Juan Two Three to make winning comeback

One of the best sprinters to race in Port Elizabeth for quite a while, Juan Two Three, makes a return to the track today after an absence of 193 days.

He has raced 15 times for eight wins, but if one looks particularly at his performance in his home town, the record is even more impressive – still the eight wins but only from 12 starts. He raced three times in Cape Town under trainer Dennis Drier but the five-year-old son of Var did not take to running in the Western Cape.

Since his return to trainer Alan Greeff in the Eastern Cape, he has won five out of seven starts. In fairness, he was gelded when he returned to Port Elizabeth and that probably helped him turn the corner.

Today he contests a Pinnacle Stakes over 1000m on the Fairview Polytrack, a course he enjoys.

He has won three of his four starts on the course but all three wins have been over 1200m and his one defeat was over 1400m.

He has not raced over the course and distance but has won three of five races over 1000m, all on the turf.

The other issue is whether he will be adversely affected by his almost six months off the course. Obviously, his performance will depend on his fitness but if one looks at previous times in which Juan Two Three has come back from a long layoff, it indicates it will not be a problem.

He is well handicapped under the race conditions and should be giving at least 3kg more to his rivals. From No 1 draw and having Greg Cheyne in the irons, Greeff’s charge remains the horse to beat.

The likely danger is Villa Del Largo who is ultra-consistent. He has not won since October last year but many horses do tend to win at the same time of the year. Sadly, unlike Juan Two Three, at the age of eight there is unlikely to be too much improvement to come. In his favour is that he is fit.

The other dangers are Elusivenchantment, and stable companions Varonella and Varsity Cup.