Good warm-up for Woodruff, Strydom combination.
With Louis The King’s meeting with J&B Met destiny drawing ever closer, the combination of trainer Geoff Woodruff and jockey Piere Strydom will be hoping to find some early form when Not Sulking lines up for Race 5 at Turffontein tonight, a Conditions Plate for fillies and mares over 1400m.
Not Sulking has everything going for her in Race 5 at Turffontein tonight and is expected to win.
Strydom always likes to be aboard the best weighted runner in plate and stakes races and in this event he has his wish, as this daughter of Trippi is the best handicapped runner in the line-up by quite a large margin. Had this been a handicap this filly would have had to give 3kg to the second-best weighted runner, Winter Star, and loads more to many of the other runners.
Strydom’s second prerequisite for a race over 1400m on the standside track is a good draw – and Not Sulking is perfectly positioned at No 1. She is in top form after coming back from a rest, beating Carry On Alice by 0.50 lengths in a Progress Plate over 1160m at this course.
So the only concern is this is her second race after a layoff but her last race was five weeks back and often in that situation – when the two races are not too close to another – the second-run syndrome does not matter.
Not Sulking looks an outstanding bet but should things not go according to plan, Winter Star has to be the main danger. One has to go back to November 2013 to find the last time she won a race, and that was the Emperors Palace Ready To Run Cup over this course and distance.
However, the John Janse van Vuuren stable is in good form and jockey Donovan Mansour would love to get this daughter of Solskjaer back in the No 1 box.
Whatever her fate, the combination could get into the winner’s enclosure in Race 7 in which Janse van Vuuren sends out Zortziko. The four-year-old Jet Master gelding has won his last two starts, and with just 53.5kg to carry Mansour should be able to guide Zortziko to victory in this MR 96 Handicap over 1160m.
Top weight Chekilli stands out as the main threat but Alec Laird’s charge has to give 8.5kg to Zortziko.
