World Racing Guide: Tips at Vaal and Gulfstream
Having picked out two winners at Fairview yesterday, Nick Seddon takes a look at the meetings that are still going ahead around the world today, and picks out his best bets...
Vaal (South Africa)
Today's meeting at the Vaal will be the last in South Africa for at least three weeks, as the country's lockdown measures to combat the Coronavirus outbreak kick in tomorrow. In the meantime, we've got an eight-race card to get stuck into, and punters can get off to a winning start with Zuluonmystoep (11:15). The four-year-old is unlikely to be too much of a price, but he's shown some promise in his three starts so far, and looks to have the strongest claims in what's a particularly weak opener.
Thirty-five minutes later, it looks worth keeping the faith with Mynage (11:50). Regular followers of this column will remember that she was tipped up at Turffontein last week and ran really well, just getting collared in the final strides. She's not done an awful lot wrong in her two starts to date - finishing second on both occasions - and the fact that she's still a maiden means that she's able to take her chance here on good terms. As such, she's a confident pick to make it third time lucky.
In the third race on the card (12:30), Siren Of Greece will likely be a warm order in the betting on her third career start, having produced an excellent effort to finish second at Turffontein last time out. She will receive plenty of weight from her main market rival, the colt Fire And Ice, who opened his account last month. However, this may not be as foregone a conclusion as the market thinks, and Fire And Ice could offer some value at the 11/4 mark. He's proven particularly consistent on his five outings to date, and could well prove too streetwise for his rivals - particularly when you factor in his rider's handy 9 lb claim.
The fourth race on the card (13:10) is a maiden over just short of a mile and a half, for which Abdul is an odds-on favourite at the time of writing this morning, after strong efforts to finish second the last twice. However, this represents a marked step up in trip, and the value could instead lie with Grey Street. He has course and distance form in the book having finished second here last time out, and makes far more appeal as a betting proposition at around the 3/1 mark.
Last but not least, African Adventure looks the one to side with in race five (13:45). It's been a while since he last got his head in front, but he's been holding his form fairly well and this doesn't look the strongest of affairs. Able to take his chance from a career-low mark this afternoon, he's a confident pick to grab a deserved success.
Vaal Tips
Vaal Race 1 (11:15) - back Zuluonmystoep at 11/10
Vaal Race 2 (11:50) - back Mynage at 2/1
Vaal Race 3 (12:30) - back Fire And Ice at 11/4
Vaal Race 4 (13:10) - back Grey Street at 3/1
Vaal Race 5 (13:45) - back African Adventure at 13/8
Gulfstream Park (United States)
The action rolls on at Gulfstream, which once again hosts a 10-race card this evening, that kicks off at 17:00 GMT. One who catches the eye is Very Amusing, who runs in the second race on the card (17:30), a claimer over six furlongs. Followhisfootsteps will be a short price for this having just fallen short in his follow-up bid last time out, but the value lies with the second favourite Very Amusing. A regular here, he's been running consistently well over course and distance of late, hitting the frame on each of his last four runs, and he can pick up a deserved success with regular partner Tyler Gaffalione now back on board.
Gulfstream Tips
Gulfstream Race 2 (17:30) - back Very Amusing at 100/30