Way clear for Tuscan Winter to notch second career win

The withdrawal of Silver Tycoon from Thursday’s seventh race at the Vaal makes life easier for Tuscan Winter who can continue the good run being enjoyed by the Wernars family.

Johan Janse van Vuuren, who trains for the Wernars, has the excellent strike-rate this term of 12 winners from 68 runners and Tuscan Winter can add to that tally.

Purchased for R300,000 from Lammerskraal Stud, the son of What A Winter has a win and five places from his six racecourse appearances. Last time out he finished fourth behind Sparkling Water whose odds of 55-1 look attractive for the Summer Cup at the end of November.

Not surprisingly, it is an inmate of the powerful Paul Peter stable, Anne Boleyn, who may now pose the main threat to Janse van Vuuren’s runner. The mare, the mount of Warren Kennedy, has won four of her 17 starts.

Erico Verdonese does well with his small string of horses at Turffontein and his six-year-old, Rock Of Africa, rates an each-way chance with just 53.5kg on his back. The gelding will be ridden by Diego de Gouveia who has just returned from a stint in Mauritius.

It’s musical chairs for jockeys in Saturday’s Allied Steelrode-Onamission Mile at Turffontein (formerly the Charity Mile) with three of the fancied runners set to have new riders in the saddle.

With Luke Ferraris now domiciled in Hong Kong, trainer Mike de Kock has engaged Gavin Lerena to ride his Triple Crown winner Malmoos. The eight-time champion trainer has strong backup in Aussie-bred Al Muthana.

The ride on Joe Soma’s five-year-old, Got The Greenlight, goes to veteran jockey Bernard Fayd’Herbe, who was in the saddle when the horse won the Daily News 2000 and SA Classic in 2020.

Muzi Yeni, who has ridden Got The Greenlight in six of his past seven races, switches to Argentinian import Puerto Manzano, increasing speculation there has been a split between Lerena and trainer Janse van Vuuren.

Selections

1st Race: (7) Scottadito (1) Right Choice (8) Red Carpet Girl (10) Flame Flower

2nd Race: (5) King Arthur (3) Portrayal (10) Arverni Warrior (14) Paully

3rd Race: No Selection

4th Race: (3) Back To Basics (11) Miss United States (1) King’s Spear (5) Volluto

5th Race: (3) Midnight Badger (6) Catchthegreenlight (7) Rozara (4) Touch Of Fate

6th Race: (3) Super Excited (7) Super Agra (9) Funky Music (2) Golden Spoon

7th Race: (10) Tuscan Winter (6) Anne Boleyn (9) Rock Of Africa (8) Stone Cold

8th Race: (11) Just Fabulous (3) Hotchiwitchi (5) Dancing Arabian (13) Linganomore

Latest betting

(Supplied by bookmaker Lance Michael)

ALLIED STEELRODE MILE

2-1 Malmoos

4-1 Al Muthana

5-1 Got The Greenlight

7.14-1 MK’s Pride

10-1 Puerto Manzano

14.28-1 Bingwa

20-1 Ikigai

33-1 Others