Furiosa has lots of room for improvement when he contests Race 5 at Turffontein today and Piere Strydom sees him as a banker in all bets.
The weather has been to blame for the recent stints of abandoned meetings at Flamingo Park. But the good news for punters is the surface appears to be safe enough for horses and jockeys to race.
Corrie Lensley-trained Secret Lover made light work of his opposition in his last win when edging out the field by 4.75 lengths. This five-year-old son of Daring Bid will line up in today’s Race 8 main event, the Kimberley 1400 (Non-Black Type) over 1400m.
The drop in trip shouldn’t raise concerns – his last run suggests he’ll handle it well. He left quite an impression in that victory. One can be bullish about his chances, regardless of the wide No 14 draw he’ll have to overcome. Much is in Secret Lover’s favour here; he enjoys the sand, has a 100% strike rate at the course (two runs for two wins) and he’ll be shouldering a modest 52kg which will only increases his chances.
A number of runners are held on form by this gelding. He’s defeated a couple of them, most notably Morrie by 13.75 lengths, Shade Of Silence by 35 lengths and Ford Country by nine lengths. Secret Lover’ biggest danger could come from consistent Bill Human-trained Il Palio who’s finished second in his last three runs. He jumps from a decent No 8 draw but will have to shoulder 7.5kg more than Secret Lover which could be his downfall.
Secret Lover steps up in class and will be in the company of a lot stronger however should be the one they all have to beat.
Jaguar appears to be the Corrie Lensley stable jockey Muzi Yeni’s pick of ride over Secret Lover. This six-year-old son of Tiger Ridge should be given every chance. He’s never far off the pack but has proven rather expensive to follow of late. He’s been heavily backed which one can assume is a reflection of his ability. He jumps from No 1 draw and unfortunately will have to shoulder a heavy 612g – 10kg more than Secret Lover which could prove too much of an ask.