Plus I read in the RXP that its a pick 6 carry over
Lets have your perms?
Imperial Gesture looks the ideal banker in R2.7-m Pick 6
JACK MILNER - For the second week running punters at Turffontein can enjoy the fruits of a carryover Pick 6 with R608,457 expected to boost the pool to R2.7 million. Back over his favourite course and distance, Imperial Gesture looks the best banker on the card for all exotic bets.
Despite the Charles Laird yard going through a lean spell, by its standards at least, Imperial Gesture should rise to the occasion.
He is well weighted in Race 5, a Conditions Plate over 1450m on the inside track, and has not lost over the course and distance in two starts. His victims in those races were Seattle Ice and Braggadacio, who are no slouches themselves.
The four-year-old Al Mufti gelding started favourite for the Charity Mile but was pulled out of the race by jockey Anton Marcus after choking up in running. He returned to the track in January over 1600m and finished a 0.50-length second to Dinner For One over 1600m on the inside track and then ran third to Buy And Sell and Braggadacio.
Imperial Gesture looks ready to score his fourth career win and will be hard to peg if he gets to the front early.
He is the second best-weighted runner in the field. The top position goes to Gary Alexander’s Fenerbahce, who gets 4kg from the Laird runner. He will jump from pole position and has Willie Figueroa in the irons. In addition, the stable is currently in form but I’m not sure the same is true of the horse.
After running a promising 2.75-length fifth to Oracy in the Grade 3 London News Stakes, Fenerbahce was backed to win a Graduation Plate as if the result was a formality.
Unfortunately the 15-10 favourite trailed in 11.55 lengths back in last place behind Flying Tristram. The stipendiary stewards reported there had been ``a brief rein drop’’ but that does not account for the poor performance.
He then contested the Listed Wolf Power Handicap over 1600m at this track and after leading, compounded badly to ninth, 6.50 lengths off Rudra.
Choisir finished second in that race and should confirm the form, despite being 3.5kg worse off. So Geoff Woodruff’s runner, with Piere Strydom aboard, should be the main danger to Imperial Gesture. The form shows his only start over this course and distance was a fifth behind Horatio but he was badly balked in a crucial stage of the race and did well to get within 1.75 lengths of the winner.
Carbon Leader is another who could finish in the money but he looks well held by Imperial Gesture on their run in October last year. However, that 7.25-length eighth over this course and distance was his first run in almost a year and he should have come on since then. He also gets 2kg from Imperial Gesture.
Punters looking for a second banker may well look to another Laird runner, Sonic Barrier in Race 8. He is also unbeaten at this track and has won his last two starts over 1600m, the distance of this MR 96 Handicap.
However, one will need to be wary of Wild Kodiak, who will be having his first run for trainer Mike de Kock. The five-year-old son of Western Winter was super-consistent when trained by Basil Marcus in Cape Town and is a four-time winner.
In his record is a head defeat to Thanks John, a runner highly regarded by trainer Mike Bass. Most significantly, all his wins have come over 1600m so he is ideally distance suited. He gets 2.5kg from Sonic Barrier and will be ridden by Anthony Delpech.
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