Turffontein runners, 12 November

In-form Betway Ambassador, Mike de Kock, is stepping out many of his runners as he often does at this time of year when the stable’s big guns start approaching their summer peaks for feature races, and the younger horses start their careers.

Mike has 12 hopefuls for Sunday’s meeting on the standside track at Turffontein, several with chances of landing the spoils.

Here are his comments, race by race:

Race 1, 1160m: “Forgivess makes her debut, she is nicely bred, by Silvano and is a filly that can be watched. She’s not too bad actually, but needs further and will probably be inexperienced, she’ll come on with this run.

Race 2, 1160m: “Precipeace was drawn on the inside last time, still ran a very good race in what looked like a decent Maiden field. He has improved for the run. While he has a few mental issues, he should run a big race.”

Race 3, 1600m: “Green Garnet has come on a lot following his last run. I think Piere Strydom’s style will suit him and they should go close. I suspect Pied Kingfisher will just need it a bit after his rest.”

Race 4, 1600m: “Lady Chatterley ran a fair race in a sprint after a break last time, that was far too short for her. She could be in contention in this race over the longer trip, don’t leave her out.”

Race 5, 1400m: “Some quality in this contest. Our Arividicio has a few lengths to find at the ratings. But he has a certain amount of ability and I’d include him for good measure. We’ve had high expectations of Courageous Cat, a really nice horse. But we’ve had a few niggles along the way, he’s had to be gelded too. We’ve done as much as we can with him at home. He is far better than his rating, but has had to overcome a few hurdles. He’s ready to run, one of the lowest rated horses in the race but with a big upside. If he delivers his best he’ll go close.”

Race 6, 1400m: “I was happy with Platina Princess’s last run after her rest. She was a bit keen with blinkers, still ran just a few lengths off them. We’ve taken the blinkers off, she has some talent and warrants respect. Zinovi was impressive in winning last time. Everything went well for him that day and he did it from a good draw. He hasn’t got the best of draws this time, and as noted before he has wind issues, but he remains in good form and has a chance again.

Race 7, 1600m: “Bonete has been a bit disappointing so far. I may have made mistake in running her just a week after her penultimate, but we expected better still. We may change tactics with her. We hope she can return to what she is capable of. I rate Silver Sanctuary, she is a good filly. We had to scratch her last time, she had mucus but is over that now. The mile is her minimum trip, but one to stay in your sights. She’ll be a Triple Tiara hopeful next year. Include.

Race 8, 1400m: “Simple Simple is an honest filly with an aggressive style of racing. She has a handy weight in a decent field, tries hard and can’t be ignored.”