Swinger and Exacta players should team Jade Bay with Power Jet
A small but talented field lines up in the topliner at the Vaal tomorrow, an MR 104 Handicap over 1000m, but Jade Bay could defy a whopping penalty to score his sixth career win.
The Dominic Zaki-trained four-year-old has won two of his last three starts and finished second in the other. He was rated at 86 in his third-last start and beat De Var Hyt (5kg better off) by 2.50 lengths over this course and distance.
He went on to finish a neck second to Power Jet over the Vaal 1000m and meets his rival on 0.5kg worse terms. There should not be much between the two again, providing Power Jet returns to action following a 61-day rest in the same shape. Both horses were given a six-point penalty for that effort.
Zaki then gave Jade Bay a two-month rest and he came back in the Umngeni Handicap on Gold Cup Day at Greyville where he made all to beat Sharp Design by a short head. Handicappers gave him another two merit-rating points – or 1kg – for that run.
Three days later all the turf merit ratings for horses in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape were raised by six points, so Jade Bay is currently at the highest mark of his career, 105.
Jade Bay will have 6kg more to carry than in the Umngeni Handicap, so jockey Andrew Fortune will probably need to be a bit more circumspect than Richard Fourie in his tactics.
That was Power Jet’s third win in a row. He then ran twice on the sand without disgrace before returning to this course and distance last time out, when he made a respiratory noise and faded from the lead to fifth, 1.75 lengths behind Goldstream (2.5kg worse off). De Var Huyt, who meets Power Jet on 0.5kg better terms, was 0.75 lengths in front of Leon Erasmus’ charge in third place.
De Var Hyt will have the services of ruling South African champion jockey Piere Strydom and although he ran badly last time out, is much better than that and cannot be ignored.
Nor can Goldstream, who will carry just 52kg. He followed that win over this course and distance in July with two placings over the Scottsville 1000m, finishing second to four-length winner Raconteur and then a 1.85-length fourth behind Garibondy.
Mogok’s Desire has an outside chance on his best form, while the only other runner in the field, Gold Site, has been rested and will need to improve on his most recent form to shape.
There are two potential Pick 6 bankers, Kings V in Race 3 and Crown Mine in Race 6.
Kings V, to be ridden by jockeys’ log-leader S’manga Khumalo, drifted in the betting but ran a promising debut in finishing second to 1.75-length winner Artic Route over this 1200m and has scope for improvement. Watch the betting on the first-timers.
Khumalo also rides Crown Mine. They teamed up for a 5.25-length win over 1450m on the Vaal sand in July in Crown Mine’s second career starts. His first run was not as bad as it seemed, either – he was beaten 7.25 lengths by Velvet Verona over 1160m at Turffontein and two of those rivals have won subsequently.
If Crown Mine stays this longer distance and enjoys the faster turf surface he could skate in again.
