Dopamine aplenty on offer this weekend

Like addictive drugs such as cocaine, heroin, nicotine and alcohol, gambling activates the brain’s reward system, which is powered by dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter inside the brain that reinforces
sensations of pleasure.

That’s what comes up if you ask Google why people gamble. Of course, we know that seeking too much pleasure reinforcement is unlikely to be good for us in the long run, so best be a tad careful with the dopamine fixes during this Champions Season at the racecourse.

Health warning out of the way, on to the fun part: planning to scoop big Jackpot pools coming our way this weekend.

Three carryovers totalling R700,000 will boost pools for Jackpot One wagers this coming Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Jackpot Ones at Fairview on Friday 30 May and at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Sunday 1 June will kick off with R100,000 carryovers, TAB announced on Monday.

Between those two dates, the Jackpot One pool at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Saturday 30 June will get a weighty R500,000 carryover.

The Scottsville meeting features four of South Africa’s major sprint races, and they make up the four Jackpot One legs on the day.

The four sprints, all over 1200m, comprise three Grade 1 contests and a Grade 2, with the R1.5 million Gold Medallion for two-year-olds heading the show.

TAB predicts this pool will top R1.5 million, with the carryovers at Fairview and Kenilworth generating pools of more than R500,000.

Down the line

Looking a bit further ahead in the KwaZulu-Natal season, on Saturday 7 June punters will be able to bet into the huge Hong Kong Jockey Club World Pool tote on Races 7 to 10 at the Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge meeting, and on all races at the Epsom Derby meeting in the UK.

In other good news for the patrons who keep cash churning through the system, the Pick 6 first-timer rule has been extended to include the Bipot – as seen at Greyville racecourse this past Saturday.

Should first-timers finish first and second, the first horse to finish of those to have run before also qualifies for the Bipot.

“The purpose of applying the first-timer rule to the Bipot is to prevent customers from being disadvantaged by first-timers and will be welcomed by the many customers who have requested it apply to both the Pick 6 and Bipot,” said TAB.

“It should be noted that, in the Bipot, the first-timer rule does not apply in the event of a raced horse finishing first or second.

“As with the Pick 6, the first-timer rule only applies to Bipots on South African race meetings. In Quickmixes, it applies to South African races only.”

Fields for the Scottsville sprints have been finalised.

SA Fillies Sprint

(draw, name, weight, MR, trainer, jockey)

1 Double Grand Slam 60 122 Justin Snaith Richard Fourie

2 Frozen Fantasy 58.5 99 Robyn Klaasen Kabelo Matsunyane

3 Symphony In White 58.5 105 Candice Bass-Robinson Andrew Fortune

4 Just Be Lekker 60 109 Candice Dawson Serino Moodley

5 Rascova 60 122 Sean Tarry Gavin Lerena

6 Chasing Happiness 60 112 J A Janse van Vuuren S’manga Khumalo

7 Mrs Browning 60 113 Sean Tarry Luyolo Mxothwa

8 Mia Moo 60 115 Sean Tarry Callan Murray

9 Whistle The Tune 58.5 105 Candice Dawson Calvin Habib

10 Asiye Phambili 60 116 Duncan Howells Sean Veale

11 Gimme A Shot 60 110 M G Azzie/A A Azzie Muzi Yeni

12 Mai Sensation 58.5 105 Lucinda Woodruff Juan Paul vd Merwe

13 Chrome Tourmaline 60 106 Fabian Habib Diego De Gouveia

14 Gimmie’s Countess 58.5 107 Dean Kannemeyer Craig Zackey

15 Convocation 60 92 Gareth van Zyl Athandiwe Mgudlwa