Get some Culture at Clairwood meeting
Clairwood stages a typically difficult midweek meeting today but there are a couple of horses who could provide respite for beleaguered punters.
Trainer Robbie Hill appears to have a useful sprinter in Peter Culture. The three-year-old has raced nine times for three wins and four places but has improved markedly with gelding. The “unkind cut” was made shortly after he ran in the Grade 1 Golden Horseshoe on Durban July Day. Since then Peter Culture has won two of his three starts.
It is also worth mentioning that all of his wins have been posted over 1000m and he has yet to taste defeat over the minimum trip. That is the distance over which Peter Culture will line up when he runs in Race 7, a MR 82 Handicap.
He carries top weight of 60kg but it appears he has been raised just 1kg for his two victories. It is difficult to assess because runners had six points added on coming into the new season but then had the penalty removed again in December.
When he won in October he moved from 87 to 93 but after winning again in November, he came back to 89, the rating off which he races in this event.
Peter Culture looks to be in a different league to the balance of the runners and with Anthony Delpech aboard, he looks the standout bet on the card.
The second banker may need a bit of faith from her followers. It’s not easy to take a chance in a fillies’ handicap but Diamond Ally looks ready to attain her second victory in Race 9 over 1200m. She raced three times as a two-year-old and shed her maiden certificate in her final outing last season, beating Euthalia by 0.75 lengths, despite losing ground at the start.
She came out again in a Graduation Plate in September and again started slowly but finished a 2.90-length fourth behind more-fancied stablemate Schiffer, winner of three of her five races.
Diamond Ally might have needed some time to fill out and trainer Dennis Drier gave her a break until 23 December. She raced in a FM 70 Handicap over 1000m at Clairwood and finished well for fifth, 2.60 lengths behind Trix Of The Trade. That run should have brought her on beautifully and she will appreciate the move back to 1200m.
It is also worth noting that she is owned by Markus and Ingrid Jooste and that retained jockey Anton Marcus takes the ride for the first time.
