Got 30 mins? lol Vaal Sand Jottings - Thursday 22/05

As always, please use the daily thread for comments, opinions etc. If anyone has some spare fingers please PM me <

R1 - all are newcomers to the sand

1 ABILENE QUEEN - Erasmus/Nhlapo L. Debut. Seemingly not stable elect, nothing in the breeding for me and drawn in 1.

2 BAD DREAM - Matchett/AA. Two decent turf efforts and only 0.5l behind Lady Liberty lto over 1200. Chance if taking to the sand though nothing in the breeding indicates to me that is likely.

3 BLACK OLEANDER - Magner/V D Merwe. Debut. A little in the breeding suggests she may take to the surface.

4 DEMOCRACY RULES - Magner/Maleking. Well beaten in only turf run and no positives in the breeding to indicate she will like the sand.

5 DOUBLE RIDGE - Sage/Wrogemann. On collateral turf form she looks to have something to find with BD (and thus others) and three hefty turf defeats, albeit up against some fair sorts, could lead to this one being a big price. If so, then worth an e/w idiot as the breeding does indicate there is a good chance she will enjoy the surface and she drops to the minimum trip here having had turf runs over 1400, 1160 and 1600. She did show early pace over 1160 but faded well before the 1000 marker.

6 HEY SERA - C Erasmus. Well beaten on turf debut when slow away and though there is a little in the breeding to suggest she might take to the sand, the stable seems to be firing mostly blanks currently.

7 LADY LIBERTY - Erasmus/Brown. Seemingly the stable elect. Two decent turf efforts and finished 0.5l in front of BD lto. Nothing in the breeding though suggests to me that she will definitely prove to be a sand performer.

8 LAVENDER GIRL - Erasmus/Greyling. Seemingly not stable elect but only 0.5l behind LL on debut and there is something in the breeding indicating she could enjoy the sand.

9 MISSMASALA - Tarry/Khumalo. Two decent turf runs and was 3.45 and 3.95 in front of LL and LG over 1000. Breeding suggests to me a fair chance she will take to the sand and thus likely to be a big runner here.

10 SAVANNAH - Erasmus/Yeo. Debut. Seemingly not stable elect but breeding suggests a chance she could take to the surface. R1?

Obviously some guess work involved... MISSMASALA x LAVENDER GIRL x DOUBLE RIDGE

R2

1 JIMMIJAGGA - Pettigrew/MVR. Has been off for 18 weeks but ran a fair 4th here, beaten only 0.55l, in his only c appearance. Royal Stock was 0.7l behind him that day and the latter has narrowly beaten some of the more likely contenders here. If ready he must enter equations and could go well at a nice price.

2 BATTLE OF ALMA - Zaki/Lerena. Two silvers from his 4 c/d runs and was only beaten on the nod by Royal Stock lto. Was drawn 1 that day and must have a big shout if repeating that effort.

3 WILD THING - Magner/V.D.Merwe. Consistent performer who was coming late when going down by 1.5l to Royal Stock last time here though imo never looked like getting to BofA who ran 2nd. Followed that up by only going down by 0.1l on the Vaal turf when finishing very strongly. Another who must have a chance if he can be handy enough to make the finishing kick land the spoils.

4 MY BELOVED - Binda. Sand debut. Shown little in 6 turf runs but breeding suggests a chance he will take to the sand. Should be a big price and worth a miniscule e/w if so in the hope the surface does bring about big improvement.

5 WALLINGFORD - Erasmus/Brown. Showed improvement on the turf lto but was still behind Wild thing and Carter and has been well beaten 3 times here. Squeak if also showing improvement on the sand but not for me.

6 WONT WAIT - Hutcheson. Not shown much to date and was beaten 14l in his only sand run. Perhaps worth noting though that run was over 1200 when drawn 11/12 and followed a 48 week rest. Has shown some pace before fading in turf sprints and the breeding does imply there is a chance he will go on the sand so, assuming a huge price, R1 might be an idea.

