St John Gray takes four runners to the eight-race Highveld fixture on Vaal’s Classic track on Tuesday 25 February and it could pay to follow the prominent owner-breeder-trainer whose green and white silks will likely be seen in the winners’ enclosure on at least two occasions at the midweek Highveld meeting.
Three-year-old filly Take Your Place registered the only victory of her career with Piere Strydom in the irons and Gray’s daughter of Bezrin is reunited with the veteran jockey in Race 3 over 1000m, the same distance over which she recorded that sole career success.
In three subsequent starts since exiting the maidens, Take Your Place has run well enough in defeat – off a rating slightly higher than her current mark – to suggest that a return to winning ways is just around the corner.
With Strydom back aboard for the first time since their successful 3 December association, Take Your Place is good value to double her tally and win Leg 1 of the Pick 6 over her preferred distance.
Stablemate Secret Chord, himself a Graystone Stud-bred son of Bezrin, lines up in Race 7 over 1200m with another genuine winning chance under Muzi Yeni, who has ridden Gray’s four-year-old gelding to two wins, three seconds, two third-place finishes, and a fourth in 10 starts together.
Kabelo Matsunyane steered Secret Chord to victory over 1160m on Turffontein’s Standside track in early December, but Yeni knows Gray’s charge best and has been aboard Gray’s consistent sprinter in his two subsequent outings, both over 1160m at the same level.
Secret Chord finished second under a six-point penalty in mid-January and was a close-up third late last month under 61.5kg off his career-high current mark. He concedes weight to all under 61.5kg again but a repeat of either performance should be good enough to resume winning ways.
In Race 5 over 1450m – the same course and distance over which he won two starts back – Gray’s consistent Potala Palace gelding Potberrie could represent generous each-way value. The evergreen Strydom rides Gray’s progressive three-year-old for the first time and supporters/f of either horse or rider are guaranteed a good run for their money.
Clive Robinson
