The final field for the GBets Summer Cup was announced yesterday and there were only 19 acceptors so it will not be a full field of 20.
Mike de Kock has a strong hand with five horses, including the top class fillies Cascapedia and Takingthepeace as well as the progressive four-year-olds Noble Secret and Like A Panther, who should both be coming into their own and will relish the course and distance. His other runner is the lowest rated horse in the race, the 90 merit rated Kilrain. De Kock is going for his tenth Summer Cup victory and has fine chance of reaching this milestone.
St John Gray
Sean Tarry will be trying to retain the trophy and has last year’s winner Liege in the field alongside Peermont Emperor’s Palace Charity mile runner up Tilbury Fort and Grade 1 Champions Challenge third-placed Social Order. All three have enjoyed fine preparations and should be cherry ripe.
The Champions Challenge and Charity mile winner Coral Fever has to give the whole field at least 5,5kg, although seven of the runners will be under sufferance. This Robbie-Sage trained star loves the course and distance and is capable of carrying the welter burden of 60kg to victory.
Geoff Woodruff, who dominated the race from 2013 to 2016, has two entries, the 2015 runner up Deo Juvente, who won the Champions Challenge over course and distance last year, and the SA Oaks winner Secret Potion.
Paul Peter has two fillies involved, last year’s third-placed Fort Ember and the honest Sabina’s Dynasty.
The dark horse could be the Mike Azzie-trained Arctica especially if he cracks a good draw for a change as he has proved he is up to this class lately.
Ashley Fortune has a runner, Cash Time, in her first full season as a trainer.
St. John Gray has won this race before and has Dawn Assault, who will relish the course and distance and has a nice galloping weight.
The versatile Tandava provides a first Summer Cup runner for Gokhan Terzi, who moved down from Zimbabwe recently.
By David Thiselton
Featured Image: Coral Fever (JC Photographics)
