The Michaelmas Handicap at Greyville is well out of season but is a valuable fixture on the KwaZulu-Natal racing calendar – as shown by the number of classy horses lining up for the latest renewal on Sunday.
Many runners are using the non-black-type Michaelmas as a springboard to bigger things to come – perhaps none more so than Candice Dawson-trained Pioneer Square (4.30 for the win).
This progressive four-year-old is entered in the R6-million Betway Summer Cup but will need his merit rating hiked if he’s to get into Joburg’s premier race in late November.
Pioneer Square always looked a decent galloper but improved significantly after being gelded. Four outings since then have yielded two wins and two unlucky seconds.
Dawson has gone to the trouble of trucking her charge down to Durban from her Highveld base, so she must see the Michaelmas as an ideal place for her boy to make the next step up.
Punters should also respect the ante-post money the son of Querari has attracted – along with the choice of Rachel Venniker to partner him.
One minus is a draw of 11 out of 11, but the Greyville 1900m affords Venniker plenty of opportunity to use her experience of the track, her mount’s gate speed, his front-running instinct and his light weight (54kg) to overcome the disadvantage.
The challengers include Go Grayson Go (5.50) from Frikke Greyling’s yard, who won well over the Greyville 2000m recently; the De Kock stable’s Corrupt (15.00), who is also handily weighted; evergreen Cape Eagle (7.50), who has placed twice in this race before; and Johnny The Thief (7.00), who loves the track and trip.
All Betway odds correct at time of writing and subject to change.
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