Bigger than normal field for Friday’s meeting on the Fairview Polytrack and it should be another exciting day.
Jockey Richard Fourie looks the man to follow at this meeting and his first winner could come as early as Race 1, a Maiden Plate over 1200m.
Haphazard is a filly taking on the boys but her winning turn should not be far away. The daughter of Global View was slowly away and showed signs of inexperience on debut but was seen to be making good late progress to finish runner-up, beaten 2.25 lengths by Son Of Erupt over 1300m. That was on the Polytrack and with improvement likely she can go one better.
The highlight of the card comes up in Race 6, the November Stakes over 1400m, and Fourie is on the class act Luna Halo.
This Fire Away filly has an outstanding record under Fourie and has also won four from five over this course and distance.
The four-year-old filly has won nine of the 12 on the occasions when Fourie has ridden her.
Interestingly, she is not the best weighted runner in the race, though, as Bingwa makes his local debut with a merit rating of 120.
Clearly, he has not run to that level for some time now but if he does, he will be a threat trying the Polytrack for the first time following a change of trainer, now with Gavin Smith.
In South Africa you do not get much better breeding than a Kingman filly out of a Met winner.
Call To Glory, out of Smart Call, is that horse and she failed to win a race in her first seven starts on the Highveld.
She switched trainers and joined Alan Greeff and has now won her next two starts.
Both of those wins were on the Polytrack and although she carries an eight-point penalty for her latest win she can take out Race 8, a MR 87 Handicap for fillies and mares over 1300m.
However, Fourie will need to negotiate No 11 draw in an 11-horse field, but she should be good enough to do so.
Clive Robinson
