Vino Veritas looks to have plenty in her favour
Piere Strydom remains the man of the moment. The legend has followed his magical 5000 winner milestone achieved on Act Of War in the Selangor Cup with an extraordinary fifty percent winner strike rate in the ensuing fortnight. That makes him the jockey to be with at the Vaal today.
As if owners and trainers aren’t enough to cope with, Strydom has handled every conceivable pressure imaginable in his 33 years in the saddle with aplomb. But the brain block that he endured as he hung around the 4999 winner mark in mid-November just proved that for all his immortality in the saddle, he really is also only human.
Confidence
Piere Strydom – riding the crest of a wave
With 11 winners from 22 rides up to Turffontein’s Tuesday night meeting, post the Act Of War celebrations on that sunny Kenilworth Saturday, Strydom is riding with his old confidence again and is close to unstoppable when throwing his leg over anything half decent.
His next target remains the 5072 winner mark – to balance the 72 winners in the 5000 that were not achieved in South Africa.
Good Card
Trainer Gavin Van Zyl
He has eight nice rides and partners our top-rated Vino Veritas in the Vaal Tuesday topliner, a Progress Plate run over 1700m.
Vino Veritas, latin for ‘in wine there is truth’, is a consistent sort and Gavin Van Zyl is in great form.
Nicely drawn at 1, the 4yo has won 2 from 10 and the daughter of Silvano looks rather well in here. She ran a cracking 2,50 length fifth behind Pine Princess (a decent subsequent effort behind Arcetri Pink in the Gr2 Ipi Tombe Challenge too) in the Gr3 Yellowwood Handicap last time out.
At her penultimate start she slammed Amber Orchid in a Scottsville 1950m fillies handicap.
Young Ones
Sean Tarry –
Two lightly raced 3yo’s may give her most to think about.
Sean Tarry’s Australian bred Tamaanee ran a creditable fourth and 4,50 lengths back to Banbury in the Fillies Mile on Summer Cup day. At her penultimate outing she ran on steadily for a close up third behind Rich Girl in the Emperors Palace Ready To Run Cup.
The daughter of Teofilo won her maiden early on with authority and is another who looks nicely in- particularly as promising apprentice Ryan Munger gives her a discount of 1,5kgs.
Naughty Girl
Mike De Kock
Another Australian bred filly is Mike De Kock’s Hard Spun, Estidraaj, who won her maiden at her second start on the Greyville polytrack by 9,50 lengths!
Next time out she ran a shocker.
After playing up and delaying the start she was slow away and never showed, running 29 lengths behind promising stablemate Ataab. She also had her starting certificate cancelled.
While she was ridden by visiting German jockey Andreas Helfenbein, this is probably one poor performance we can’t blame on a visiting international rider over that weekend.
Anthony Delpech gets aboard, she would have been reschooled by the De Kock team and it is conceivable to think that she will bounce right back to the level of that maiden win – which was really very impressive.
Bowled Over
Of the balance, Bermuda Bowl carries a hefty 61 kgs topweight and comes off the sand after a relatively quiet spell.
She looks held by Conne Mara Black on her last run.
Sean Tarry’s Elusive Spirit has won three races in a lightly raced career but her last two starts suggest she is battling to find her best form.
Woodruff Duo
Geoff Woodruff
Geoff Woodruff’s Wild Ash returns from a 30 week break and will need more ground to be competitive.
Her stablemate Shout Out also comes back from an extended break but had decent earlier form when beating a nice sort in Africa Blue with ease over the Vaal 2000m.
Diane Stenger’s Kahal mare Conne Mara Black was down to run at the Vaal on Thursday as we went to print.
She was a runaway eight length winner of her last start (on the sand) and is a very fit sort who is capable of running into place dividends.
Good Bet
The older Vino Veritas looks good enough to win this with so much in her favour.
Tamaanee and Estidraj (if she behaves) look the two most likely to give her something to think about.
