Don’t expect charity from young guns at Turffontein

The connections of the top Highveld three-year-olds, Main Defender and Sandringham Summit, obviously think very highly of their charges. Both horses have been entered for the Allied Steelrode-Onamission Charity Mile at Turffontein on 28 October.

To throw young horses into top-level open company at this stage of their development is a strong statement of confidence.

And the two trainers, Tony Peter and David Nieuwenhuizen, are thinking along precisely the same lines. They’ve both also nominated their stars for the Graham Beck Stakes – an exclusively three-year-old race on the same card.

Barrier draws will be made on Friday and options will be weighed up. The Charity Mile purse is R1-million, the Graham Beck’s R400,000.

All other precocious three-year-olds are being readied for their generation programme – taking in the Dingaans and the Guineas – to build up, physically and mentally, to take on older horses later in the season.

Both Sandringham Summit and Main Defender have been allotted 52kgs – the minimum – for the Charity Mile, a weight-for-age Grade 2 1600m contest.

In the Graham Beck, a level-weight affair with some penalties, Sandringham Summit has 60kg and Main Defender 59kg.

This follows their clash, as juveniles, in the Grade 1 Premiers Champion Stakes at Greyville – where Sandringham Summit whipped Main Defender by 2.40 lengths.

Sandringham Summit has not raced since that day in July, while Main Defender has had one outing – a notable victory in open company in the Grade 2 Joburg Spring Challenge.

Punters relishing seeing the pair clash again might get the showdown sooner than later.

Charity Mile entries

Dave The King (4C) 61.5 126 A Mike de Kock

Puerto Manzano (ARG) (6G) 60.5 123 BA J A Janse van Vuuren

Cousin Casey (4C) 59.5 122 BA Sean Tarry

Winchester Mansion (5G) 59.5 121 CA Brett Crawford

Second Base (6G) 59 120 XA Robyn Klaasen

Bingwa (6G) 58.5 119 BA e J A Janse van Vuuren

Humdinger (5M) 58.5 119 A Mike de Kock

Safe Passage (5G) 58.5 119 BAT Mike de Kock

William Robertson (5G) 58.5 119 JA Corne Spies

Bless My Stars (4F) 58 119 A Sean Tarry

Eye Of The Prophet (4G) 58 119 BA Paul Matchett

MK’s Pride (6H) 58 118 BA Tony Peter

Billy Bowlegs (4C) 57 117 A Brett Crawford

Future Pearl (4G) 56.5 116 AT Sean Tarry

Son Of Raj (4G) 56 115 BA Weiho Marwing

Shoemaker (4G) 55.5 114 BA Mike de Kock

Litigation (5G) 54 110 CAT Sean Tarry

East Coast (4C) 53.5 110 A Mike de Kock

Melech (4G) 53.5 110 A Roy Magner

Meridius (4G) 53.5 110 A Tony Peter

Union Square (4G) 53.5 110 BA Mike de Kock

Forever Mine (6G) 53.5 109 A Mike de Kock

Lady Of Power (4F) 53 109 AT M G Azzie/A A Azzie

Star Coin (4G) 53 109 BA Alec Laird

Tipsy Tarragon (4F) 52.5 108 PA Tony Peter

Marigold Hotel (5M) 52.5 107 HA Sean Tarry

Whafeef (5G) 52.5 107 A Stuart Pettigrew

Main Defender (3G) 52 121 A Tony Peter

Sandringham Summit (3C) 52 117 AT David Nieuwenhuizen

Atticus Finch (4G) 52 107 A Alec Laird

Sun Blushed (4G) 52 106 A Michael Roberts

Infinite Wonder (6G) 52 103 A Paul Matchett

Electric Gold (4G) 52 102 BA Tony Peter

River Romeo (4G) 52 101 A Paul Matchett

Another Level (5G) 52 98 A Candice Dawson

Running Rifles (5G) 52 95 A e Tony Peter

Juliet Tango (5M) 52 94 A Paul Matchett

Silent War (5G) 52 93 A Tony Peter