Paul Peter has Turffontein Jackpots in his grip

Trainer Paul Peter has not missed a beat between racing seasons – continuing to churn out results and keep the public happy. He finished second to Justin Snaith in 2020/21 and he occupies the same position after a month of the new term.

At Turffontein on Thursday, Peter dominates our thinking in the Jackpot races and could easily land a treble in the fifth, sixth and seventh events.

In Race 5, an MR74 Handicap over 1800m on the Inside track, he fields three runners and two of them are fancied to fight it out for the first prize.

The gelding Grimaldi is so regally pedigreed his connections – and punters – had high expectations when he started his career on the last day of 2020. He finished third in that mile contest at Turffontein but, instead of pushing on to the winner’s box, he seemed to lose focus in his subsequent attempts.

But the secret to racing success is patience and Peter’s perseverance eventually got the now four-year-old ticking over nicely. He has won two of his last three races – the last one effortlessly – and seems to be ready for bigger things.

His main danger on Thursday will be stable mate Leading Lad, another who has come right after a succession of “no cigar” efforts.

An Exacta and Trifectas with these two are obvious wagers. One could even throw into those bets the third Peter runner, Major Winter, who showed plenty of ability in his one win to date but has suffered wretched luck in many of his races and could be a lot better than the betting odds suggest.

Peter’s duo in Race 6, an MR88 Handicap over 1800m, could reprise a stable 1-2. Flying Bull, with a light 53.5kg to carry from a No 1 draw, is the choice of stable rider Warren Kennedy, while Western Fort gets 2.5kg off his allotted 61.5kg courtesy of apprentice Philasande Mxoli.

Flying Bull registered his first and only win in his fifth start – immediately after gelding and, significantly, on this track over a mile. His next effort came at the Vaal after a short break, dropping back to 1450m, and he just wasn’t in the zone.

The son of Soft Falling Rain will enjoy this extra ground and warrants a short price.

Once upon a time, Western Fort looked destined for the top, with a couple of wins, a close-up fourth in the SA Derby and galloping alongside the likes of Hawwaam. But he, too, went off the boil.

Six months off could have got the chakras aligned again. His comeback run on 11 August at Turffontein over 1600m saw evidence of the old zest as he finished second. This trip is just what he needs as he climbs the ladder again.

Peter’s third standout on the day is the colt Val D’Orcia, who goes to the races for only a second time after a debut triumph. The runner-up in that race has since won, so the form is golden. A rise from 1160m to 1450m is what the son of Vercingetorix is looking for at this stage.

SELECTIONS

Race 1:

6 Sister Light, 2 Golden Aspen, 1 Kissed By Fire, 7 Turn Tide

Race 2:

3 Timbavati River, 5 Il Pradino, 8 Privilege, 9 Zanetto

Race 3:

7 Prince Of Fire, 1 Big Blue Marble, 8 Winter Renegade, 2 Kings Road

Race 4:

4 Barak, 3 Super Handsome, 7 Humble Tune, 2 Captain Chorus

Race 5:

1 Grimaldi, 3 Leading Lad, 7 Forged By Fire, 5 Fred

Race 6:

6 Flying Bull, 1 Western Fort, 2 Foreign Field, 3 Prince Evlanoff

Race 7:

Val D’Orcia, 8 Whafeef, 5 Funky Music, 6 Pride Of Paris

Race 8:

7 Dark Travel, 4 Dark Vision, 1 Miracle And Wonder, 11 Bitter Wind

Pick 6:

7 x 2,3,4,5,7 x 1,3,5,7,9 x 1,2,6 x 3,5,6,7,8 x 1,4,7,11 (R1500)

PA:

3,5 x 7 x 2,4 x 1 x 6 x 7,8 x 4,7 (R16)