Joey Ramsden brings the handicapper’s bogey horse Professor Brian to the R400 000 Gr2 Post Merchants party under the Greyville lights on the Youth Day public holiday next Friday evening.
Professor Brian bounds home under Grant van Niekerk last time
A 4yo son of Encosta De Lago, the 4yo Professor Brian has won his last five races on the trot – stepping up every time to defy the handicapper, and going from an MR of 58 to his current 91.
Grant Van Niekerk rides him from a tough 12 draw in his biggest test to date.
His opposition could come from the horses who filled the next three places behind surprise winner Bull Valley in the Gr1 Tsogo Sun Sprint at Scottsville a week ago.
Brett Crawford – strong hand
Two of them, Search Party and Gulf Storm, that finished second and fourth respectively, are from the stable of top Cape trainer Brett Crawford who triumphantly won both the Grade 1 Daily News 2000 and the Woolavington 2000 at Greyville last weekend and will be on a high with strong hopes of snatching the honours in this top sprint event also.
Separating them at the line in the Tsogo Sun Sprint is the Dennis Drier-trained gelding Barbosa that showed a return to form in the Scottsville race with the promise of potential further improvement when he steps out for this race.
A full field of 14 runners will face the starter, with three reserves, with the Overlord gelding Talktothestars from the Coenie De Beer stable topping the weights and nicely drawn at three.
R400 000 POST MERCHANTS (Grade 2)
Open
WFA: 2yrs-8.5kgs 3yrs-1kgs
No Apprentice Allowance
| 1 | 3 | Talktothestars | 60 | 113 | TBA | B Fayd’Herbe | Coenie de Beer | |
| 2 | 17 | Gulf Storm | 58 | 106 | A | R Fourie | Brett Crawford | |
| 3 | 9 | Search Party | 58 | 106 | A | C Orffer | Brett Crawford | |
| 4 | 4 | Barbosa | 56 | 104 | BA | A Forbes | Dennis Drier | |
| 5 | 7 | Captain’s Causeway | 56 | 104 | A | …………… | Sean Tarry | |
| 6 | 6 | Pivotal Pursuit | 56 | 104 | BA | R Munger | Gary Alexander | |
| 7 | 10 | Captain Swarovski | 56 | 103 | A | D Dillon | Justin Snaith | |
| 8 | 8 | Top Form | 56 | 101 | BA | A Marcus | Charles Laird | |
| 9 | 11 | Redcarpet Captain | 56 | 100 | A | W Kennedy | Gareth van Zyl | |
| 10 | 2 | Amazing Strike | 54 | 99 | BA | A Delpech | Alec Laird | |
| 11 | 15 | Lord Balmoral (AUS) | 54 | 99 | A | M Byleveld | Vaughan Marshall | |
| 12 | 14 | Joan Ranger | 53.5 | 101 | A | M V’Rensburg | Lucky Houdalakis | |
| 13 | 1 | Just As I Said | 52 | 94 | T A | …………… | Lucky Houdalakis | |
| 14 | 12 | Professor Brian (AUS) | 52 | 91 | A | G van Niekerk | Joey Ramsden | |
| 15 | 16 | Mr Roy | 54 | 95 | A | Reserve 1 | Alyson Wright | |
| 16 | 5 | Seventh Plain | 54 | 97 | T A | Reserve 2 | Dennis Drier | |
| 17 | 13 | Donny G | 54 | 96 | A | Reserve 3 | Sean Tarry | |
| (2,3) (4,16) (5,17) (12,13) | ||||||||
