A massive entry of 106 sprinting thoroughbreds, including the first three past the post in the recent Grade 1 Computaform Sprint at Turffontein, have been entered for the country’s biggest and most prestigious meeting for speed horses that features four Grade 1 events over 1 200m.
It will all happen at the Tsogo Sun Sprint Racemeeting at Scottsville Racecourse in Pietermaritzburg on Saturday, May 26, where R3,25-million in stakes will be up for grabs for the four races that form the official Jackpot at the meeting.
Headed by the R1-million Tsogo Sun Sprint, the programme includes the R750 000 South African Fillies Sprint for fillies and mares at weight-for-age and the two R750 000 juvenile events at level weights, the Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion which is open to all two-year-olds and the Allan Roberston Championship which is restricted to the young fillies.
In the Tsogo Sun Sprint three fillies are among 33 entries where the Joey Ramsden-trained Western Winter gelding Attenborough will likely top the early betting after his impressive victory in the Computaform Sprint where he came on late under Richard Fourie to win by a length at an easy-to-back price of 16-1. The runner up in that race, Pinnacle Peak from the Dorrie Sham stable and Attenborough’s stable mate Speedpoint that finished third are also among the entries along with In Full Flight Handicap winner Bold Respect, the unlucky and often slow away Trip To Heaven, and others such as Sir Frenchie, Naafer, Sunset Eyes, Myfunnyvalentine, Always In Charge, Black Cat Back and Bishops Bounty.
Myfunnyvalentine has also been entered for the SA Fillies Sprint along with Sommerlied, Live Life that finished third in the Grade 1 Cape Flying Championship as well as Neptune’s Rain and Made In Hollywood that filled the first two places in the Strelitzia Stakes. Green Plains won the Camelot beating Myfunnyvalentine and Magical Wonderland is one of the many three-year-olds in the entries that won the Sceptre Stakes at Kenilworth in January.
Trainer Dennis Drier, who has an outstanding record in the Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion, has nominated three horses for the juvenile race – Immortelle, Crown And Country and Goliath Heron – in a bid to continue his domination of the race but faces some top-performing juveniles like SA Nursery winner William The Silent and runners-up Cirillo and Chimichuri Run. Cue The Music, Van Halen and Traces, first three past the post in the Godolphin Barb, are also among the entries.
The Allan Robertson Championship is not to be outdone in terms of a quality entry with the 22 fillies including the SA Fillies Nursery winner Ronnie’s Candy and runner-up Ghaalla along with top Strelitzia Stakes performers Inverroche, Canukeepitsecret, Petra and Star Flyer.
The Tsogo Sun Sprint meeting is the biggest held in the KwaZulu-Natal Capital and with the best sprinters in the country in thundering action it is a meeting that must not be missed.
By Richard McMillan.
SCOTTSVILLE – Saturday 26 May 2018
R 750,000 1200m
SOUTH AFRICAN FILLIES SPRINT (Grade 1)
For Fillies and Mares at Weight-For-Age
WFA: 2yrs-9.5kgs 3yrs-1.5kgs
11 LIVE LIFE (4F) 60.0 115 Candice Bass-Robin
12 THE SECRET IS OUT (4F) 60.0 112 B Vaughan Marshall
15 EXQUISITE TOUCH (4F) 60.0 109 Sean Tarry
4 SOMMERLIED (4F) 60.0 108 Dennis Drier
2 GREEN PEPPER (4F) 60.0 107 J A Janse van Vuur
6 JO’S BOND (5M) 60.0 107 Justin Snaith
3 GIMME SIX (4F) 60.0 106 Justin Snaith
14 MYFUNNYVALENTINE (4F) 60.0 97 Sean Tarry
18 ANIME (4F) 60.0 91 Dennis Drier
20 HOIST THE MAST (5M) 60.0 90 Andre Nel
21 MAGICAL WONDERLAND (3F) 58.5 110 Candice Bass-Robin
7 NEPTUNE’S RAIN (3F) 58.5 110 Duncan Howells
19 GREEN PLAINS (3F) 58.5 108 Sean Tarry
8 ROSE IN BLOOM (3F) 58.5 106 Joey Ramsden
5 TOO PHAT TO FLY (3F) 58.5 105 Glen Kotzen
1 CASUAL DIAMOND (3F) 58.5 102 Justin Snaith
16 PRINCESS PEACH (3F) 58.5 101 Glen Kotzen
10 STATUTE (3F) 58.5 98 Michael Roberts
17 MADE IN HOLLYWOOD (3F) 58.5 97 Joey Ramsden
9 CALL TO ACCOUNT (3F) 58.5 96 Joey Ramsden
13 WINTER’S FORGE (3F) 58.5 96 Stanley Ferreira
(21)
