Fabian Habib and Fanie Bronkhorst have enjoyed a fair degree of success for trainers with relatively small strings and they continue to churn out the winners not only on the occasional KwaZulu-Natal raid but, more frequently, on the Highveld where both stables are based.
The eight-race card at the Vaal on Tuesday 4 June should bring further success for both stables, with Habib and Bronkhorst likely to saddle a pair of winners each at the Vereeniging-based track.
Erupt youngster Seventeen Again was the subject of betting interest on debut over 1000m and this two-year-old filly from the Habib yard justified that market support by finishing an encouraging second.
She would have come on appreciably with the benefit of that run so is good value to open her account in the opener over the same course and distance of her promising introduction.
Habib’s charge made her debut in a Work Riders’ race under Siyabonga Mkhumbuzi who, unsurprisingly, retains the ride aboard Seventeen Again in a similar contest.
Fully Loaded and King’s Express are the two strings to Habib’s bow in Race 7, a MR 96 Handicap over 1600m, but it could pay to follow the progress of the progressive fully Loaded, who reeled off a hat-trick of wins in the first quarter of the year before a 13-week absence.
This maturing four-year-old son of former Durban July winner Pomodoro won consecutive outings – over 1200m on the Vaal Classic track and on Turffontein’s Inside track over 1450m – before defying another penalty to complete his hat-trick over 1500m at this venue with Denis Schwarz in the irons.
The Habib-trained four-year-old reappears under S’manga Khumalo off a career-high mark following a three-point rise for his latest performance in early March, though that penalty could prove lenient as it is unlikely to halt his momentum.
Two-year-old Valieva receives a 2.5kg sex allowance from her male opposition in Race 3, a Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1200m, and Bronkhorst’s decision to run his Var filly against the boys could prove a shrewd move.
Valieva has the form and experience to feature prominently but her 2.5kg pull should bring a reward for her consistency and a deserved maiden victory.
Stablemate Viva De Janeiro copped a four-point penalty for winning over 1800m on the Classic track last time but this hard-knocking Oratorio gelding is good value to defy the handicapper by following up in Race 6, a MR 74 Handicap over 1600m.
Clive Robinson
