Wouldn’t it be nice if winners were easy to find? Unfortunately, Fairview has another difficult card on Friday for punters to sift through when they race on the turf track.
Trainers Gavin Smith and Alan Greeff continue to be in good form and with them likely to continue that trend it might pay to concentrate on their runners.
We have picked out two runners from each of their yards that may be worth focusing on. The first comes up in Race 4, a MR 96 Handicap for fillies and mares over 1400m where Pinnacle could make all the running.
This Smith-trained four-year-old was particularly impressive last time out when slamming Joy And Peace by four lengths over this course and distance. She led from start to finish and her opposition never got a blow in.
This was not the first time she had got away with those tactics as back in September over the same course and distance she scored by 2.75 lengths.
Although Pinnacle gets a 2.5kg claim courtesy of apprentice Kobeli Lihaba, Definitely Maybe, who defeated her by 2.10 lengths two runs back, is only 1kg worse off so is weighted to beat her again. However, that run was over 1600m on the Polytrack and the drop in distance and change of track should favour Pinnacle on this occasion.
In Race 5, a MR 78 Handicap for fillies and mares over 100m, Greeff-trained Esther could go close in a big field.
She was caught on the post by ever-improving Golden Pacific over this course and distance two weeks ago but Richard Fourie could keep her going this time.
The future looked very bright for the Gavin Smith trained Vision Of Wonder after some impressive wins in February and March last year. In one of those wins he slammed useful Fairy Knight by 3.25 lengths.
Vision Of Wonder has struggled in his three runs as a gelding but sprinting looks his forte and he can bounce back to score in Race 6, a MR 80 Handicap over 1000m.
Greeff has kept filly St Cloud to the Polytrack in all of her of her runs since scoring on her local debut back in September and she did win on that surface last time out.
The Silvano filly came from last when winning her maiden and quickened nicely, so the 1900m on the turf in Race 7, a Classified Stakes, should prove right up her alley, particularly with Fourie up.
Clive Robinson
