Saturday’s race meeting at Borrowdale Park get’s off to an early start at 11.35 am. The feature event, the ZPCS Goodwill Trust Charity Jacaranda Free Handicap for all three-year-olds, is due off at 15.10 pm.

The Jacaranda Free Handicap and the 1600m Tote Free Handicap are part of the lead up to the three-year-old Classics in 2019. Six runners will face the starter on Saturday – four of whom have been meeting and beating each other as two-year-olds.

It’s hard to say whose turn it will be on Saturday but maybe the 1200m Champion Juvenile Stakes, won by Rain Spider on June 17, is as good a pointer as any.

That race is run at set weights – colts and geldings carrying 58 kgs and fillies 55.5 kgs. Pas de Deux, who was receiving 2.5 kgs from the winner finished a quarter of a length behind him. She meets Rain Spider on similar terms this time.

Mia Finola (not racing on Saturday) was 0.50 lengths back, while Sygone (now 0.5 kgs worse off with Rain Spider) was one and a half lengths off the pace. Opaque trailed in 4.50 lengths back and now receives 8 kgs from Sygone, and 7.5 kgs from Rain Spider.

Both Three To Tango and Madonna’s Flame are lightly raced – both having had two starts for 1 win and 1 place each, in open company. It will be interesting to see how they measure up against their peers.

JACARANDA FREE RUNNERS

SYGONE (draw 2) 60 kgs (MR71) – Wesley Marwing… Bridget Stidolph
6 starts for1 win 3 places – (g) by Ato.

RAIN SPIDER (draw 5) 59.5 kgs (MR70) – Brendon McNaughton… Bridget Stidolph
4 starts for 1 win 2 places – (g) by Byword (GB) out of Fort Wood (USA) mare.

PAS DE DEUX (ZIM) (draw 1) 57 kgs (MR65) – Hennie Greyling… Penny Fisher
8 starts for 2 wins 3 places – (f) by Fencing Master (GB).

THREE TO TANGO (draw 6) 56 kgs (MR63) – Deon Sampson… Kirk Swanson

2 starts for 1 win 1 place – (c) by Grey’s Inn (USA) out of a Joshua Dancer (USA) mare.
Won 1200m Maiden Plate on September 23. This is the first time she meets up with her age group.

MADONNA’S FLAME (draw 3) 53kgs (MR57) – Collen Storey… Bridget Stidolph
2 starts for 1win 1 place – (f) by Irish Flame.
Won 1200m Maiden Plate on October 6 and came fourth in the Fillies Mile at the last meeting.

OPAQUE (draw 4) 52kgs (MR55) – *S Moodley… Bridget Stidolph

7 starts for 1 win – (c) by Ato.

PHOTOGRAPH: Flashback to 2017 when Butchie Boy, with Brendon McNaughton in the irons, won the Jacaranda Free Handicap.  He went on to win the 2018 Zimbabwe Guineas.