There looks to be plenty of exciting contests at the Vaal on Tuesday and it is not a race meeting to miss.
James Crawford-trained Future Gamble is the best bet on the card but in the very next race Pompeii Shield should stay in front of his field. And the yard of Sean Tarry, which is in hot form, has bright chances too.
Future Gamble was expected to win her last start after she finished second best behind Tarry’s form runner Galaxy Queen on local debut. But she met another Western Cape relocatee, Southampton, who also enjoyed the change in environment and got first run on her. Callan Murray knows Future Gamble well now and it’s hard to see him allowing anything to get by him this time.
The Futura filly is a workmanlike type, and her pedigree indicates she could be looking for distance. She lines up in a Maiden Plate for fillies and mares over 2000m which could prove to be the ideal distance. Future Gamble has the highest merit rating with consistent Vixeninthevineyard, who has been beaten in weak fields, next best.
Pompeii Shield has also had to take home the second cheque in his last two races. The Patrick Labuschagne-trained gelding has run decent races behind the likes of up-and-coming Tintin and Errol Flynn and in some of his races he has had to try different tactics to overcome very wide draws.
Denis Schwarz has ridden this overdue colt in all six starts and knows him like the back of his hand but this time the pair have the advantage of jumping from a plum draw. Schwarz will know that against the field he meets, he sets the standard and is the one to beat.
Tarry could open the racemeeting with a winner. Viking Lass was a bit unlucky not to win on debut as she didn’t get the best of starts and was quite green in running, but she looked dangerous in the closing stages and got within 0.50 lengths of hot favourite, Tony Peter-trained The Bronx Bull. She can make amends in Race 1.
Warning Light (Race 7) and Champion Warrior (Race 8) are big players for the Tarry yard later in the day. Lightly raced Warning Light has been stepped up in distance in all starts and may be headed for the Classics and the way he has been finishing off his races he could pass his test at favourable weight terms.
Champion Warrior can be tough to follow but with a record of three wins out of four starts up the straight at this course, he is not one to take lightly. In fact, he beat Grade 1 winner Cosmic Speed two runs back and as such he could take the honours over gallant one-eyed runner Palace Prince, who should fill the Exacta spot. – Clive Robinson, 4Racing.
