All eyes were focussed on the Emerald Cup meeting at the Vaal with Tommy Gun saving ground on the rail to win easily (s/s 101+) He recorded an excellent figure of 111 at his penultimate start but many were put off by a weak prep run at humble Flamingo Park. Taking advantage of a low draw, he saw off other pace pressers and was too far ahead for late runners, Uncle Tommy and Killua Castle to make an impact. Quite a few of the fancied horses ran way below best - such is the nature of racing, especially on the deep, tiring Vaal surface which leads to big swings in performance levels.
Precursor (s/s 107) is a very promising sprinter with a great temperament and his win was most impressive. Second placed Fire Horse (s/s 103) is a contemporary well worth following, showing strong ability on both turf and sand. Another speedball totally comfortable on the sand is the dependable Trip Tease (s/s 104) who staved off Blazing Al (s/s 100) to clinch the Hampton Handicap.
Greyville's Friday Polytrack session was dominated by Anton Marcus who won on five of his six mounts. "Superman" has quickly worked out the nuances and pace profile of the new circuit, and was typically gracious and grounded in post-race interviews. Best rating of his winning rides went to Gemini Gold (s/s 97) who came back after a long layoff to win on handicap debut and should be able to beat stronger based on this performance. German Lady (s/s 88+) was another popular winner, coasting across the line in Race 5.
On Sunday, Marcus' winning roll continued at Greyville, steering four past the post. Varbration (s/s 98) was his most impressive winner and looks a nice prospect. He was written up in a recent newsletter after going down to the talented Generalissimo, and built on that effort to win a Graduation as expected. It was a day of meagre exotic tote dividends with a procession of short priced fancies obliging, but favourite backers were nevertheless able to secure the best prices on Interbet about these "good things".
