St John Gray colt bids to maintain unbeaten record at Vaal

Every season trainer St John Gray saddles a steady stream of winners — sometimes he unearths one headed for the big time. Whether that’s the case with his three-year-old, Sound Of Hounds, will be determined at the Vaal on Tuesday.

What we do know is that Sound Of Hounds is unbeaten in his two starts. Selected to win in this column on his second start earlier in February, the colt quickened well in the closing stages to score at odds of 10-1.

Those odds are markedly shorter for Tuesday’s seventh race, where the son of Bezrin is quoted at 4-1 in early betting.

It was at the Vaal in December 2019 when St John Gray reached a notable milestone. Victory by his 11-time winner, Dawn Assault, was the 1,000th winner of his career. Other top horses he has trained include five-time grade 1 winner Dancewiththedevil.

Interestingly, a daughter of Dancewiththedevil, Devilish Dancer, takes on stablemate Sound Of Hounds in the 1,400m contest. The daughter of Silvano has not raced since July 2021 and may need the run.

So who rates the main threat to Sound Of Hounds? Possibly trainer Lucky Houdalakis’s runner, Brooklyn Bridge, who has been placed on her past two outings and will have S’manga Khumalo in the saddle.

Houdalakis is having a quiet season by his high standards with just 17 winners, but he will be pleased his top sprint, Mr Flood, returned to winning ways last week.

Warren Kennedy’s mount Sacred Valley, a recent maiden winner, and Rose Willow could also have a say in the finish.

St John Gray has booked Khumalo, who returns from suspension, for Indigo Winter in the fifth race. The jockey won on the filly in August 2021 but she disappointed on her next start in handicap company.

However, Indigo Winter takes a drop in class and she might surprise the more fancied runners such as Halloween, Definitely Maybe and Goddess Of Light. The latter may appreciate the step up in distance to 1,400m.

Another for the shortlist in this race is Stuart Pettigrew’s maiden winner Princess Philippa, a daughter of Silvano who cost R300,000 as a yearling.

Probably Pettigrew’s best chance of success at the meeting lies with Prairie Falcon who boasts a win and four places from her five starts. The daughter of Gimmethegreenlight may have most to fear from Mike de Kock’s four-year-old Golden Spoon.

Though Midnight Gem has won her past two starts, trainer Phillip Labuschagne will be unimpressed that his filly has been handed an eight-point penalty for her recent win.

While De Kock is in Australia celebrating the birth of his son Mathew’s first child, the stable has six runners at the Free State track and should take the second race with the three-year-old Magic Dancer.

Khumalo rides the son of Willow Magic for the third time and may have most to fear from his well-bred stablemate Al Borani.

Jockey Marco van Rensburg, who rides Sound Of Hounds, will be hoping to complete a hat-trick on Speechmaker, who takes on 18 rivals in the final leg of the Pick 6. Another Khumalo mount, Letsdoit, rates an each-way chance along with The Makwakkers and Roger The Dodger.

SELECTIONS

1st Race: (9) Special Variety (4) Quick Run (1) Lady Osier (3) Love Bite

2nd Race: (10) Magic Dancer (5) Al Borani (2) Black Burner (9) Inverurie

3rd Race: (6) Cleaver Greene (9) Vegas Hi Rise (2) Goliath Heron (3) Super Agra

4th Race: (2) Run As One (10) Cheringoma (8) Duke Of Rain (4) Earl

5th Race: (4) Goddess Of Light (6) Definitely Maybe (12) Halloween (15) Indigo Winter

6th Race: (9) Prairie Falcon (7) Golden Spoon (5) Magical Flight (8) Midnight Gem

7th Race: (2) Sound Of Hounds (12) Brooklyn Bridge (17) Rose Willow (13) Tiki Taka

8th Race: (6) Letsdoit (16) Roger The Dodger (10) The Makwakkers (14) Speechmaker