The popular Charity Turf Challenge offers punters the chance to win R100,000 as well as a R20,000 stand alone prize on Vodacom Durban July day and the deadline for entries is 17h30 this Friday.

This fun competition can be entered online at http://www.racingsa.com/ or manually at both Tote outlets and on the racecourse.

Rabada (Nkosi Hlophe)

Class prevails and points gathered in Gr 1 and Gr 2 races are the key to success. Furthermore, the winners of the Tsogo Sun Sprint, the Rising Sun Gold Challenge, the Vodacom Durban July and the eLan Gold Cup earn five bonus points each.

In the three-year-old colt division many will think of Triple Crown hero Abashiri as an automatic entry. However, he is likely to have only one race during the SA Champions Season, the July.

It might be wiser to look for horses who are going to run in all of the classic races. Rabada is an obvious example.

The three-year-old fillies, and older fillies, should be seriously considered to have a lot of weight in numbers, because there are many opportunities open to them. A versatile horse like Lanner Falcon, who is effective from sprints up to middle distances, could accumulate many place and possibly win points, while classic fillies like Bela-Bela and Silver Mountain should also do so.

A male sprinter is probably an important inclusion, but difficult to choose because the Tsogo Sprint is a handicap, meaning a light weight winner will battle to earn further points in the Gr 1 Mercury Sprint. Furthermore, the Mercury Sprint looks to be at the mercy of Carry On Alice, who should also win the SA Fillies Sprint.

Some stayers events have been downgraded this year, but it might still might be worth including a horse on the up like Solar Star.

Shrewdies will have a horse for the open Gr 2’s and the Gr 1 Champions Cup as points gatherer of this type could make the difference between winning and losing.

By David Thiselton