7 LA SONADORA - Tolmay. Well beaten in both c runs and yet to have a top 3 in 11 career runs. Pass.

8 JUST JASON - Peter. Sand debut. Soundly beaten in all three turf runs and has already had 2 rests. Comes here off a 12 week break. Nothing in the breeding suggests to me he will improve on the sand.

9 FIELDS OF GLORY - SJG/Danielson. Sand debut. Was reported as not striding out when well beaten on the turf on debut. A little in the breeding though to suggest he could take to this surface so a potential small e/w depending on the price.

10 MUIRFIELD - V/Heerden. Sand debut. Has been off for 53 weeks since two poor efforts on the turf and has now been gelded. Breeding does suggest a chance he will like the sand so, despite the 2 draw, may be worthy of a miniscule e/w depending on price.

11 CARTER - Peter/Strydom. Sand debut. Seemingly eased up when finishing 0.75l behind Wild Thing on the turf lto over 1160 having drifted notably in the market. Nothing in the breeding to indicate he will be a taker to the surface but must have a decent chance if he does. Drawn 1 which is not always best in these 1000 sprints. PS retains the ride.

12 EDGE THE ECHO - Francis. Sand debut. Well beaten on debut and nothing in the breeding to imply sand will be his game.

13 THE RED TZAR - Magner/Maleking. Well beaten here in a poor looking maiden over c/d on debut. No reason to suppose huge improvement imminent.

14 TIGER'S LEGACY - Tolmay/Chambers. Sand debut. Well beaten in all 3 turf starts and nothing in the breeding to suggest the sand will bring about a change of fortunes.

Tricky. Some obvious contenders and some "dark horses" waiting in the wings to upset... BATTLE OF ALMA x WILD THING x JIMMIJAGGA

R3

1 SUB SHAAWES - Tolmay/Chambers. On 2nd run after a 25 week rest and was a fair 4l 5th on his return when up against a few of these rivals. Has 2 decent 2nds over 1200 and a 3rd over 1450 but there may be a question with his stamina over this trip from a wide draw. Definite chance if coming on for the run but personally the draw/d is a concern.

2 IMPERIAL KING - Adamson/Lerena. Sand debut. Returns from a 15 week rest, has the 2 draw and Lerena up (3 wins in last 5 rides for the stable). Did run a 1.75l 4th on his 2nd run over 1400 but followed-up with two disappointing efforts. Nothing in the breeding to suggest he will take to the surface and on balance not one I could support.

3 CHERRY BREEZE - Kenny. Was returning from a 17 week rest when beaten 7l on sand debut lto with a few of these rivals in front. Was drawn widest of the 10 that day and with a slightly better draw could easily improve here. Maujean has won 4 of his last 17 stable rides. Despite looking held could easily surprise.

4 MUNAASEB - A Laird/Herholdt. One third in 7 career runs but that was here over 1600 in his penultimate run and only visit to the c. Was not the strongest looking field though and I would be surprised if he wins here, has a good draw in 3 though and can't be discounted.

6 THE SANQUHARIAN - Moffatt/Wrogemann. Usually not too far off but rarely close enough to look like winning. This will be his 20th time attempting to break the maiden but has been in the top 3 on 7 occasions. Has a 3rd from his only two c runs. Not seen here for a while when he was a 4.5l 3rd over 1200. Has a small chance imo but the 12 draw won't help.

7 BIG NICK - Matchett/Simons. Sand debut. Last two efforts of 3 on the turf were very average. A little in the breeding implies he could take to the surface and not the worst draw in 7... for me unlikely but can't be discounted.

8 TRULY YOURS - Warren/AA. Was staying on when only 0.25l behind RBK lto over 1200 and, given that he was unusually slightly slow away that day, he had to come from the back of the field. Has tried 1450 and 1600 in 2 of his other 3 c appearances and faded both times. Drawn 4 and if getting away on terms could be a factor if seeing out the d.

