Vulcan is set to strike
Piere Strydom is aboard Morpheus while Gavin Lerena has the ride on Shadow Line and Ryan Munger gets on Vulcan.
Trainer Scott Kenny is enjoying a purple patch at the moment and looks set to notch up yet another winner at the Vaal today where racing takes place in the outside track.
He saddles three of the nine runners heading to post for Race 6, a MR 91 Handicap over 1200m, and has engaged the big guns to ride his horses.
Piere Strydom is aboard Morpheus while Gavin Lerena has the ride on Shadow Line and Ryan Munger gets on Vulcan.
It gives the impression Kenny is anticipating good runs from all three of his runners but it could be lightly weighted Vulcan who leads them home. Over the last 12 months the eight-year-old has seen his merit rating fall from 88 to 75, which results in him being handicapped to carry 6.5kg less than this time last year.
Since coming down to a 75 rating Vulcan has run two very decent races. Two runs back he ran a 0.75-length second behind Divar over 1450m on the Classic track and last time over this course and distance he only found Kings Archer too good.
He comes into this race with just 52kg to carry and that should make him extremely competitive. The runner he has to beat could well be Angel’s Power who has not won a race for 413 days but has gone down to some top horses in his last few starts.
He has placed behind Will Pays twice, ran a 3.10-length second behind Donny G, finished a two-length third to Thrust and best of all, last time out ran on strongly to be a 1.75-lengths second behind Kangaroo Jack who could lay claims to being the best sprinter in the country right now.
That was in the Grade 3 Spring Spree Stakes so it was a very decent effort. JP van der Merwe, who was aboard last time, takes the ride but they will have to give 8.5kg to Vulcan.
Dreamuponadream over-raced last time when finishing 6.10 lengths behind Mogok Master over 1450m at Turffontein. His two wins have both been over 1200m so he is sure to enjoy the drop in distance.
As part of the initiative to ensure the readiness of the Vaal racing surface for The Grand Heritage on 1 October, the last two races will both have bigger fields than normal.
To accommodate the bigger fields, the middle rail that usually separates the Outside and Inside tracks will be removed and there will be a 5m spur at the 500m mark on the inside running rail. The starting stalls for these races will be placed in the centre of the track.
