Picture: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
Saturday sees Day 2 of the Championship at Turffontein, and the meeting features a host of feature races, headed up by three Grade 1 events – the R1.5-million Wilgerbosdrift HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes (Grade 1) over 1600m, the R1.5-million TAB SA Classic (Grade 1) and the R1.25-million Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic (Grade 1), both over 1800m.
Of course, the two SA Classic races are Leg 2 of the SA Triple Crown and Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara and everyone will be on tenterhooks to see whether Parisian Walkway and Spumante Dolce will spread their advantage into Leg 3 later in March.
One runner who will not be involved in the Fillies Classic is Quid Pro Quo. Local pundits were hoping to see a rematch between her, Spumante Dolce and VJ’s Angel but her new international venture has begun, and she is headed to go into quarantine before she flies out of the country.
However, a rematch between the other two, separated by just a neck in the Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas, is slated to take place with Raymond Danielson back on Mike and Mathew de Kock-trained Spumante Dolce and Gavin Lerena back in the irons on Tony Peter-trained VJ’s Angel.
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There is little doubt trainer Alec Laird holds the high cards in the SA Classic with his three runners all well fancied in the betting. Laird was devastated when a virus forced him to pull Fire Attack out of the Grade 2 Gauteng Guineas.
“You can’t believe the emotions I’ve gone through having to scratch that horse,” Laird said after the Guineas. “He’s such a lekker horse, but he’ll be back for the Classic.”
Unfortunately, he missed out on his planned warm-up last week as the meeting was washed out but hopefully they have managed to do all the work needed at home. Lerena has stuck with him and there is no questioning his class.
Of course, there was a lot to like about the gutsy effort of Parisian Walkway who led for almost the entire way and was just headed for a short while around the 200m mark when favourite Greaterix hit the front. But Laird’s charge would not throw in the towel and kept going to get the better of the De Kock-trained runner.
Diego de Gouveia retains the ride on the Ideal World gelding.
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Greaterix will be missing the Classic but he will contest the Grade 1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut over 1600m where he will be taking on the defending champion, suitably named Main Defender. Peter’s charge has had the perfect preparation going into the race and he will not be easy to depose.
The race is run at weight-forage and he comes out as the bestweighted runner by at least 2.5kg. Lerena retains the ride.
Greaterix does get a 3kg age allowance which should assist his chances and Muzi Yeni will be back in the irons.
There is also going to be R1 million kicking off the Pick 6 with the pool likely to reach R5 million. Turffontein is a standalone meeting and it would come as no surprise to see that figure surpassed.
BETTING WILGERBOSDRIFT SA FILLIES CLASSIC
1-1 SPUMANTE DOLCE; 28-10 VJ’S ANGEL, 6-1 FIERY PEGASUS; 10-1 WILLY MEET AGAIN; 14-1 WORLD OF ALICE; 20-1 OLIVIA’S WAY; 25-1 GERBERA; 50-1 SENSORIA, CARE FORGOT, BAKWENA; 66-1 HAT’S QUEEN
TAB SA CLASSIC
3-1 FIRE ATTACK; 33-10 PARISIAN WALKWAY; 9-2 LEGEND OF ARTHUR; 8-1 DON’T CRY FOR ME; 10-1 ARISTOTLE, BUSSTOPINHOUNSLOW; 14-1 CONFEDERATE; 25-1 CHESTNUT BOMBER, GREY JET, BACCHUS; 33-1 MISS SCALETTA
WILGERBOSDRIFT HF OPPENHEIMER HORSE CHESTNUT STAKES
14-10 MAIN DEFENDER; 28-10 GREATERIX; 5-1 BARBARESCO; 8-1 COSMIC SPEED; 10-1 LUCKY LAD; 14-1 WHITE PEARL; 20-1 TEXAS RED, IMILENZEYOKUDUDUMA; 40-1 FIRE ‘N FLAMES
Final field for the R1.5-million Wilgerbosdrift HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes (Grade 1) over 1600m:
Final field for the R1.5-million TAB SA Classic (Grade 1) (2nd Leg of SA Triple Crown) over 1800m:
Final field for the R1.25-million Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic (Grade 1) (2nd Leg of the Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara) over 1800m:
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