9 INGOT OF GOLD - Binda. On face value he achieved little on the turf in 6 runs but it is possible to make excuses. His 3rd run over 1400 saw him finish 4,5l back of the winner in a fair field. If one assumes he doesn't like the soft then 3 other runs can be discounted and the one over 1800 was perhaps too far. His most recent outing is a little more concerning as he had a decent WR (Mabaya) up in a weak looking field but was beaten 15.75l over 1450. He was coming off an 18 week rest though and perhaps needed the run badly and in addition had blinkers for the first time which are removed again here. The breeding does suggest he could well take to the surface and despite the wide draw of 14 I think he is likely to be a big price and worth an idiot e/w.

10 AURIFEROUS - Zaki. Has only one 3rd in 11 c runs and no top 3s in 4 d attempts. Has had two breaks in the last 3 runs and is now on 2nd run after a rest. Faded badly over 1200 on return and looks well held. That said, I am having an R1 go. This is a weak field and though there must be stamina questions, that applies to others too. Before the breaks he did run a fair 3l 5th over 1200 and the appie takes weight off. Draw of 10 is obviously not the best and highly unlikely to be involved but at a likely very big price R1 won't hurt.

11 WELLINGTON - Erasmus/Brown. No top 3s in 12 career runs and was beaten 27l in his penultimate run when making his c debut over this d. Has had 2 breaks in the last 3 runs and now comes back from 15 weeks off. Again though, I am going to have an R1 bet. For the sand run he was drawn 12/13 and had been off 18 weeks (fair enough, similar break here). He had blinkers the last 2 runs and they are now removed. There is a little in the breeding to indicate he might improve on the sand and if he is going to do so then in this weak field from a draw of 6 he has an opportunity. Erasmus stable. Very unlikely but R1 at a big price won't hurt.

14 LONG SHOT - Azzie/Danielson. Well beaten in both turf runs and nothing in the breeding indicates to me that the sand will see improvement. Still, a combo to be respected and well drawn in 5. Not for me but I wouldn't blame anyone for taking a chance and risking a small nibble at a decent price with this field.

A weak looking maiden with plenty of potential for a shock. Any of those coming from out of the Samogan form line could win and there are cases for 3 or 4 of them which could easily sway you. That said, I don't think it was a particularly strong race and I am going to take my chances for a huge pay day lol... INGOT OF GOLD x AURIFEROUS x WELLINGTON x LONG SHOT

R4

1 ROLLING RUBY - Matchett/Marwing Wes. Well beaten in her last 3 turf runs and 8l in her last c appearance (1200) wearing the blinkers in all 4 and they come off again here. That might be an important factor. Her prior turf form was moderate at best but she started on the sand with 4 runs, 2 over 1000 and 2 over 1200 and she was reported as finishing strongly over the longer trips... 5th twice, 4th and 2nd with the biggest defeat being 5.35l. In this field that could easily be enough to win it. She has a decent draw in 3 and the appie takes a little weight off. Unlikely given this field that she will be a big price but possibly worth going with her e/w if feeling forced to have a bet here!

2 MAYAN DESTINY - Matchett/Simons. One 3rd in 4 c runs but that did come over this d when drawn 1 as she is here. Followed that effort up though by finishing a 20l further back of the same rival and 3.75l behind Red Please. If the 1 box helps raise her game again then in with a shout.

3 MERLINS GEM - Webber/Lerena. Poor form in her last two, reported as not striding in her penultimate run, and very average prior to that but has 4 top 3s in 10 c runs and some of those runs would look strong in this field. If Lerena can cajole her back into form then she would have a very good chance from the 2 box.

4 ROYAL QUEST - Hutcheson. One silver in 12 career runs but a blank in the 7 of those that came here. Drawn wide in 11 and has been in no form in her 4 runs since a 22 week break. Can't make a case in her current form.

