Clairwood today?

Good morning how is the weather in Natal?

Sacred Fire, Fairytale Story and Bergdorf Blonde look the potential bankers?

Please post your selections and thoughts.

Jack Milner rxp

There appear to be some good bets on the card, particularly in the last two races where Fairytale Story and Bergdorf Blonde both appear to be Pick 6 bankers.

Doug Campbell’s Fairytale Story failed at Clairwood in her first career outing in July but did rear at the start and lose quite a few lengths. The Russian Revival filly was rested for 76 days and in her return to the track slammed Asian Affair by 3.50 lengths.

She won her next two starts just as effortlessly and looks to be a top-class sprinter. In this race the three-year-old takes on some seasoned runners but should rise to the challenge and rack up her fourth successive win in Race 7, a FM 89 Handicap over 1000m. Brandon Lerena will be in the irons.

In her last outing Fairytale Story beat Bergdorf Blonde by 2.75 lengths in a Graduation Plate and Mike de Kock’s filly takes a drop in class when she contests Race 8, a MR 71 Handicap, also over 1000m.

Bergdorf Blonde’s opposition does not look too strong and the four-year-old Silvano filly should not be hard pressed to score her second successive victory.

De Kock should also be on the mark in Race 3 in which he saddles Sacred Fire. The Rich Man’s Gold colt has placed in both of his starts but tends to misbehave at the start.

He has Silent Jet to beat and if Sacred Fire is slowly out of the gates, then Kumaran Naidoo’s runner could make him work for victory.

The weather is overcast, but dry. However, we've had so much rain on and off over the past weeks and even months that the water table must now be sitting just below the surface!

It wasn't looking great for racing yesterday morning, and although we only had a few drizzle patches afterwards even that could have done damage. We've almost forgotten what the sun looks like here, so conditions have not been good for drying.

I will let you guys know when I find out exactly what the drill is. Off the top of my head I would think it looks okay for racing on a very soft track, but I would not take poison on it.

The underfoot conditions may throw up a few results.
Place all to come Flash Along/Sultry Day/Sally's Alley

Definitely racing today

Thanks for that, Ryan. Good to know.

Ourhorse Island Groove tries 1000m for the first time today. It could be too short for her in a race which looks to have a fair bit of speed in it, but the softer going will help slow things down. She is very well and expected to run a good race, for what it's worth. Whether she can give weight and beat a horse like Fairytale Story is another story, but we were beaten by Loupe last time, giving her tons of weight, so it was encouraging to see Loupe win at the Listed race at Turffies this past weekend.

Pen reading 30. It's been softer, I suppose. We had a 34 or 36 at Clairwood the Sunday after Christmas, and there was hardly any kick-up. Hopefully the course everybody wants to get ride of will cope better than Splatsville...I mean Scottsville, which started with a 23 pen reading on Sunday and couldn't complete a 10 race card after nothing more than some heavy drizzle through the day.

Or so I was told. I haven't been to that place since Barack Obama was in high school (almost).

Mathew come on you know everyone loves Splattsville. HAHAHAHA
Well the Bookies must. There Pen reading has always been taken under the Grandstand for years now. Luckily it was on the main track cause the inside one can't handle anything

Ryan what is the problem with Splattsville, bad drainage or marshy land?

Think it may have to do from when the used to put wood chips down.
It just doesnt seem to dry quickly. It can't handle nearly as much rain as our other 2 courses it's only saving grace is that in pmb it doesn't rain as much as on the coast.

Really should have made it a dirt track years ago in my opion

Ryan, I thought it was busy doing that all by itself? Ask your mate MJ...(sorry guys, inside joke).

Any ideas whu Glen Puller scratched all his ruuners today...virus??