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Picture: JEFF GRIFFITH/UNSPLASH
Picture: JEFF GRIFFITH/UNSPLASH

A double by Kill Shot and Kotinos at the Vaal on Thursday would give promising apprentice Kaidan Brewer the perfect birthday present.

Pietermaritzburg-born Brewer, a graduate of Carter High, has been one of the finds of the season and celebrated his 19th birthday on Tuesday. He has ridden more than 50 winners this term and is in 16th place in the national jockeys log.

In an interview, Brewer said: “Every trainer and yard are different. And when top people trust me enough to give me rides, I don’t want to let them down.”

His idol is Cape-based jockey Richard Fourie. “He is just poetry in motion. The way he balances and gets the best out of a horse is unbelievable.”

Successful on Ferrari Ice for trainer Gavin Smith at Fairview last Friday, Brewer has five booked rides at the Vaal with Kill Shot (second race) and Kotinos (sixth) the pick of the quintet.

Kill Shot, a daughter of Elusive Fort trained by Fanie Bronkhorst, has been placed in three of her four starts and looks ready to leave the maiden ranks. Her biggest danger could be Stuart Pettigrew’s filly Nice Move.

From a favourable draw, Brewer’s sixth race mount Kotinos should make a bold bid to win the second race of his career. The Var gelding hadn’t raced since November when finishing third behind Duke Of Sussex at Turffontein earlier this month.

Kotinos — a R260,000 buy as a yearling — is trained by Roy Magner who  booked the youngster to partner four-year-old Qunetra in the final race at HollywoodbetsGreyville on July day.

It’s in his favour that Brewer’s rivals are apprentices and he’ll be expecting a challenge from Gabriel Pieterse on Paul Peter’s three-year-old Double Magic.

Java House is another runner punters will consider for exotic bets as the 4kg claim of apprentice Siyanda Sosibo will reduce the filly’s weight to just 48kg.

Jockey JP van der Merwe has picked up the ride on Astrix in the Durban July and he partners the well-bred Futura colt Oathkeeper for the Peter stable in the final leg of the Pick 6.

Though Oathkeeper is taking on his elders for the first time, he is drawn in pole position which could see him beat home Clinton Binda’s British-bred three-year-old Allaroundtheworld. Mike de Kock is very much in the spotlight in his bid for a fifth Durban July win and his filly, Courante, makes most appeal in the seventh race. A high draw is a worry but it’s surely significant that Avontuur Farm chose to keep this well-bred grey and not offer her for sale.

Another Stuart Pettigrew runner, Bella Rosa, who races for Princess Charlene of Monaco, has a better draw than Courante and — including the apprentice claim — will receive 5,5kg from De Kock’s runner.

Flowerbomb was this column’s fancy to win her last start but Corné Spies’ filly was narrowly beaten by Time For Orchids. The daughter of Erupt can redeem those losses when she contests the second race.

SELECTIONS

1st Race: (10) Clean Living (7) Vartacus (1) Always Better (9) Winter Legend

2nd Race: (4) Flowerbomb (7) Inventrix (11) Silver Winter (5) Heart And Mind

3rd Race: (12) Kill Shot (9) Nice Move (3) Raising A Storm (11) Dame Twining

4th Race: (9) Good Council (1) Harold The Duke (3) Flag Bearer (2) Atlantic City

5th Race: (1) Just A Memory (4) Dark Travel (7) Silly Fella (5) Mingshi

6th Race: (3) Kotinos (2) Double Magic (12) Java House (1) Successful Secret

7th Race: (4) Courante (9) Bella Rosa (3) The Makwakkers (8) Lulu's Boy

8th Race: (12) Oathkeeper (2) Allaroundtheworld (4) Parker Getrix (6) Never To Clever

Picture: JEFF GRIFFITH/UNSPLASH
Picture: JEFF GRIFFITH/UNSPLASH
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