5 VANDALUCIA - Francis. Poor turf form, beaten 22,75l over 1200 on sand debut 4 runs back, drawn wide in 10 and hard to see her featuring even in this poor field.

6 NATIONAL BUDGET - Francis. Has lost form since coming to Gauteng and was beaten 8.75l over 1000 on sand debut in her penultimate run. Drawn ok in 6 and appie takes weight off but little else to recommend on current form.

7 RETURN OF THE ROAR - Francis/Herholdt. Sand debut. Poor turf form, one 3rd in 19 runs, nothing in the breeding to suggest the sand will make her a world beater and drawn widest in 12. Pass.

8 SEXY SUZIE - Erasmus C E. Sand debut. Stable not firing and this one has not been within 8.3l on the winner in her 6 turf starts. Nothing in the breeding suggests to me that will change on the sand. Drawn 9. Pass.

9 COOL FANTASY - Warren/AA. Sand debut. Two fair efforts on the turf and was backed from 33s into 10s on debut over 1700. Drops in trip here but no indicator for me that the surface will suit. Wouldn't have to be a star of the sand to win but at the same time she is likely to be relatively short and not worth risking imo, no more than a watching brief for me.

10 DAWN DAY - Moffatt/Wrogemann. Sand debut. Well beaten on turf debut over 1200 but a combo to be respected and there is a possibility on breeding that she will take to the surface. Drawn in 8 and possible.

11 MAYFLEUR - Azzie/Danielson. Sand debut. Little success in 3 turf runs and nothing in the breeding suggests to me she will improve on the sand. Combo to be respected though, a decent draw in 4 and the blinkers off but an improbable imo.

12 RED PLEASE - Magner. A 19.75l runner-up of 10 on sand debut lto over 1200. Ignoring the winner, it was not the strongest of fields but she did also receive outside betting support, 66s into 25s. In another poor field from a decent draw in 5 she can't be discounted but I couldn't back her with confidence either.

A very poor field where anything is possible, even those where I have said pass!.. ROLLING RUBY x DAWN DAY x MERLINS GEM

R5

1 BREAK OF DAWN - Pettigrew/MVR. Consistent performer with 16 top 3s in 24 career runs, 0-1-1 over c/d. Ignoring her last sand run when the blinkers were on, she has some decent form and is not without hope.

2 DALALAAT - Moffatt/Wrogemann. Has only one 3rd in 5 c/d runs and for me she is probably better on the turf, imo she will have to find more if she is to feature here.

3 SECRET MAGOK - Pettigrew/Simons. Perhaps better over shorter and the stable elect would appear to be BOD but, if she can find her best form then has a small chance.

4 MEXICAN GLORY - Matchett/Marwing Wes. 2-3-1 in 10 c/d runs. Returns from a 10 week rest. Has the 1 box but another whose form looks below the standard that will be needed here.

5 BEAUTIFUL DAWN - Maroun. Recent form has not been her strongest and would have to improve considerably to feature which is unlikely particularly given the 11 box.

6 SILENT FORCE - De Kock/AA. 2-1-2 in 6 runs but it was still a shock when she beat a decent field very comfortably lto over 1600 with Foundation, who has beaten a number of these, 4l back. If she repeats that effort here then she should be hard to beat.

7 BE MINE TONIGHT - Zaki. Won comfortably on sand debut over c/d in her penultimate run and though beaten 10.25l by Shadow Line nto she was still 2nd with a number of decent performers behind. Back against the girls.

8 CAT'S GAME - Ferreira/Mariba. Well beaten in recent turf efforts and by 12.5l on sand debut over 1600. Drawn wide again in 10 and hard to make a case for her in this field.

9 SUCHA WONDER - Erasmus/Greyling. Consistency is seemingly not her strong point and though she has had some decent runs of late, her overall form does not look strong enough to win here and was a long way behind BMT lto..

