Followers of top jockeys Muzi Yeni and Gavin Lerena could find themselves laughing all the way to the bank after the eight-race Vaal meeting on Tuesday 1 October with those leading riders likely to be in the saddle aboard five race winners on the day.
Lucky Houdalakis-trained Grade 1 Dyce is the star attraction on the card and lines up in Race 7 as his preparations are fine-tuned ahead of an ambitious feature-race summer campaign.
Improving Mizzen Sword should get Yeni off to a winning start in Race 1 over 1200m, the same course and distance over which he finished third 19 days ago, Mark Khan’s charge is open to further progress in his peak outing.
Yeni steered Paul Matchett-trained filly Pearl In Her Crown to an impressive comeback win over 1400m at the Vereeniging-based track on her seasonal debut and she lines up over the track and trip in Race 2 with Yeni, unsurprisingly, retaining the partnership.
This daughter of Soqrat could hardly have been more impressive, winning unextended by five lengths, beating male opposition in the process. She takes on the boys again but is a progressive type with the scope to improve throughout a promising three-year-old campaign so it should pay to follow her progress under 55kg.
St John Gray’s lightly raced Secret Chord has forged a formidable partnership with Yeni, under whom he has run his best races. In six starts together, the Bezrin gelding has won twice and finished second twice, not finishing worse than fourth under the diminutive lightweight rider.
Yeni rode Secret Chord to finish fourth over 1100m on this course last time and reverting to 1000m in Race 5 could bring about a return to winning ways for the combination.
After finishing a disappointing fifth under Lerena in her last start over 1600m, Pathfork filly Ambitious Lady should give a better account of herself back over 1800m in Race 3. She was fifth over the same distance in her previous start but finished five lengths nearer the winner. It is encouraging that Lerena keeps faith with Corrie Lensley’s runner in Leg 1 of the Pick 6.
Veteran mare Samoa returned to form with Lerena back aboard to finish second over 1100m on this course in late August and she is good value to go one better in Race 8 over 1200m. The 10-year-old daughter of Global One is 2.5kg better off with last-start conqueror Inafix so is weighted to turn the tables on that rival.
Dyce will be all the rage in the preceding event, Race 7, a Pinnacle Stakes over 1100m, after a winning Turffontein comeback under Piere Strydom. Last season’s Grade 1 Cape Flying Championship winner is being aimed at that Grade 1 sprint later this summer and is weighted to follow up his recent success en route to Cape Town.
Clive Robinson
