took two good runs before she won her maiden. Can follow up.STAR BURST GALAXY is another daughter of VAR travelling over the extra this afternoon. One to keep an eye on. Has finished behind EXQUISITE TOUCH both times he faced her.

RACE 4: S A NURSERY (Grade 1) - Nothing hazy about CLOTH OF CLOUD

10-8-6-2-4

Improvement is rapid amongst the two year olds and there could be an upset. CLOTH OF CLOUD, the two year old daughter of  CAPTAIN AL, has won both of her starts to date and looks to be as good as both runs have suggested. The Sean Tarry trained filly made an impressive debut in Cape Town in January and followed that up last time. The extra distance should suit her even more. S'Manga Khumalo rides for the third time. She is the only filly in the race but that should not stand in her way. She is half sister to the talented filly, SILVER MOUNTAIN. This is her toughest assignment to date and should be the one to follow.

An interesting runner is the debut winner from last time and stable companion, RIGHTFUL KING. he won impressively over this C & D last time. If he is as good as that run tends to indicate then he should make a bold bid. Anton Marcus, who rode JANNOBI last time has the ride this afternoon. He has a good chance in this race if CLOTH OF CLOUD were to fluff his lines.

Mike De Kock is sure to challenge when he sends out the two-time winner, JANOOBI, who had to be worked hard at to win last time. He is going to win his fair share of races. He must be respected.

CHILI CON CARNE won his maiden comfortably last time. That was his second run. Watch for further improvement. FLYING MYTH was not disgraced in his post maiden last time. Won on debut the run before that. Bernard Fayd'Herbe rides for Sean Tarry.

RACE 5:

13-2-1-5-12

There are a number of promising older fillies in this race. INANINSTANT, from the Sean Tarry yard, has really impressed in her three consecutive wins in her last three. Jockey Karl Zechner has a very good chance of a feature race double when he rides this rapidly improving three year old daughter of SILVANO. One to watch in future as well. THE CENTENARY showed very good improvement last time when winning over further. Mike De Kock's horses to be watched on the day. She has won over the distance. TROPHY WIFE was not disgraced when finishing two lengths behind INARA in the Empress Club Stakes last time. Will have her supporters and the Sean Tarry yard has a strong chance. Expect another good and honest run from MARMALADY who has done very little wrong thus far. SHE'S A DRAGON finished well behind JUXTAPOSE in a similar field last time. Could be good value.

RACE 6:

6-2-9-5-4

ZAFIRA is still improving. She stays all day and is ideally C & D suited with one win and two seconds in her last three runs. Should be the one to beat. The KZN raider PRINCESS VARUNYA ran two honest runs against stronger in two features on the Highveld in her last two. She may be better in this race now that she has faced stronger fields compared to those in KZN the past months, Expect a top run. Anthony Delpech rides again. Don't write off the chances of CHRISTMAS CAROL who looks to be one of the bigger improvers on the day. WITCHCRAFT will need a better finish, but the Sean tarry/S'Manga Khumalo factor will have to be respected once again. PERSIAN RUG has had moderate form. Anton Marcus rides for Mike De Kock

RACE 7: WORLD SPORTS BETTING COMPUTAFORM SPRINT (Grade 1) - CARRY ON ALICE to carry on winning

15-1-3-10-16

Trainer Sean Tarry has another winning chance with the ante post favourite and four year old filly, CARRY ON ALICE. She has shown very good form in strong fields. Whilst she may be around 12/10, she could have her work cut out in this race. There are only two fillies in this race but she does have the class to pull her through. Jockey S'Manga Khumalo has ridden her in all seven of her twenty one run career. She usually runs from off the pace but she can do it the other way around and race up with the leading division. Whichever way, she should be the one to beat. On occasion though, she has been found wanting late on.

TRIP TEASE can be excused his last run. That was in Cape Town. He is a far better horse than that run and is once again a serious runner. He has the form over this C & D to win and has won three from four over this C & D.

KZN trainers and their horses have not performed as well this season as in past seasons. Trainer Dennis Drier sends out BARBOSA who has won seven from eleven starts over the 1000m. He will be running on and KZN hopes will be relying on him although Michael Roberts saddles MUSCATT, the 1000m record holder at Scottsville. Has come good at the right time. Talking about record holders, the PE raider BLIZZARD BELLE, from the Yvette Bremner yard, has won her last six starts, which also includes the fastest 1000m ever run in South Africa, admittedly with a strong tailwind. .