10 MILYNNE - Ferreira/Penny. Sand debut, Some decent turf efforts and for the most part consistent, even the two worse than usual results can possibly be put down to wet conditions in one and a very poor draw in the other. But, nothing in the breeding indicates to me that she will definitely perform on the sand, if she does then has a chance off a low weight.

11 MELTING POT - Zackey/Maleking. Has been running well on the turf but was well beaten in her only sand run to date over c/d and there is no obvious reason I see why it should be different this time, especially from a wide draw of 12.

I have deliberately and admittedly only skimmed through this race and the comments on it because, for me, Silent Force should win if she repeats her last effort. The question of course is will she, her prior form was some way short of that, and only time will tell. My gut feel is she will win but she is likely to be short in the market and not a race I will get too involved with... SILENT FORCE x BE MINE TONIGHT x BREAK OF DAWN

R6

1 CLUB CAPTAIN - Erasmus/Munger. Similar to other rivals here, she was well beaten by Weekend Special lto over 1200 and was in reverse before 1000 was reached. Closely matched with Shiver n Shake, the appie now gives her a weight advantage on that rival. Seemingly has a lot to find with WS but should be more competitive over this shorter trip.

3 SHIVER 'N SHAKE - Magner/Khumalo. 4 wins and 3 2nds from 9 c runs merits her much respect but, similar to other rivals here, she was trounced 16l by Weekend Special over 1200 lto and began fading well before 1000 was reached. Better than that, closely matched with CC on some previous runs, and likely to go well but hard to see her overturning the form of such an emphatic defeat with WS.

4 WEEKEND SPECIAL - Matchett/Strydom. Destroyed most of the field with a pillar to post success here lto with a few of these rivals well beaten. Slight concern that she has yet to win over this d but has 2 silvers in her 4 attempts and had many floundering well before 1000m had been passed in that last run. Unless a sand debutant is very good, hard to see her getting beaten.

5 CLASSIC TRAVELLER - Peter/Nhlapo. Sand debut. Was 1.5l behind Spring Blaster over 1200 on the turf lto and is now 1kg better off. Is on 3rd run after a rest and back down to the minimum trip, there is a little in the breeding to suggest she could take to the surface and if so doing would be in with a chance. Low draw of 2 is something of a concern.

6 PRINCESS ALBERTA - Spies/Chambers. Recent form not inspiring until seemingly returning to some kind of form when a 2l 4th on the turf lto. It may not help here though as she has no top 3s in 8 c runs and indeed after her 1st run here when a 3.75l 5th she has not been closer than 9.05l of the winner on this c. Chambers up but will have to show marked improvement on the c to feature.

7 SPRING BLASTER - Ferreira/MVR. Sand debut. Prices now up and I have seen there is supposedly market support. Decent turf form and the breeding indicates a chance she will take to the sand. Could well be right there but now too short in the market for me and a watching brief.

8 SHE'S A TIGER - Goosen. A possible joker in the pack? Seems best over this shorter trip and in her penultimate run she was only beaten 2.25l by CC and 0.5l by SnS. She is 2kg better off with CC and 5.5kg with SnS. Rested 12 weeks, that may have freshened her up and she won well on debut, the stable seem to be in decent form currently and she could go well.

9 INVENTIVE GIRL - Wiid. Thrashed by WS lto over 1200 but possibly worth noting she was also 14.25l behind Ntombe. In her penultimate run she had beaten Ntombe by 0.25l in her only c/d start and also won her only other attempt at this d. She did fade early though in that last defeat and is drawn 1 here but I would be surprised if she doesn't show up better.

10 BOARDING CALL - Spies/Naude. Has some very good form generally but just does not seem to fire at this c with only 3 3rds in 9 runs here. She has beaten SB on the turf for example giving weight and she is now receiving. In fairness, many of the runs here were over further but she was beaten over 6l in each of her last 2 c/d attempts, one of which was by United who she had beaten on the turf not long before. Chambers is aboard PA. Can't be discounted but until she shows that she is a horse for this c, I'll pass.

