Best & Value Bets: Fairview and Greyville This Weekend

It’s feature weekend once again as we have the East Cape Derby to look forward to on Friday at Fairview, while the annual WSB 1900 showdown takes place at Greyville on Saturday. Here, we take a look at the best bets on Friday and Saturday.

Fairview (Friday)

Race 4 – Major Attraction

The first leg of what seems to be a massive Pick 6 pool of an estimated R2 million on Friday gets underway at 13h20 with Major Attraction being the top selection in this race. The 4-year-old daughter of Vercingetorix makes the trip to the Eastern Cape for the first time in her career but brings attractive form from Cape Town with her. Richard Fourie teams up with Justin Snaith here and will be looking to bring home Major Attraction’s sixth career victory, all coming over this distance.

Race 5 – Global Drummer

The best bet on the card on Friday comes in Race 5 as Kaidan Brewer jumps aboard the classy Global Drummer for the Gavin Smith stable. The 4-year-old gelding has won 15 times from 19 career starts and holds the form over most horses in the race. He should take a power of a beating here and looks like a possible banker in the Pick 6.

Race 6 – Piroshka

Race 6 on the card on Friday sees a tricky Listed event with some of the country’s finest up-and-coming 2-year-olds. Piroshka from the Candice Bass-Robinson stable seems to have the most class about him. Aldo Domeyer has ridden him twice over his three career starts, finishing second behind the talented Hithemhardsunshine over 1000m. He then followed that up with an emphatic win over 1200m, winning by two and a half lengths. The 2-year-old colt is still lightly racing and certainly has scope to win this race.

Best Bets:

Race 4 – Major Attraction
Race 5 – Global Drummer
Race 6 – Piroshka

Value Bet:

Race 7 – Futurismo

Greyville (Saturday)

Race 2 – Ready To Fly

Race 2 on the card at Greyville this Saturday sees a Maiden Juvenile Plate where Mike De Kock’s runner, Ready To Fly, seems to be the best selection in the race. She produced a stellar debut in Johannesburg, finishing second, just under a length behind Captain Peg. With Richard Fourie aboard and from a neat draw of gate 3, the daughter of Gimmethegreenlight should be tough to oppose.

Race 6 – She’s A Keeper

She’s A Keeper returns to KwaZulu-Natal looking to make her presence felt back in the province. The daughter of Gimmethegreenlight won on her only attempt at this course and distance, trouncing her rivals by four lengths and further. In total, she has won five of her six runs on the turf at Greyville and should take a power of beating. Anton Marcus retains the ride after she finished fifth in a Grade 1 last time out. On home soil, she should win the race.

Race 7 – Mount Anderson

The biggest showdown of the weekend sees a 11-horse field lineup for the WSB 1900. Two-time Durban July winner, Do It Again, is the hot favourite and is the class of the race, but I get the feeling that this could just be a prep run for bigger things to come later this year, particularly his final Durban July. Mount Anderson is my selection from the Dean Kannemeyer stable and will be ridden by Keagan de Melo. The 5-year-old son of Vercingetorix returned from a break with an impressive win, running on strongly in his last start over 1800m in a Listed event and has enough scope to get the better of his rivals here. There is plenty of value on offer for him as well so certainly worth an each way chance.

Race 9 – Ambiorix

Jockey S’manga Khumalo’s best ride on the day comes in the form of Ambiorix in Race 9 on Saturday’s card. The Vaughan Marshall-trained gelding will make his way to Greyville for the first time, although he has won a Grade 1 in KwaZulu-Natal before, winning the Gold Medallion in Scottsville last year. This will be his third run after a rest, and with Khumalo aboard once again, he should be right in the money with his blistering speed and from barrier gate 2. This could be the close of many successful weekend multiples.

Best Bets:

Race 2 – Ready To Fly
Race 6 – She’s A Keeper
Race 9 – Ambiorix

Value Bets:

Race 7 – Mount Anderson
Race 8 – Etiquette