A tough day awaits at the Vaal today, where the going is 'good to soft' with more rain expected; on the off chance that they do get to run race 7, we have Laurel Canyon who returns to the track after her last somewhat surprising (but very welcome) victory; the 1200 may not be ideal and it may not suit her if the going turns up soft, but it is not an overly strong field and she has only gone up 2 points in the handicap - she is well in herself so we are hopeful of a good another good run.
Thoughts (taking into account the prospect of rain and that the horses drawn on the outside seemed to have an advantage on Tuesday)
R3: Desert Warrior overdue to win, he has placed in the soft before and is the best bet on the card imo at around 7/10; especially as the Woodruff first timer is on the drift
R4: The trouble starts here in an open looking maiden plate; Senator looks to have the strongest form, but it is wide open if he fails
R5: An apprentice handicap, so anything possible; Cannon 'n Cordite very consistent and likes this trip; however he has failed twice in soft going before, so that could be a problem; Joe Kool's last run could have been too far and he has the best appy in the race by far on his back and makes some appeal at 10/1; two others who have run well in soft conditions before are Al Felon whose MR is steadily dropping - and he gets a 4kg claimer in the saddle today - and Random Quest
R6: A tricky fillies handicap where Stratisfaction looks the right one if fit after a rest; Solar Voyager should be cherry ripe and is distance suited so could pick up the spoils if Stratisfaction runs out of steam; Running Rivulet tries blinkers, but seem to have her problems so can not be relied upon imo; the others to consider are Essential Oil who may be better than her last run and Forest Lecture who likes the soft and has won over 1160 (beating no less than Dancewiththedevil)
R7: Silver Ending comes off a long rest, but could feature if ready; others to consider along with Laurel Canyon are Caprichosa, Strike Princess (who has been running almost exclusively over 1000) and Hotel Royale who beat a weaker field easily last time but she has been penalised 8 poiints for that win
R8: Another competitive handicap where King's Entourage is all the rage for the Houdalakis stable (who had a good day on Tuesday); however there are a few others with chances so 12/10 looks a little cramped to me; Extra Cover always proves difficult at the gate, but he has ability and is a year older than the favorite and only has to give him 0.5 kg; watch out for President Elect who comes out of a very strong formline (all of THe White Horse, First Up and Titano won their next starts) over this trip
R9: Tough close to a tough card; not much to choose between Up Company and Spectaboolous on a line through Desert Warrior; and also not much between Veto, Mathafa and First Up; outsiders to consider imo are Ryan's a Lion who provides a good back-up to First Up in the P6 and Island Prince; Ali Baba beat a weak maiden field and is no value at 16/10 imo
Play well
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