It is Derby Day at Turffontein on Saturday which sees the running of a series of Graded races.
It is headed up by Grade 1 World Sports Betting SA Derby for three-year-olds over 2450m, the prestigious Grade 1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes (Grade 1) over 1600m and the Grade 2 Wilgerbosdrift Bridget Oppenheimer Oaks for three-year-old fillies over 2450m.
The Derby and Oaks are also the final legs of the of the SA Triple Crown and the Triple Tiara for fillies, but no runner has claimed the first two legs of the respective competitions so those prizes are not up for grabs.
The issue with both the Derby and Oaks is that very few of the runners have raced over the distance so one is unsure as to which of them will see it out. But as is so often the case in these three-year-old features, class often proves more telling than staying power and one usually finds the highest rated runners are more likely to prevail.
In the case of the Derby that runner is Billy Bowlegs. Alec Laird’s runner finished third in the Grade 1 SA Classic and his trainer admitted his charge went into that race a little underdone because of heavy rains that set back his training for a week.
He will be fully fit going into this race and as the highest rated runner could have the edge.
However, Good Council is one of the runners who has won over 2400m and that has to make him a contender while Guineas winner Eye Of The Prophet is another well weighted runner who has the class to take top honours. He was beaten by Billy Bowlegs in the SA Classic but did suffer interference early in the race and is quite capable of turning the tables this time.
While no filly can win the Triple Tiara, it is interesting the winners of the first two legs, Lady Of Power (Fillies Guineas) and Bless My Stars (SA Fillies Classic) will both be lining up for this race and they stand out as the key contenders.
A slight preference is for Bless My Stars, mainly because Lady Of Power changed stables just before the running of the Fillies Classics and one is still not sure if she has made the adjustment to her new surroundings.
However, the Horse Chestnut is the best race on the card and it will be interesting to see how three-year-old SA Classic winner Anfields Rocket does against his older counterparts.
Puerto Manzano comes into this race with excellent form and is the joint best weighted runner long with stable companion Bingwa.
While Puerto Manzano did win the World Sports Betting Summer Cup over 2000m, this Argentinian-bred gelding has not finished further back than second in seven starts over the distance. He has the form, a top jockey in Keagan de Melo and a decent enough draw.
Bingwa loves this course and distance with three wins and a place from six starts. He runs particularly well for jockey Gavin Lerena with two wins and two places from four starts. While he does face some stiff opposition, this five-year-old cannot be left out of the reckoning and needs to be included in all bets.
Anfields Rocket is an extremely versatile colt who has won six of his nine races and is competitive whether racing over 1000m or 1800m. He was a convincing winner of the SA Classic over 1800m and has to be a strong contender for top honours in this event.
Clive Robinson
