Vaal Thursday - is it safe to start a thread?

How is the weather looking down the Vaal?

Any soft in the going? got a wee sneeky for Rocabar if there is any cut...

I have a few tips for tomorrow........

A bay gelding will win one of the races and I have a sneaky suspicion that a chestnut filly could perhaps run into the first 3.......

Thats about as specific as I'm willing to go for tomorrow!!

Happy punting!

Why tommy you not keen on the meeting?

I'm not too keen on the low MR handicaps at the vaal no. I find it hard enough to pick a winner out of decent thoroughbreds let alone mediocre ones.

I have no fancies tomorrow as I think the racing is open and not easy at all.

That is not to say there isn't money to be made, just not for me is all!

We have still been having rain, so will only check the card later.

I heard they are likely to move this meeting to Turffontein as the Vaal tracks are pretty bad.

Now that would certainly be a first!!!
Normally turffies does not drain all that well.

Either way lets hope we don't loose another meeting. It is April and still so much rain!

Move it to Ngong...ok, maybe not. However, there was a Gosforth Park meeting about 10 years ago that ended up at Scottsville after monumentally bad planning of spring treatment put all of Gauteng's courses out of action simultaneously. And you thought today's administrators are hopeless!

Raining in Cape Town so i gues means the Vaal will be cancelled.

RXP

JACK MILNER: WITH trainer Dominic Zaki in top form and jockey Brandon Lerena leading the charge, the pair should give punters a solid start in the Pick 6 at the Vaal on Thursday.

They team up with Sleek Sheik in Race 4 and if form works out according to plan, the three-year-old filly looks an outstanding banker. Lerena rode her for the first time in her last outing when she fought all the way to the line and only went down a long-head to Geoff Woodruff’s Smarty Jones filly, Gracie Jones.

Third that day was Alec Laird’s Crooks Corner who added impetus to the form-line by easily winning Race 2 at Turffontein on Monday. Nothing else stands out in the field and as long as the rain holds off and the meeting can be completed, Sleek Sheik looks the outstanding bet on a difficult card.

Once one gets past the opening leg things start to look a little murky and there are a number of runners with chances in every leg.

Woman Of The Year won well when beating Whaley’s Camp over 1600m at Turffontein and Dianne Stenger’s runner was far from disgraced when a four-length fourth to Jet Scent on the sand track next time out.

She runs on the turf off a low merit rating of 54 and in Race 5 over 1800m the daughter of Horse Chestnut must have a good chance of scoring her third victory. However, she could find Majestic Lites blocking her path. Stephen Moffatt’s runner improved markedly in her last start when just 1.75 lengths adrift of Sishebo over the course and distance in February and there is little doubt Ormond Ferraris’ runner would be a short price to win a race of this nature.

Weiho Marwing came away from Turffontein on Sunday with three winners and he could rack up another in Race 6 where he sends out Royal Terrace in a 1400m race up the straight. The four-year-old Casey Tibbs gelding has taken a while to sore his second career win but MJ Odendaal could guide him home in this race.

The main challengers look to be course-specialist Cappie, Balance Of Payments and Ace Of Hearts.

The form-line behind Ostara features prominently in Race 7 over 1400m and although Outplay finished behind the Gary Alexander coupling of Nenekazi and Mahhala in that race, Grant Maroun’s filly could reverse the placings. That was her second run after a layoff and she lost two lengths at the start. On that basis she did well to get within 3.30 lengths of the winner and if she breaks on terms, Outplay may just outrun her opponents.

Sean Tarry’s Rev Counter was fourth in the race behind Ostara and also needs to be included in Pick 6 and Jackpot permutations, along with the Alexander coupling.

In Race 8 one could take a chance and run with just Autumn Wizard and Little Titch. Trainer Brett Webber will have a line through his runner Rifleman, who finished a 1.25-length second to Autumn Wizard in February.

Piere Strydom takes the ride aboard Chris Erasmus’ runner and they are the pair to beat although Webber has said Little Titch has been putting up some good work at home and he gets a 2.5kg allowance thanks to apprentice Tshwaro Appie.

While one needs to include as many runners as possible in the final leg, a Maiden Plate over 1200m, one needs to watch any betting moves for Fearless Love. He has only raced once since joining the Woodruff yard and was has plenty room for improvement.

The meeting has been moved to the sand track. 1400m races now to be run over 1450m.

Look out for loads of scratchings now!