Battle royal for Cup places

Several horses competing in tonight’s Victory Moon Stakes at Turffontein did not make the cut in the latest handicappers’ log for the Grade 1 G-BETS Summer Cup to be con-tested next month.

Six of the 14 horses in tonight’s Grade 3 event are also entered for Joburg’s most famous race but are not on the list issued yesterday of 20 “probables” for the big one.

They are: Full Mast, Cash Time, French Navy, Bulleting Home, Tandava and Bankable Teddy. The first two named are in the top 20 in Summer Cup ante-post betting – at 35-1 and 50-1 respectively.

A victory for one of these geldings this evening would catapult him into the final line-up of 20.

Even an impressive showing might do the trick as the jostling for places at the bottom end of the log is very tight.

All horses in those lower reach-es have allocated weights and merit ratings in the same ballpark as horses that just missed out yesterday.

For example, the likes of Dawn Assault and Deo Juvente, among the current favoured 20, could easily drop away if they disappoint under the Turffontein lights.

Stand by for a cavalry charge for spots in the line-up for the R2-million showpiece on Saturday 1 December.

To add spice to the mix, a few candidates in the Victory Moon field have already secured their places in the Summer Cup, notably tonight’s joint favourites Like A Panther and Takingthepeace – both from the Mike de Kock stable.

Coral Fever, recent winner of the Peermont Emperors Palace Charity Mile, predictably heads the latest Summer Cup log, with star filly Cascapedia at No 2.

Trainer Robbie’s Sage’s six-year-old will be giving away tons of weight to all his rivals having been allocated 60kg to Cascapedia’s 54.5kg. Most of the rest are in the 52kg-49kg range.

The handicapping committee has emphasised that the latest log is intended as a guide only and say things could easily change before announcement of the final field on Tuesday next week.

Fifteen of the original 57 entries have been scratched, so the final 20 must come from the remaining 42.

Current Summer Cup betting: 6-1 Buffalo Bill Cody, Cascapedia; 7-1 Noble Secret; 8-1 It’s My Turn; 10-1 Coral Fever, Tilbury Fort; 14-1Like A Panther; 16-1 Made To Conquer, Takingthepeace; 15-1 Arctica, Gambado, Social Order; 33-1 bar.

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