Joey Soma and Anton Marcus enjoyed an emotional winning reunion in the recent Golden Loom Handicap and the combination return with the most lightly raced 7yo in the country, in Trippi’s smart son Graduation Day in Saturday’s Gr2 Merchants.
Graduation Day (in green/black) winning the Golden Loom Handicap
Having only his eleventh start, the Klawervlei bred speedster could be anything – if sound – when he takes on 17 rivals.
Paul Peter’s African Ruler is as much as 4,5kgs better off with Graduation Day after being beaten just under 3 lengths in the Golden Loom Handicap. We have to go back to 1 October 2016 to find African Ruler’s last win and he was well beaten in this race last year.
South Africa’s one-time highest rated sprinter Talktothestars has not won in over a year but reserves his big efforts for the big occasions. He stormed through late for a cracking third to Trip To Heaven in this race last year. His interim form has only been average though by his standards.
Talktothestars – can he bounce back?
Amazing Strike was reported to have made a breathing noise when running well downfield in the Grand Heritage. The son of Ideal World is a course-and-distance winner who enjoys the services of top jockey Anthony Delpech.
Pure Blonde has drawn on the outside of the track and the son of Kahal carries a nice weight of 52kgs, which could make him competitive. He was reported not striding out last time and the two month break could have him fresh and ready to go close.
Will Pays has hit a rich vein of consistent form and has held his form well at his last four starts. He was slow away when running a cracking third to Wonderwall in the Gr2 Joburg Spring Challenge and will be staying on strongly at the business end.
Rivarine had excuses last time
Piere Strydom stays loyal to the Var gelding Rivarine, who has failed to ignite at his two starts as a 4yo. The Azzie galloper is 2kgs better off with Graduation Day for a 2 length beating in the Golden Loom Handicap. He was hampered late in proceedings and could enjoy better luck on Saturday.
Johan Janse van Vuuren’s Visionaire gelding The Thinker was beaten under a length by Graduation Day in the Golden Loom last time out and that after being baulked at a crucial stage between the 400m and 200m mark. He carries a handy galloping weight in his Gr2 debut and is not out of it.
Alec Laird’s Romi’s Boy failed to stay the mile last time and looks a much better proposition over the straight course. A course and distance winner, he is a definite quartet inclusion.
Bull Valley – top class but a bit of weight to carry
Last year’s KZN champion sprinter Bull Valley carries a trainstopping 62kgs but is far and away the class horse in the field. The son of Toreador ran on strongly at his seasonal debut and will have come on well for that close second to Naafer. He is worse off at the weights but is well poised to go one better after playing second fiddle to his accomplished stablemate Trip To Heaven in the 2016 Merchants.
It’s a wide open race with a lot of talent simmering below the surface. Bull Valley can carry weight and he is all class. Graduation Day may be feeling on top of the world – in which case he can win again. It doesn’t end with those two.
