Youngsters Face Stern Handicap Tasks at Vaal

ABILITY: Three-year-olds will be taking on some capable older runners

- Jack Milner

It looks a case of youth versus experience at the Vaal tomorrow, and on this occasion it could be the younger set who have the edge.

It is not easy for recently turned three-year-olds to take on some capable hard-knockers, but at this stage of their careers they do get a weight-for-age allowance to help them along.

The concern, though, is whether their given merit rating is an accurate gauge of their ability. It is no fault of the handicappers; it is just because they have very little form with which to work so early in their careers.

The first comes up in Race 2, where trainer Tony Peter sends out filly Paris Fun in a MR 70 Handicap over 1400m, the same course and distance over which she opened her account as a two-year-old nine weeks ago.

This improving daughter of Futura beat older rivals in her final outing as a juvenile, and she remains open to any amount of further progress on her handicap debut.