RACE 8: S A DERBY (Grade 1) - ABASHIRI has TRIPLE CROWN in sight

1-4-7-2-6

ABASHIRI, the three year old son of of GO DEPUTY will be looking to land the Triple Crown at Turffontein this afternoon. The Triple Crown was first contested in 1999 and was won by the legendary HORSE CHESTNUT who won the Argus Guineas, SA Classic and the SA Derby. He was trained by Mike De Kock and ridden in all three legs by Weichong Marwing. The feat was followed two years ago in 2014 when the Geoff Woodruff trained LOUIS THE KING won all three, the first leg of which was the Gauteng Guineas. Robbie Fradd was the jockey. At around 16h30 we'll know if ABASHIRI will be the third winner. He has an impressive record of  five wins from seven starts. The way in which he has won over shorter suggests that he should see out the extra. This Mike Azzie trained ABASHIRI has yet to lose a race when ridden by Karl Zechner (4 from 4).

The Mike De Kock yard is quietly confident about their chances with JUBILEE LINE. His form coming into this race is nowhere equal to that of ABASHIRI with only one win from seven starts. One cannot leave Mike De Kock and his charges out of any equation on big race days. Anton Marcus has the ride which would enhance his chances.

Stable companion, KINAAN, has slightly better form but this is a huge jump in class. To his advantage is that he has run second over this C & D and this will no doubt be a huge advantage in a race such as this. Former stable jockey, Anthony Delpech has the ride. He has won on him before.

SAMURAI BLADE has to turn a 4½ length deficit against ABASHIRI in the SA Classic last time. They meet at level weights. He has something to find but the Sean Tarry yard and jockey S'Manga Khumalo are in excellent form.

Stable companion, MILLA’S WORLD, is improving, but this will be his toughest test to date. Top Cape Town jockey, Bernard Fayd'Herbe, no stranger to Grade 1 wins, will add to his money chances. He should be finding more late.

RACE 9: THE PREMIER'S CHAMPIONS CHALLENGE (Grade 1) - LEGAL EAGLE to soar again?

1-12-10-11-2

Last year on this day the then three year old son of GREYS INN, LEGAL EAGLE, won the Grade 1 SA Derby. His class has never been in question and looks to be the one to beat. A win this afternoon will see his earnings to just under R6 000 000. His last run was in the over 1600m Grade 1 Horse Chestnut, a name synonymous with the Triple Crown, when he won easily after having come under pressure momentarily with about 400m to go. This ran was a very good run after his disappointment in the J & B at Kenilworth. He was expected to win that race but was upstaged by the smart filly, SMART CALL. he likes to race handily but more often than not, has something to offer in the latter stages. The Sean Tarry trained runner looks to be a worthy short priced favourite and will once again be ridden by Anton Marcus. What gives him the edge over the rest of the field is that he ran well in both last year's Vodacom Durban July as a three year old and this year's J & B Met as a four year old.

BRAZUCA, from the Johan Janse Van Vuuren yard, is still improving. His last four races were in top graded races and even though he has yet to win at this level this three year old Australian bred colt could go close. Anthony Delpech rides. he ran a very good second last time in the SA Classic when beaten by ABASHIRI, which in itself, is no disgrace, by under four lengths. He will be running on late and is a strong candidate to run second to LEGAL EAGLE.

MAC DE LAGO will be facing his biggest test to date. The Weiho Marwing trained four year old will have former champion jockey, Richard Fourie in the irons. Could be good value for the trifectas and quartets. Mike Bass represents one of the Cape Town horses in the race with the top class filly, INARA. She looks to be up against it in this race. She has the class and won well when winning the Empress Club but that field was not quite as strong as today's one. Grant Van Niekerk has ridden her in all but one of her seventeen starts. The other Cape Town runner is CAPTAIN AMERICA who has three and a half lengths to make up on LEGAL EAGLE when he finished second in the Horse Chestnut. The Brett Crawford trained horse won the Horse Chestnut last year. Regular pilot, Corne Orffer rides.

RACE 10:

1-3-2-4-6

LAZER STAR is a top class sprinter with a highly commendable record. She has won three from five this C & D and has only been out of the top three twice in eleven starts. First run for the new yard. Could be a good follow up run for Michael Azzie and the Van Vuuren's. SDARVE showed sudden improvement last time. May need to confirm that effort. TIGER'S TOUCH will be running on. There could be a tiger in the tank with S'Manga Khumalo riding for Sean Tarry again. KWINTA disappointed last time. Put a line through that run. SENSIBLE LOVER is holding form well. Trainer Weiho Marwing has once again today employed Richard Fourie to ride for the yard and Hassan Adams.

RACE 11:

1-7-8-6-3

It has been difficult to assess THE SMELL OF RAIN but she comes into the race with two wins from three starts. She has looked to be above average and can win this evening. JIN-GO-LO-BA will be running on in the latter stages. Has a real shout. Has already won this C & D. SWEET HABANERO seems beset by the odd problem here and there but she looks as though she could have more to offer this evening. ROZENNA won on debut last time but is difficult to assess. Mike De Kock and Callan Murray. Could be a fair place bet. BRAVO MAYA did not show on Tuesday but is better than that run.

BEST BET: RACE 8 NUMBER 1 ABASHIRI