Wednesday - Clairwood racing preview

A fine and sunny day for KZN racing at Clairwood today and without the usual formless races opening the program, there's reason to get going early with value available right from the start. For those of you on the go, remember that Interbet's cellphone betting site is up and running so give it a try and bet from anywhere - www.interbetsa.co.za

Race 1

No.1 Gleneagles is the older form horse in the race and with 6/1 available on Interbet, this could prove to be a good opener for the day. Ignore the last effort, his two runs prior signaled 'out the maidens soon' and with little to beat here, this is where the value lies. Of the rest, the favourite No.4 Emperor Rising (22/10) is unraced and could be anything so you take your chances either way. I spoke to Stuart (Drier assistant

trainer) on Monday regarding their runner No.6 Valdivar (22/10), and he didn't sound too confident but did end off saying this is probably the stable best for the day.

Race 2

According to the betting this is a two horse contest between No.7 Essence of love (evens) and No.8 Jet trail (15/10). My guess is the Bookies have it the wrong way around but watch out for the leggy No.1 Nontanda (7/1) who's coming to hand now and looking for the extra ground.

Value! No.1 Nontanda at 7/1 in the 2nd race

Race 3

No.4 Amber Fort has been claimed into 8/10 favourite and takes on No.8 Mahogany (9/2); both come into the race with one run under the belt over the same course, distance and on the same day two weeks back. Their times were near identical and with both reportedly green in running it's anyone's guess as to which one improves more. With nothing to choose between them, Mahogany represents the value at 9/2.

No.4 Amber Fort odds-on favourite in the 3rd

Race 4

A strong hand for the De Kock yard once again with No.2 Sacred Fire (4/1) who caught the eye last time out when putting in a noteworthy performance.

According to Nathan Kotzen that was a prep run of sorts and he should improve further. He's not the greatest worker but Nathan was happy with his sprint up on Monday morning. No.3 Airwolf is the short-priced favourite here at 15/10, too short considering his limited racing exposure. No.5 Fields of Omaha must be respected at 5/1 against this type of opposition and Clairwood is his happy hunting ground.

No.2 Sacred Fire a big runner at 4/1 in the 4th race

Race 5

No.2 Divided highway is the favourite here at 1/1 (from 15/10) and in with an obvious chance again after winning his last two easily. Value is No.5 Trifolium at 8/1 and Frank Robinson is quietly confident, calling him the stable pick of the day.

No.5 in the fifth at 8s - Trifolium from the Herman Brown stable

Race 6

Last time I spoke to Glen Kotzen about No.1 Pirate's Gold was a few weeks ago, just before Champion's Day and he was confident that this galloping machine was back to his best. That was against some of the country's finest so no disgrace in finishing only 5 lengths back. He meets nothing anywhere near that caliber today and should be hard to beat - currently race favourite lukewarm at 3/1

Race 7

No.5 Red Lucifer was disappointing last time when failing to find a place and should be given one last chance here at a 'drifting' 4/1. No.8 Scarpa Flow (18/10 favourite) has hit form since returning to KZN and hasn't lost a race since. No two horse race though.. most of the field have some sort of claim on form so tread carefully.

Race 8

I spoke to Tony Rivalland about his sole runner for the day No.7 Go for Glitter (10/1), he's well and is in with a chance. Frank Robinson is expecting a better performance from No.6 Satish (25/1) after 2 disappointing efforts over ground. He's of the opinion that he's not seeing out the distance at this stage and should do better back over the 1450m. No.1 Imperial City put in a decent post maiden run and is the favourite here at 16/10 in an open race.

Hopefully we get lucky with a few today, there's good value available across the entire card and remember, if you want the best fixed odds by far then Interbet is your only option - the last 15 minutes before each race is when all the action happens so be ready to stee-rike!!