Holding Thumbs gave the subsequent Gr 3 New Turf Carriers Western Cape Stayers winner 11kg and a beating in the Listed WSB Club Prive Cape Summer Stayers over 2500m in December and he will also be out to impress the Hollywoodbets Durban July Final Field panelists when running in the Gr 3 Winter Stakes over 2400m at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday (Picture: Wayne Marks)
SATURDAY HIGHLIGHTS
TRAINERS’ TITLE HOTS UP IN HONG KONG
Mark Newnham will aim to maintain his trainers’ title challenge when he sends a squad of six runners to Sha Tin’s “Summer Series” fixture. The championship leaders have been finding it increasingly difficult to live with the momentum of Caspar Fownes’ bid for a fifth trainers’ championship. Fownes now sits four wins clear of Newnham’s tally of 58 with Danny Shum third on 57.
Newnham saddles two strong chances in Saturday’s Class 2 Peacock Handicap over 1600m, Max Que and Infinite Resolve. Max Que has enjoyed a remarkable season that has seen his rating rise by 32 points since his opening run of the campaign. “He started this season in Class 4 and has worked his way up to be a Class 2 winner. He’s probably going to find the handicap a bit tough now. But he is a good, consistent horse. I think he’s around about his mark now, but he needs to be ridden in a specific way,” said Newnham.
KOTZEN STILL HOLDING THUMBS FOR JULY BERTH
There are still a few horses on the cusp of earning a place in the July on 4 July and they have an outside chance to qualify in Saturday’s Grade 3 Lucky Fish Winter Stakes over 2400m at HWB Greyville. The runners most likely to benefit from a victory in this race are Shoot The Rapids, Holding Thumbs, Enflame and Tenpenny all of whom have not made the top 20 on the latest log.
Topping the list is Holding Thumbs, who may have needed his last run and is a solid stayer. Shoot The Rapids stays well and has finished runner-up in his last two. He has a win at this venue and is weighted to go close.
Enflame has only won at Turffontein but has won two features in a row easily and may pass his test at this track, even if returning from a break. Tenpenny has been one of the most progressive horses of the season, rising from a rating of 90 to 105 with four wins from 1600m to 2500m.
SUGGESTED R160 (10%) PICK 6 PERM (Leg 1 Race 4 @ 14:25):
Leg 1: 3, 6, 8, 11
Leg 2: 1, 4, 7, 11
Leg 3: 1, 2, 10, 11, 13
Leg 4: 2, 4, 5, 7
Leg 5: 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
Leg 6: 3
HAGGAS AND LLOYD TEAM UP AT YORK
William Haggas has another live chance at York on Saturday with Thunder Call in the Churchill Tyres Supporting Macmillan Sprint Handicap. Thunder Call made an excellent start to his three-year-old season with a dominant win in a 1200m maiden at Kempton last month. Interestingly, young Australian jockey Zac Lloyd has been pencilled in for the ride and made a good impression on his first rides in Britain at Doncaster last week, riding a double on Saturday. There is a chance that the handicapper has underestimated Thunder Call’s performance at Kempton, allotting him an opening mark of just 85. He lacks the experience of some, but has a progressive profile and is one to keep on the right side.
SUNDAY HIGHLIGHTS
KOONDAKAARA TO STRIKE AGAIN AT SELANGOR
Progressive galloper Koondakaara looks well placed to continue his winning run when he lines up in the 1400m Max Two Stakes at Kuala Lumpur on Sunday. The four-year-old secured his second Malaysian victory in the Baby Pery Cup (Class 3) three weeks ago, overcoming a strong field with the lightweight of 52.5kg. While he will carry 59kg this time around, he still compares favourably at the weights against his main rivals.
BELLEROPHON READY TO STAKE HIS CLAIM
A Pinnacle Stakes over 2400m heads up Sunday’s eight-race meeting at Turffontein on the Standside track and this event looks to be at the mercy of Bellerophon.
The three-year old son of Vercingetorix has already clocked three wins and two of them have been over ground. Trained by Fabian Habib, he has come on in leaps and bounds and will get even better as he continues to mature.
Bellerophon has shown a lot of courage. His last two wins have been by small margins and at no stage did he look like throwing in the towel when coming under pressure. He has been carrying weights of 55kg, 60kg and 59.5kg in his last three races and is carded to carry just 52kg in this event.
To make his chances even stronger, he will be ridden by Mickaëlle Michel, who is not only in outstanding form but will take a further 1.5kg off his back. So, with just 50.5kg to carry he could be the outstanding bet on the card.