2 CANTE LIBRE - Matchett/Simons - 11 BRAVE PRINCESS - Ferreira/Penny - 12 SUNSET BABY - Erasmus C E - 13 WATER MUSIC - Moffatt/Maleking - 14 ICELANDIC FIRE - Moffatt/Maujean - 15 EXTRAORDINAIRE - Matchett/AA - all look well held on form and should not feature in the finish, though IF was returning from a 37 week break when beaten 6.25l by IG so could come on for the run and CL is 2-2-2 from 10 c/d runs but looks well held by SnS and CC on her more recent runs.

My limited brain is struggling to see past Weekend Special based solely on that emphatic last run. Classic Traveller and Spring Blaster could give her a run if taking to the surface and over the shorter trip there are others who should go closer with some decent overall sand form... WEEKEND SPECIAL x SHE'S A TIGER x CLUB CAPTAIN

R7

2 ANTARCTIC CALL - Erasmus C E. Sand debut. Some fair turf form and the breeding suggests a fair chance she will go well on the surface but the stable is not firing at the moment, drawn 12 and he has had a 22 week rest. Taken a very small nibble on the off-chance but on balance of probabilities currently, unlikely.

6 WINTER MISCHIEF - Binda/Sturgeon. Sand debut. Rested 22 weeks after being tried, and well beaten when fading badly, over 2400 lto. Prior to that ran two fair efforts at around this d and has 3 silvers overall in 9 d runs. Breeding suggests that he could well enjoy the sand and I see there has been market support, Good draw in 3 and in with a shout if taking to the surface and ready.

9 PAINTYOURFACE - Magner/V.D.Merwe. Generally there or thereabouts and won well lto when coming from a long way back to win over 1450. Well drawn in 2 here (8 lto) and though his record of 1-1-2 in 19 attempts at 1600 (no top3s in 3 at c/d) is not the most inspiring, he won his penultimate over 2000 on the turf, seems to be in good heart currently and a repeat of that last run would give him a big chance of the hat-trick.

10 ROCKINGANDROLLING - Matchett/AA. Followed PYF almost throughout lto, also coming from a long way back to take 2nd beaten 2.25l. Is 0.5kg worse off but goes from box 13 to box 8. Closely matched with Steelwing and Siamese Fighter over 1200 behind Duty Dance and probably not at his best when a long way back of SF behind Alareef over 1450. Has only gone this d once and won it on this c. Perhaps not the most consistent but a repeat of that last run would give him a definite chance though he never looked liked getting to PYF that day.

11 FORM UP -SJG/MVR. Sand debut. Decent post maiden effort, drawn well in 4 and on 3rd run after a rest. Breeding indicates a chance he will take to the surface and has a chance if that proves to be the case.

12 STEELWING - A Laird/Herholdt. Made sand debut lto over 1200 and though beaten 6.25l, he ran 2nd and infront of RnR and Siamese Fighter. Won his maiden over 1400 and has only gone this d once, tiring into 5th having set the pace in a decent field. Good draw in 5 and returns after a short 10 week break. In with a shout.

13 SIAMESE FIGHTER - Zackey. My small e/w idiot in the field. Last two on turf were not so bad considering he was drawn 2nd widest on both occasions and a fair 4th prior to that over c/d when drawn widest of 9. Had RnR a long way back in the run behind Alareef over c/d. That may have been a poor run by the latter in fairness and it was turned around over 1200 nto when SF was 1.75l adrift of Steelwing and 1.7l of RnR in the race won by Duty Dance, he had the better of the draw that day but is now 7.5kgs better off with both. I think he has a squeak with the low weight and a better draw of 7 today.

