Lerena could match De Melo with five-timer at City track
The Gauteng jockey has a full card of rides and six are for champion trainer Paul Peter
08 September 2022 - 16:29
byDAVID MOLLETT
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Keagan De Melo rode five winners at Durbanville on Wednesday and Gavin Lerena could match that total at Turffontein on Saturday.
A week ago, Lerena had only five mounts at the city track — it’s a different story this time with the 37-year-old carded for a ride in every race. Six of them are for champion trainer Paul Peter.
Much will depend on the wellbeing of two star females in the Peter stable — Freed From Desire (fourth race) and Glittering Girl (seventh).
Freed From Desire — a six-time winning daughter of Jackson who stands at Heversham Park Farm — faces a tough rival in grade 2 winner Homely Girl. However, Peter is quoted in Winning Form that his runner is “working well”.
The spotlight will be on stablemate Glittering Girl in the seventh race as the daughter of Rafeef has looked special in her two appearances. She was allowed to start at 10-1 for the Allan Robertson in June and only went down in a photo-finish to Sweet Pepper.
Muzi Yeni rode Glittering Girl that day so he’s probably disappointed not to have got the call for her comeback run.
Feather Boa showed her class with her win at Greyville on July day and Stuart Pettigrew’s filly will have a fourth different rider on Saturday. This time Randall Simons will be in the saddle.
Pettigrew will be well aware that — judged on merit ratings — his daughter of Flower Alley will have to raise her game a notch to beat Glittering Girl. The latter’s merit rating of 114 is 15 points higher than that of Feather Boa.
Peter has backup in the form of Blindedbythelights (Calvin Habib) and the word from the trainer is that the daughter of Oratorio is also working well.
Judged on Rockets Red Glare’s eight lengths debut win, the Alec Laird inmate was a shrewd purchase at R120,000 and it will be interesting to see how the US filly fares taking on Glittering Girl at level weights.
Though Sound Of Summer would be a candidate for bookies horse of the year with six short-priced defeats, the five-year-old has been marked up favourite for the fifth race over 1,450m.
William Robertson certainly has no easy task conceding 8kg to Sound Of Summer, but his Mercury Sprint run was excellent and he might defy his big weight.
Tuscan Winter is probably one of Lerena's favourite horses and the Wernars-owned gelding will bid to notch his fifth win when he takes on eight rivals in the sixth race.
Though he hasn’t raced since July, Back To Black might pose the main threat but Lerena will know his ability, having partnered the five-year-old in his last two outings.
If Muzi Yeni can overcome a wide draw, Call Me Master looks sure to go close in the final leg of the Pick Six, but don’t discount Lerena’s mount, Don’t Touch Me, who has a favourable barrier.
SELECTIONS
1st Race: No Selection
2nd Race: (6) Maggie Smith (3) Tried And True (4) Miss Soho (9) Sky Velocity
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Lerena could match De Melo with five-timer at City track
The Gauteng jockey has a full card of rides and six are for champion trainer Paul Peter
Keagan De Melo rode five winners at Durbanville on Wednesday and Gavin Lerena could match that total at Turffontein on Saturday.
A week ago, Lerena had only five mounts at the city track — it’s a different story this time with the 37-year-old carded for a ride in every race. Six of them are for champion trainer Paul Peter.
Much will depend on the wellbeing of two star females in the Peter stable — Freed From Desire (fourth race) and Glittering Girl (seventh).
Freed From Desire — a six-time winning daughter of Jackson who stands at Heversham Park Farm — faces a tough rival in grade 2 winner Homely Girl. However, Peter is quoted in Winning Form that his runner is “working well”.
The spotlight will be on stablemate Glittering Girl in the seventh race as the daughter of Rafeef has looked special in her two appearances. She was allowed to start at 10-1 for the Allan Robertson in June and only went down in a photo-finish to Sweet Pepper.
Muzi Yeni rode Glittering Girl that day so he’s probably disappointed not to have got the call for her comeback run.
Feather Boa showed her class with her win at Greyville on July day and Stuart Pettigrew’s filly will have a fourth different rider on Saturday. This time Randall Simons will be in the saddle.
Pettigrew will be well aware that — judged on merit ratings — his daughter of Flower Alley will have to raise her game a notch to beat Glittering Girl. The latter’s merit rating of 114 is 15 points higher than that of Feather Boa.
Peter has backup in the form of Blindedbythelights (Calvin Habib) and the word from the trainer is that the daughter of Oratorio is also working well.
Judged on Rockets Red Glare’s eight lengths debut win, the Alec Laird inmate was a shrewd purchase at R120,000 and it will be interesting to see how the US filly fares taking on Glittering Girl at level weights.
Though Sound Of Summer would be a candidate for bookies horse of the year with six short-priced defeats, the five-year-old has been marked up favourite for the fifth race over 1,450m.
William Robertson certainly has no easy task conceding 8kg to Sound Of Summer, but his Mercury Sprint run was excellent and he might defy his big weight.
Tuscan Winter is probably one of Lerena's favourite horses and the Wernars-owned gelding will bid to notch his fifth win when he takes on eight rivals in the sixth race.
Though he hasn’t raced since July, Back To Black might pose the main threat but Lerena will know his ability, having partnered the five-year-old in his last two outings.
If Muzi Yeni can overcome a wide draw, Call Me Master looks sure to go close in the final leg of the Pick Six, but don’t discount Lerena’s mount, Don’t Touch Me, who has a favourable barrier.
SELECTIONS
1st Race: No Selection
2nd Race: (6) Maggie Smith (3) Tried And True (4) Miss Soho (9) Sky Velocity
3rd Race: (8) Bronze Sword (4) Stepping Out (9) Promontory (5) Mr Bodacious
4th Race: (1) Freed From Desire (2) Homely Girl (3) Supreme Quest (4) Follow Me
5th Race: (1) William Robertson (6) Sound Of Summer (8) Mardi Gras (2) Puerto Manzano
6th Race: (2) Tuscan Winter (1) Back To Black (3) Admiral Dooley (6) Another Level
7th Race: (2) Glittering Girl (1) Feather Boa (4) Blindedbythelights (3) Orarari Gold
8th Race: (1) Great Affair (3) Fifth Of July (8) Qunetra (9) Romeo’s Magic
9th Race: (1) Call Me Master (2) Don’t Touch Me (8) Twice As Wild (7) Irrevocable Dream
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