Trainer Moffatt hopes to bag double at Joburg track

Stephen Moffatt, trainer of the gallant mare Rouge Allure, sends two of his team to Turffontein on Thursday, and has prospects of a double with Afraad and recent Vaal winner Letsdoit.

Rouge Allure, now eight years of age, boasts a career record of 12 wins from 94 starts and finished second in the recent grade 3 Acacia Handicap on SA Classic Day earlier this month.

Moffatt has been accepted with Rouge Allure for Saturday’s Jacaranda Handicap in which stablemate, Opera Glass, will also be in the line-up. It will bring the Kahal mare closer to the 100th race of her career.

Muzi Yeni, in form with a double at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Monday, has been booked for Afraad, who is knocking on the door for his fifth win. The Dynasty gelding met a useful sort in Motown Magic last time out.

Bookmakers have marked up Afraad and Paul Peter’s runner London Roads as the 4-1 co-favourites in the sixth race. The latter has quickly recouped his price of R15,000 as a yearling.

This is London Road’s first venture into handicap company, and the son of Elusive Fort will receive 8kg from Afraad.

Sean Tarry enjoyed plenty of success at last Saturday’s meeting at the city track, and he saddles the Dynasty filly Aryaam in this marathon 2,600m contest. The four-year-old has been placed over this distance.

Moffatt’s runner Letsdoit has a tougher task in the ninth race as the Act Of War gelding has been given a six-point penalty for his recent Vaal win. However, the three-year-old does have the advantage of a favourable draw.

The opposition in this 1,600m event includes Gavin van Zyl’s four-year-old Secret Giver, who may appreciate reverting to this shorter trip. Catchthegreenlight has been placed on his past two starts but is drawn in the nearby Rand Stadium.

The Peter-Warren Kennedy combination are represented by Astrocyte who opened his account at the Vaal in January. The gelding faces a tougher task but may earn place money.

Calvin Habib, who rides Secret Giver, rides Gareth van Zyl’s KwaZulu-Natal raider Fight Song in the fourth race and the gelding’s home province form suggests he could notch the fourth win of his career.

Habib can expect a strong challenge from Philasande Mxoli on the bottom-weight, Whafeef. This son of Rafeef was beaten by Litigation last time out — form that reads well after that horse’s three lengths victory in last weekend’s Derby Trial.

That Wafeef receives 5kg from Fight Song and has a better draw may tip the scales in favour of Stuart Pettigrew’s runner.

Bowie, drawn in pole position, rates an each-way chance for Tarry’s stable with Gavin Lerena sure to get the best out of the Hollywood Syndicate-owned son of Twice Over.

Meanwhile, a prize of £211,000 is up for grabs in the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham on Thursday and the principal contenders may be Elderado Allen (Colin Tizzard) and Fanion D’Estruval (Venetia Williams). The duo could prove a lucrative swinger bet.

SELECTIONS

1st Race: No Selection

2nd Race: No Selection

3rd Race: (3) Red Hot (1) Bellevarde (2) Red Carpet Girl (4) Country Flame

4th Race: (11) Whafeef (6) Fight Song (5) Bowie (3) Theory Of Flight

5th Race: (2) Castle Corner (10) Dawn Of A New Era (3) Admiral Dooley (5) Ben Suyay

6th Race: (2) Afraad (8) London Roads (4) Aryaam (9) So Long Spring

7th Race: (8) Global Louise (9) Crusade To Royalty (4) Stunning Kitten (1) Stately Home

8th Race: (1) Letsdoit (7) Secret Giver (9) Catchthegreenlight (2) Astrocyte