Whether it be loss of form or poor overall form, the following made no appeal to me really other than the consideration that one or more could return to form and get involved. It would purely be guesswork though on my part and I will be leaving them out... 1 BOY OH BOY - Matchett/Simons - 3 ESTANCIA - Magner/Maleking - 4 ELEGANT BAY - Pettigrew/Wrogemann - 5 KING'S JOY - Tolmay/Chambers - 7 RIGHT ARROW - Peter -
8 MILLENNIUM WIND - Erasmus C E.

I am very tempted to go with Siamese Fighter but the brain is teling me to be sensible so... PAINTYOURACE x SIAMESE FIGHTER x ROCKINGANDROLLING

R8

1 OLYMPIC SPRING - Kenny. Not the most consistent but does put in some fair runs and has a 2-2-1 record from 7 c/d runs though he was well beaten in his last attempt at the d in his penultimate run. Lto he was a 2.5l 4th to Woodland Fire giving 1.5kgs from a 12/14 draw. She is up 1.5kgs here and has the widest draw of all.

2 PRETTY LADY - Erasmus/Brown. beaten by double digit lengths in all 4 c/d attempts since winning her maiden. Has fared better over 1600 with a 5.75l defeat and a 2.1l defeat by Woodland Fire. She is up 1.5kgs and was drawn 3 that day and is now drawn 2nd widest.

3 ESCUDO - Tarry/Khumalo. Sand debut. Comes here following a maiden win in her 2nd career run over 1600. That was perhaps not the strongest of fields but she did finish 2nd on debut over 1400 and the 4th and 5th dead-heated a win nto. This is also not the strongest field though and there is a little in the breeding to suggest she may take to the sand. Strong combo and a good draw in 5, possibilities.

4 IN MY SECRET LIFE - SJG/Sturgeon. One of the more interesting runners for me. Was well beaten on turf debut over 1200, took a 14 week rest and returned to win a moderate maiden event here over 1450. Followed that up with a decent 2nd to Miss K, beaten 4.25l, but had OS 11.75l further back. Back over 1450 though she was well beaten and was 5l back of Imperial Empress. Possible there was an issue there as a 20 week break followed. Since, she has put in two further poor turf runs. It is possible that she is in poor form or it is possible she prefers the sand and there was a problem in that 3rd run here. If the latter, from the 1 box, then she has a very decent chance imo.

5 IMPERIAL EMPRESS - Mayhew. Has one 3rd from 2 d runs but no top 3s in 4 c runs. The first effort was over 1000, the next two over 1450 and then last time over 1600. Given that she was drawn 2nd widest in two of those runs, defeats of 7l and 2.75l twice would imply she runs better than those figures indicate. Her last run here, over 1600, saw her beaten 2.75l by Woodland Fire when drawn 13/14 and is up 1 kg. She had to come from a long way back that day and was finishing best of those out again today but she has another wide draw to contend with in 15.

6 E-TICKET - Azzie/Lerena. Was 11.75l behind Empire Of The Moon over c/d in her only sand run to date. That run though wa squashed between two breaks and in 3 runs since her 28 week break las time, her latest two efforts have been fair. Possible not all was well for her previous sand run but is drawn in 12 and though I think she has a chance, I'll opt for a watching brief this time.

7 COTE DE PABLO - Hutcheson/Wrogemann. Sand debut. Won her maiden at the 5th time of asking lto over 2000 in a WR event. A little in the breeding to suggest she might take to the surface but the turf form doesn't look the strongest. Not without hope but I am more drawn to others.

8 LUCKY BID - Pettigrew/MVR. Won her maiden lto on her 3rd c appearance beating Lady Casey by 1.5l over 1450 having twice finished behind that rival. Steps up in trip and has a wide draw of 14 here, in with a chance if staying but not for me.

