ROYAL ASCOT AND THREE LOCAL FEATURES – IT’S GAME ON!
It’s a bumper weekend of racing at home and abroad. Royal Ascot rolls into its final two days with a feast of Group races on the menu and TAB Win, Place, Exacta, Quinella,
Friday’s local highlight comes at Fairview, where the powerful Alan Greeff yard holds a strong hand in the day’s feature. Saturday’s 11-race card at Kenilworth includes the Grade 3 Langerman, a proven stepping stone for future stars, and Sunday’s KwaZulu-Natal Breeders meeting at Hollywoodbets Greyville offers solid betting opportunities, including a stand-out bet in the R650,000 Mile!
FRIDAY HIGHLIGHTS
FAIRVIEW: SPLICETHEMAINBRACE HAS CLASS ON HER SIDE
Splicethemainbrace heads the early betting for the three-race 2025 Eastern Cape Fillies and Mares Challenge, which kicks off with the East Cape Breeders Stakes over 1200m (Race 6). This opening leg won’t be a walkover for the Alan Greeff runner with a rare Highveld raider in classy Winter Greeting in the line-up, plus proven local speedsters Three Rocks and Gimme’s Lassie.
Greeff is confident: “While Splicethemainbrace is better over a bit more ground, she’s shown her mettle over 1200m and is unbeaten in two starts over this course and distance. She has the class,” he said of the nine-time winning three-year-old.
ASCOT: IN-FORM FRENCH TRAINER CAN LAND CORONATION
Leading French trainer Francis-Henri Graffard saddles promising Zarigana in Race 4, the Coronation Stakes over 1600m and one of two Group 1 races on the fourth day of the 2025 Royal Ascot Festival. Graffard has a 30% winning strike rate and arrives in the UK having saddled seven winners in the last fortnight. His filly, a three-time Group winner from just five starts, could prove too good for ante-post favourite Falakeyah, who is unbeaten in two starts but takes a step up from Listed company. Trainer Charlie Appleby’s star colt Shadow Of Light will be hard to beat in Race 2, the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup over 1200m.
SATURDAY HIGHLIGHTS
HOLLYWOODBETS KENILWORTH: MARSHALL RUNNER CAN THWART SNAITH FOUR
Justin Snaith will be aiming for back-to-back wins in the Grade 3 Langerman over 1500m (Race 7). He took the race last year with Eight On Eighteen and if one of his four runners here – Absolutely Yes, Happy Verse, Roland Garros and Randolph Hearst – is half as good it’s probably race over. Riding arrangements suggest Randolph Hearst is the stable elect with owner Greg Bortz’s retained jockey JP van der Merwe taking the ride.
But this is far from a one-horse race. Vaughan Marshall, narrowly denied last year with All Out For Six, returns with Dreamworld, who had the measure of Absolutely Yes in the Grade 3 Winter Nursery. That form puts him clearly in the picture to spoil the Snaith party.
SUGGESTED R384 (33%) PICK 6 PERM (Leg 1 Race 4 @13:05):
Leg 1: 1, 2, 5, 10
Leg 2: 1, 2, 4, 10
Leg 3: 2, 3, 6, 7
Leg 4: 2, 6, 7
Leg 5: 5, 6
Leg 6: 3, 4, 11
SUNDAY HIGHLIGHTS
SELANGOR: KIM EMPEROR CAN RULE THE ROOST AGAIN
Kim Emperor can strike again in Race 5 over 1400m at Kuala Lumpur. A consistent performer in Australia, where he recorded four placings from five starts, the Richard Lines-trained runner has shown the potential to progress through the grades. He was well backed to win a Maiden over 1300m recently and cruised to a 3.75-length victory, signalling more to come. The meeting starts at 06:20.
SHA TIN: PACKING HERMOD AND ENSUED CAN LAND FEATURES
Packing Hermod has been a standout four-year-old this season, showing good improvement in blinkers. He’s strung together two impressive wins and could take another step forward in the Premier Cup Handicap over 1400m (Race 6), one of two HK$4.2-million features on the fourth twilight meeting of the season.
In the other feature, the Premier Plate Handicap over 1800m (Race 8), Ensued is tipped to bounce back strongly. He endured a torrid trip from a wide draw in the Champions & Chater Cup but stuck to his guns to finish sixth. A sharp recent trial suggests he’s in tune and the drop back in trip is expected to suit. Race 1 is at 10:00.
HOLLYWOODBETS GREYVILLE: WISE TO SIDE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL IN MILE
Legal Counsel shapes as a major contender in the R650,000 KwaZulu-Natal Breeders Mile. Lightly raced and held in high regard, the gelding was described after a maiden win in January as “a courageous horse with a big heart but still immature.” Since then he’s progressed steadily and the calibre of company he’s kept in his last three starts speaks volumes. He beat progressive La Pulga in an 1800m handicap and then wasn’t far off top runners Selukwe and Narina Trogon in the Listed Sledgehammer. Most recently, in a 1400m prep at this track, he had subsequent winners Rosh Kedesh and Giambattista well behind him. With further improvement likely, Legal Counsel looks hard to oppose.
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
THREE MEGA TAB CARRYOVERS ON HWB DURBAN JULY DAY
It’s just two weeks to go to the Hollywoodbets Durban July spectacular on Saturday 5 July and TAB customers can now look forward to three bumper carryovers:
* R2-million Pick 6 carryover, likely pool R15 million!
* R1-million Quartet carryover on the July, likely pool R10 million!
* R500,000 Jackpot THREE carryover, likely pool R3 million!
Final acceptors and barriers draws this Tuesday 24 June – and then you can start studying.
This article was originally published on TAB and is reposted here with permission.
