VAAL Thursday Update

TOKYO DRIFT
COSTA DA SOL
WOODY CAPE
STAVINSKY
JUST CRUISED IN

ElvisisKing wrote: I'll be out there today missT, would welcome a winner or 2 !

Enjoy the day. Inga - Your horse?

3)10 Catch a Thief 11-1

4)8 Hieronymus 5-1

pirates wrote: the ninth race was always around the turn as per the race program on the sahra website it says on the nomination page however computaform made the error

Oh OK ...saw it reflected as a change on TAB-online!
(We were posting at exactly the same time)

Hi Dean, hoping for a decent run from INGA..... just hope she can find the FIRM going down the straight..... it was best towards the Outside late on Tuesday she is drawn 9 so let's wait an see.

Cheers Elvis. Will be shouting her home with you.

Elvis and Zain I really like Housten Rocket today and also Catch a Thief in the 3rd but she is 7 and might not have much more to come but I do think she will go close. For betting purposes I'll be going win Housten Rocket place Catch a Thief and win Jungle Mist. Nice treble IMO . But I'm sure Sir P won't be following me so maybe it will arrive. Break a leg guys.

Not a day for the feint-hearted :ohmy:

Track has been widened - rail down the middle taken out - as I understand this means they will start the races down the straight with the stalls right up the outside - and we all remember what happened towards the last few races on Tuesday - runners on the outside had a huge advantage - so we need to watch the first 2 races to see what the pattern might be for today.....

Soft going another factor that might be complicating things - the proverbial 'good thing' Bush Pilot is an unknown quantity in the soft

Also the current wet spell, means that many runners have been missing work, so recent runs may be an advantage.

Some thoughts om what may transpire .....

R1: I'm watching this one - no way can I back Unrehearsed at those odds :ohmy:

R2: Depending on where the best going is, Isolde might have a great draw (or not) - has run well in soft conditions, but 2nd start after a longish break, so cover needed imo; Princess Aurora should appreciate the step up in trip - might be disadvantaged by being drawn towards the inside; Sunset in Seattle looks to be improving with racing - unknown in the soft, but has an outside draw - hopefully those are enough for the BP - next choice would be Light Indigo - has had a few tries, but often thereabouts

R3: Rouge Allure the form choice - this is 1600 so probably enough time to seek out the better going from that draw; Dawn Flight has been disappointing, but tries blinkers and looks the biggest danger; Catch a Thief runs the odd bad race, but has been thereabouts recently, holds Leopard Lily on one run and also looks well in with Dawn Flight on collateral form to Banking April - so could be the fly in the ointment; Bright Bronte at best over further, but likes the soft and should be involved in the places; Inga (break a leg Elvis) imo needs more ground and also does look suspect in the wet

R4: First choice for me is Just Cruised In - 4 nice runs of which one was in the soft and his form looks superior to me here; Houston Rocket fair debut in a weakish field imo, could be the danger if he acts in the soft; Hieronymus improved last time over 1600 in the soft, but that was an even weaker field imo

R5: Tough handicap imo - load up

R6: As mentioned before, Bush Pilot has yet to show that he handles the soft - plenty of dangers should he fail; the filly Parisienne Chic has fair form and has the advantage of a recent run and has won her only try in the soft - looks value at current odds along with Gentleman Only, who tries the trip, but has been running on well in his latest start over 1800 behind Revelation - so at the weights in theory not too much between BP and GO; Malinga won well last time and not much between him and Woody Cape - however, both of these have to show that they can run in wet conditions; Rain Shadow is in form, may prefer slightly shorted though - and if you are looking for real roughies, neither Klondyke River nor Umthetho seem totally out of this

R7: Fillies and mares handicap - usually means go wide; but I am tempted to row in with Costa da Sol - not the greatest ride last time imo and I think she will again hold those that she beat last time - has had one run in the soft when running 7 lengths behind Querari Falcon in the Thekwini when drawn 14 out of 14, so I think she does not mind the wet; of course being a handicap, there are dangers - the obvious ones being Wind Chill, The Right Answer and Star of Ceasour; the roughies to consider imo are Dahlia's Arrow (well in, but steel shoes?) and Eina (no blinkers today)

R8: Some scratchings make this a bit easier; 10 runners so the draw may not play that big a part; Always a Lady looks well in and is drawn on the outside - should go real close IF she handles the conditions; main dangers look to be Jungle Mist and Nikki - both these also yet to run in the soft; Favour's Pride has the advantage of having run on Saturday and also has run well in the soft; real roughie (depending on how the draw plays out) could be Chartwell, who has won in the soft

R9: Really can't see why this has been changed to be run around the turn - if there is some problem with the 1300 start, why not change it to a 1200 or a 1400? (Ok just read that it was always intended to be run around the turn - still seems strange seeing that the 1200 and 1400 races are run down the straight?) Anyway the wide draws now become a big problem for runners like Tokyo Drift and Fort Infinity and plays into the hands of Ebony Flyer and King and Empire. EF has strong form, acts in the soft and probably represents the best opportunity of a P6 banker; KaE also has a lot going for him and for me is the backup to EF in the PS. Roughie to consider for the placed imo could be Rand Club, who ran on very nicely last time after being 16 lengths back at the 800

Enjoy

Anyone spotted any soft ground performers? any Fort Woods running?

ISOLDE on paper well drawn and has run well on the soft before

this double sounds nice to me INGA - JUST CRUISED IN 17 / 1 hehe Stable double too ( R3 - R4 )

happy punting guys, I'm off to the course now.

Didn't see many divots ? Winner quickened up well