9 PERFECT WINTER - Francis/Herholdt. After a decent start to her sand career she has not run here since October. In that run she finished 0.75l ahead of IE with the latter now 1.5kg better off. Has been running well of late on the turf and if she can show the same back on the sand then she could well be involved in the finish.

10 DONA DATIA - Mayhew. Only run once on c, a 13.5l defeat over 1450 over two years ago. Has some fair recent turf form and a good draw in 3. If her one run here was simply a poor performance then in with a chance but logic says to me the trainer would have run her on the sand again since if he had confidence in her ability on the surface. A watching brief.

11 EMPIRE OF THE MOON - Tarry/Strydom. Has only featured here once this year when a 5.75l 5th to Olympic Goal over this 1800, but 2nd that day was Woodland Fire. EOTM was 4l behind giving WF 2kgs. That does not compare so favourably with some of those who raced in the race won by WF here on 23rd April over 1600. Given that EOTM is favourite I don't think he represents great value. Not to say he doesn't have a chance, with PS up from the 2 draw he does, but at the prices I'll look elsewhere.

12 RAINBOW ARROW - Hutcheson/Mariba. Yet to go this far and beaten double figure lengths in both attempts to date over 1600 and draw 13 won't help her cause. Won her maiden over 1450 here but has not finished within 9l of the winner in subsequent c runs over 1200 and 1450. Not for me.

13 GREYISH - Matchett/AA. Faded badly over 2600 on the turf lto and has yet to run over this d, reported weakening in both her eforts over 1600. Has raced only twice here, once over 1200 and then a 3.5l 7th to Woodland Fire. She was drawn 2 that day and is in 3 here and carries the same weight. Her form overall does not look strong since returning from a 62 week break 6 runs back and others were finishing in the WF race better. .

14 SEATTLE FAIRY - Tolmay. Takes a big jump in d from what she has been running over of late. Something of a surprise as in 6 runs at 1600 or over she has not finished closer than 6l of the winner. A wide draw of 16 won't help her staying powers but she has been reported as running on over 1450, a watching brief.

15 BREATHLESS - SJG/Chambers. Has not raced this far since the early days of her career and though no top 3s in those runs, she was not disgraced either. Was well beaten though in 2 earlier sand efforts over 1450 and 1800. Ran for the 3rd time on sand lto when a running on 3rd over 1200. Not the easiest to evaluate over this c/d but it is a big jump in d to what she has been running over recently, a watching brief for me.

16 LONDON DIPPER - Maree/V.D.Merwe. Sand debut. Recent turf has been poor and has rarely challenged for the places of late. Drawn 11 and nothing in the breeding indicates to me she will impriove with this surface.

A fairly poor race to finish. It could be close with a number of them closely matched and one/or two others with ifs and buts. Difficult but I'll try a roughie and go with... IMPERIAL EMPRESS x PERFECT WINTER x IN MY SECRET LIFE

Bloody hell ,away to make a coffee , for the half time interval

Cheers Engels

I need a new finger cos mine is now tired of scrolling down <

Thanks and appreciated E -D

If you were a horse Englander then you would definitely be a stayer as you alone constantly come up with these posts. Others give it a go but fade away after the first mile and a half. You are a 3 miler for sure:)-D

Sorry E, you lost me at "As always". <

Seriously, very nice write up also make Silent Force a massive runner today if repeating her last and weighted to win.

Englander

Thank you as usual

That is a lot to swallow for 30 minute. you never cease to amaze.

wow! thanks for the write up !

chicken 'n chips Wrote:

---

> If you were a horse Englander then you would
> definitely be a stayer as you alone constantly
> come up with these posts. Others give it a go but
> fade away after the first mile and a half. You are
> a 3 miler for sure:)-D


They always stay longer after being gelded..
Good work Engles

Thank you very much. Very informative.

Thanks (tu) And I thought my effort on the daily thread was a bit long-winded

Thanks Englander,top class.

Many thanks Englander , I'm exhausted after the initial once over but will take it race by race as the day progresses