Formless One Way Traffic could surprise in World Pool Gold Cup
The gelding appeals as the value each-way bet in Sunday’s grade 3 race at Greyville
27 July 2023 - 15:03
byDAVID MOLLETT
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This has to be a first — a selection for a big race of a horse which has run unplaced in his past six starts.
However, One Way Traffic, a gelding who owes the Snaith team a big run, appeals as the value each-way bet in Sunday’s grade 3 World Pool Gold Cup at Greyville.
A close look at One Way Traffic’s performances in KwaZulu-Natal over the past two months reveals the five-year-old has finished two lengths behind Pacaya in the Greyville 1,900m and the same distance behind Sea Master in the Lonsdale Stirrup Cup.
No surprise that Justin Snaith has booked Grant van Niekerk for the ride as he’s ridden him in two of his past three outings — Richard Fourie wasn’t available anyway as he’s engaged for the favourite, Future Pearl.
At the time of writing, Future Pearl is 1.65-1 in the ante post market — a ridiculous price for this 3,200m marathon. Despite that bookmaker Lance Michael is the sponsor of Sean Tarry’s stable, he said on Thursday: “I have to take on the favourite at that price.”
No question that Future Pearl has done the Beck family proud this year, but, as Tarry has pointed out in interviews, he is a three-year-old burdened with 55kg. If the son of Futura does win the fifth race of his career, it will be another success for Drakenstein Stud which has enjoyed a truly memorable campaign with numerous big race wins.
Aragosta is second favourite in the Gold Cup market and the jury is out as to whether this Mike de Kock inmate will see out this testing journey. The four-year-old is weighted to turn the tables on his recent conqueror, Crimson King.
Possibly Aragosta’s stablemate, Black Thorn, will fare best of the De Kock duo with Keagan De Melo sure to get the best out of this former Tarry inmate.
In his heart of hearts, De Melo knew he had little chance on Puerto Manzano in the Durban July, but now he’s on a horse he knows well and could just put the cherry on top of his crowning as champion jockey.
Lyle Hewitson has flown back from Hong Kong — he can win the first race on the Azzie raider Ready To Charge — and he teams up with eight-time winner, Nebraas. The six-year-old’s last two runs have been disappointing and he looks an unlikely winner.
Shangani bids for a Gold Cup double but does not look the force of 12 months ago, but all of Senso Unico, Arumugan, Fight Song and Sea Master will have their supporters. The first-named is another horse who owes his stable a big run.
The grade 1 HKJC Champions Cup is another race where punters are being asked to take a short price — Durban July runner-up, See It Again, heading the market at 15-10. Expect this price to lengthen in the next 24 hours.
Certainly, See It Again brings the best form to the table but this race is renowned for Durban July runners failing to fire. We should respect Michael Roberts’ decision to run the colt and Piere Strydom is a master at overcoming wide draws.
Nevertheless, the word from Randjesfontein is that Brett Crawford’s runner, Zapatillas, has been burning up the track and the four-year-old — well drawn at barrier two — looks a cracking each-way bet at 8-1.
Van Niekerk has another good mount here in Al Muthana — Ricky Maingard will have the Aussie-bred tuned to the minute but — like See It Again — the King’s Plate winner will have to overcome a wide draw.
Bernard Fayd’Herbe, who won the King’s Plate on Al Muthana, now switches to Rascallion whose July flop has resulted in this writer not being on good terms with my bank manager. The five-year-old looks unlikely to finish in front of former stablemate, Dave The King, who ran a creditable sixth in the July and now has the advantage of pole position.
The fifth race — the grade 1 Champion Stakes — is a superb three-cornered contest between Sandringham Summit, Lucky Lad and Main Defender and they are selected to finish in that order.
Few of us present at the Durban track on July day could believe our eyes as Sandringham Summit wove his way through to collar Gimmeanotherchance in the final strides of the Golden Horseshoe. That race was over 1,400m and left the impression that David Nieuwenhuizen’s colt would love the step up to 1,600m.
Both Lucky Lad and Main Defender go to post unbeaten so one of them will lose their 100% record. On pedigree, Lucky Lad should stay 1,600m as his dam won twice over that trip, while Main Defender has won over 1,400m and has only 200m more to travel.
Varsfontein Stud will be rooting for both Sandringham Summit and Lucky Lad as they bred both youngsters — another feather in the cap for Carl De Vos’s Paarl operation.
SELECTIONS
1st Race: (4) Ready To Charge (1) Outlaw King (7) Just Be Lekker (8) Heirloom
2nd Race: (2) Oriental Bouquet (5) Moving In (3) Leaving Las Vegas (8) Captain’s Christy
3rd Race: (9) Silvano’s Dasher (5) Captain Fontaine (8) Meridius (6) Lord William
4th Race: (1) Saartjie (9) Hold My Hand (10) Silver Darling (5) Dawnofanewday
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.
Formless One Way Traffic could surprise in World Pool Gold Cup
The gelding appeals as the value each-way bet in Sunday’s grade 3 race at Greyville
This has to be a first — a selection for a big race of a horse which has run unplaced in his past six starts.
