BIG PICK 6: A R209,000 Pick 6 carryover to the Vaal on Tuesday might see the pool soar as high as R2 million. Coastal One and a back-to-best Full Power could smooth the way to a popular payout.
NICCI GARNER RXP
LIKE many of trainer Geoff Woodruff’s horses, Full Power lost the way last year, but the Argentine-bred son of Roy is starting to fulfil his early potential and could rack up his fourth career win in Race 6 at the Vaal on Tuesday.
Sidelined after the KZN Derby at Clairwood last July, Full Power returned to action in January and ran a good second to Cyber Case over 1200m at this track.
His next race was on the inside track at Turffontein where Full Power made further progress and finished second to good winner Eight Street over 1800m. Herod The Great, the favourite that day, was 0.75 lengths behind him in fourth and is now 2kg worse off.
Back in a plate race last time out, Full Power made no mistakes in justifying even-money favouritism to beat Sayadaw by two lengths. He is trained at the track and could follow up.
Herod The Great went on to finish a 2.30-length fifth behind Captain Corageous in the Drum Star Handicap over 1800m at Turffontein earlier this month and placed in his only previous start over this course and distance. He enters the reckoning, but Full Power’s main threat is probably three-year-old Captain Al colt Captain Scott, who drops in class after running against his own age in two consecutive feature races.
The Alec Laird-trained grey is lightly raced, having run only four times, and blinkers being added to his equipment in the Gauteng Guineas last month did not aid his cause. He moved up to challenge halfway down the straight but then weakened to finish 10 lengths behind Oracy.
While his connections obviously did not believe he stood a chance of winning the 1800m SA Classic, to be run over 1800m at Turffontein this Saturday, they obviously believe he will stay the trip and if he can reproduce his earlier form, which came over sprint distances, he must have a chance.
Many will fancy the chances of Horatio following a close-up seventh to Our Giant in the Hawaii Stakes over 1400m at Turffontein last time out, but he probably won’t stay the 1800m, given his best form has come over 1600m and less.
The only other runner who might have a chance of earning is Sultan Of Song, who showed good improvement last time out when narrowly beaten into sixth by Whistlevent over 2000m at this track. He will strip cherry-ripe in his third run after a layoff.
Top-liner on the card is a FM 79 Handicap over 1800m in which Coastal One should be hard to beat. The Brett Webber-trained mare was carded to run at the abandoned fixture at Turffontein on Saturday, but has an easier task in this race.
Sidelined after racking up her fourth career win, she has finished second in both her races this year and will be at a peak.
She holds Cantiga De Luar and Projectile on those efforts as well as her main threat Lincoln Echo on previous form and looks an exotic-bet banker.
Lincoln Echo will be partnered by master tactician Piere Strydom, who teamed up with her for the first time in an 1800m race here recently and won easily, beating Crown Vox (failed next time out on the turf) by an easy 2.25 lengths. She looks a clear second-best.
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