Go strong with ‘Ironside’

THE Turffontein

- DAVID THISELTON

Inside meeting has nine races today and Bjorn Ironside will be hard to beat in the headliner, a Graduation Plate over 1450m in which the field has cut down to just five runners.The Gimmethegreenlight gelding has always been highly regarded and finished third in the Gr 2 Umkhomazi Stakes over 1200m as a juvenile. He was even tried in the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas.

In today’s race the distance looks manageable even though his two wins have been over 1160m and 1200m respectively.

Eight On Eighteen

He has only been tried beyond sprints twice. One of them was when last in the Cape Guineas, but it was a top class field headed by One Stripe and Eight On Eighteen.

The other one was over 1400m and he was not at all disgraced when finishing 7,90 lengths behind Snow Pilot. He was receiving 8kg from the winner, a former Cape Guineas winner who won this race by six lengths and had beaten One Stripe over that distance in his previous start. Bjorn Ironside is officially 9kg better off than any other runner today, so Keagan de Melo should be able to slot him in behind runners from a tricky draw and pick them off at the business end.

Drivelikeamaster, who is the second best weighted, is drawn in pole over an ideal trip and he could pick up the pieces if Bjorn Ironside fails to see it out. The risk averse can include him in their exotics.