However, One Way Traffic, a gelding who owes the Snaith team a big run, appeals as the value each-way bet in Sunday’s grade 3 World Pool Gold Cup at Greyville.
A close look at One Way Traffic’s performances in KwaZulu-Natal over the past two months reveals the five-year-old has finished two lengths behind Pacaya in the Greyville 1,900m and the same distance behind Sea Master in the Lonsdale Stirrup Cup.
No surprise that Justin Snaith has booked Grant van Niekerk for the ride as he’s ridden him in two of his past three outings — Richard Fourie wasn’t available anyway as he’s engaged for the favourite, Future Pearl.
At the time of writing, Future Pearl is 1.65-1 in the ante post market — a ridiculous price for this 3,200m marathon. Despite that bookmaker Lance Michael is the sponsor of Sean Tarry’s stable, he said on Thursday: “I have to take on the favourite at that price.”
No question that Future Pearl has done the Beck family proud this year, but, as Tarry has pointed out in interviews, he is a three-year-old burdened with 55kg. If the son of Futura does win the fifth race of his career, it will be another success for Drakenstein Stud which has enjoyed a truly memorable campaign with numerous big race wins.
Aragosta is second favourite in the Gold Cup market and the jury is out as to whether this Mike de Kock inmate will see out this testing journey. The four-year-old is weighted to turn the tables on his recent conqueror, Crimson King.
Possibly Aragosta’s stablemate, Black Thorn, will fare best of the De Kock duo with Keagan De Melo sure to get the best out of this former Tarry inmate.
In his heart of hearts, De Melo knew he had little chance on Puerto Manzano in the Durban July, but now he’s on a horse he knows well and could just put the cherry on top of his crowning as champion jockey.
Lyle Hewitson has flown back from Hong Kong — he can win the first race on the Azzie raider Ready To Charge — and he teams up with eight-time winner, Nebraas. The six-year-old’s last two runs have been disappointing and he looks an unlikely winner.
Shangani bids for a Gold Cup double but does not look the force of 12 months ago, but all of Senso Unico, Arumugan, Fight Song and Sea Master will have their supporters. The first-named is another horse who owes his stable a big run.
The grade 1 HKJC Champions Cup is another race where punters are being asked to take a short price — Durban July runner-up, See It Again, heading the market at 15-10. Expect this price to lengthen in the next 24 hours.
Certainly, See It Again brings the best form to the table but this race is renowned for Durban July runners failing to fire. We should respect Michael Roberts’ decision to run the colt and Piere Strydom is a master at overcoming wide draws.
Nevertheless, the word from Randjesfontein is that Brett Crawford’s runner, Zapatillas, has been burning up the track and the four-year-old — well drawn at barrier two — looks a cracking each-way bet at 8-1.
Van Niekerk has another good mount here in Al Muthana — Ricky Maingard will have the Aussie-bred tuned to the minute but — like See It Again — the King’s Plate winner will have to overcome a wide draw.
Bernard Fayd’Herbe, who won the King’s Plate on Al Muthana, now switches to Rascallion whose July flop has resulted in this writer not being on good terms with my bank manager. The five-year-old looks unlikely to finish in front of former stablemate, Dave The King, who ran a creditable sixth in the July and now has the advantage of pole position.
The fifth race — the grade 1 Champion Stakes — is a superb three-cornered contest between Sandringham Summit, Lucky Lad and Main Defender and they are selected to finish in that order.
Few of us present at the Durban track on July day could believe our eyes as Sandringham Summit wove his way through to collar Gimmeanotherchance in the final strides of the Golden Horseshoe. That race was over 1,400m and left the impression that David Nieuwenhuizen’s colt would love the step up to 1,600m.
Both Lucky Lad and Main Defender go to post unbeaten so one of them will lose their 100% record. On pedigree, Lucky Lad should stay 1,600m as his dam won twice over that trip, while Main Defender has won over 1,400m and has only 200m more to travel.
Varsfontein Stud will be rooting for both Sandringham Summit and Lucky Lad as they bred both youngsters — another feather in the cap for Carl De Vos’s Paarl operation.
SELECTIONS
1st Race: (4) Ready To Charge (1) Outlaw King (7) Just Be Lekker (8) Heirloom
2nd Race: (2) Oriental Bouquet (5) Moving In (3) Leaving Las Vegas (8) Captain’s Christy
3rd Race: (9) Silvano’s Dasher (5) Captain Fontaine (8) Meridius (6) Lord William
4th Race: (1) Saartjie (9) Hold My Hand (10) Silver Darling (5) Dawnofanewday
5th Race: (14) Sandringham Summit (13) Lucky Lad (5) Main Defender (2) Longsword
6th Race: (6) Thunderstruck (4) Gimme A Prince (9) Isivunguvungu (7) Surjay
7th Race: (10) One Way Traffic (3) Future Pearl (11) Black Thorn (2) Senso Unico
8th Race: (2) Zapatillas (11) See It Again (12) Al Muthana (1) Dave The King
9th Race: (5) Rascova (4) Distant Winter (3) Bavarian Beauty (12) Secret Identity
10th Race: (1) Mr Master Starter (7) African Skyline (9) Smith And Wesson (8) Love In Winter
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