Fourie booking will shake up Summer Cup market

This season’s leading jockey, Richard Fourie, has been booked for Bless My Stars in the Betway Summer Cup which is certain to result in the filly shortening markedly in the ante-post market.

Fourie has only ridden Bless My Stars once and that was when he partnered last season’s Durban July third to victory in the Gold Bracelet at Greyville.

This engagement enhances the prospects of a win for the Sean Tarry stable as he has two other strong contenders for the November 25 race in Cousin Casey and Litigation.

Cousin Casey will be ridden by his usual pilot, Grant van Niekerk, but Tarry has had to look elsewhere for a jockey for Litigation as Gavin Lerena is booked for the favourite, Puerto Manzano.

Tarry has found an excellent replacement in Craig Zackey who was in top form at Durbanville last weekend winning the WC Fillies Championship on Glen Kotzen’s daughter of Lancaster Bomber, Rascova.

There is a surprise call-up for KwaZulu-Natal-based jockey Serino Moodley to partner Bingwa, stablemate of Puerto Manzano. Several pundits selected the six-year-old to win the Charity Mile but despite being drawn in pole position the gelding had to settle for fifth place.

Presumably, S’manga Khumalo, who was in the saddle that day, was offered the ride again, but he has preferred Billy Bowlegs, stablemate of Durban July victor, Winchester Mansion.

Last season’s SA Derby winner, Son Of Raj, will be ridden for the first time by Ant Mgudlwa. Weiho Marwing’s four-year-old was only two lengths adrift of Atticus Finch in the Victory Moon Stakes.

Trainer Johan Janse van Vuuren and jockey Lerena will hope to keep the stable on a high before the big race with success at the Vaal on Thursday.

Pole position

It is not impossible that this partnership could have a four-timer as all of Exhale (second race), Tsar Bomba (fifth), Chocolate Bomb (sixth) and Mo The Man (eighth) have winning chances on form.

Perhaps the pick of the quartet will be Mo The Man as there was a lot to like about his Turffontein win and Lerena has the luxury of pole position.

Barend Botes has his team in good order and his runner, Fort Lauderdale, the mount of Piere Strydom, could prove dangerous going up in trip.

While Chocolate Bomb, winner of two of his four starts, will be popular with punters in the sixth race, it might pay to chance a few rand on Khumalo’s mount, Fully Loaded. This Fabian Habib inmate has finished third in each of his past three starts.

SELECTIONS

1st race: No Selection

2nd race: (1) Exhale (2) Twenty Drachma’s (3) District Twelve (6) Karoo Gold

3rd race: (4) Viva Brasil (3) Little Prince (2) Romeo’s Magic (1) Kambulu

4th race: (2) Flying Bull (3) Battleground (1) Street Art (6) Rule Book

5th race: (1) Tsar Bomba (2) Silver Tudor (7) One Fell Swoop (4) Richard The First

6th race: (8) Fully Loaded (2) Chocolate Bomb (1) Esqueville (3) Siberian Steel

7th race: (3) Duenna (6) Godfather (5) Parker Getrix (1) Coming In Hot

8th race: (5) Mo The Man (3) Fort Lauderdale (4) Captain Of Grit (6) Free Movement

9th race: (3) Time Is Ticking (7) Run For Isla (4) Si Veloce (2) Sweet Basil