Cousin Casey for the Summer Cup

It is Summer Cup time again, and sponsors Betway have ensured one of the most celebrated races in the country maintains its iconic status by attaching a R5-million purse to this Grade 1 event.

Run over 2000m on the Standside track at Turffontein, the allure of the massive stake pot has attracted a very decent field which includes a host of Grade 1 winners and contains last year’s champion in Puerto Manzano as well as this year’s Hollywoodbets Durban July winner, Winchester Mansion.

Adding to the attraction for bettors, especially players of exotic bets, is a R2 million Pick 6 carryover with a likely pool of R10 million, as well as a R1-million carryover to the Quartet on the Betway Summer Cup, Race 7, which is likely to yield a pool of R4 million.

The R5 million stake money will ensure the winning connections will receive R2,850,000 and that has resulted in one of the strongest fields we have seen in some time. And while the race is officially a handicap, there is a maximum 6kg allowed to separate the top-rated runners from the rest.

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Top weight is 60kg and bottom weight is 54kg. So, that does favour the higher rated runners, which sees the last nine runners in the 20-horse field out at the weights to differing degrees.

Looking at the history of the race, Mike de Kock has won this race nine times, his last coming in 2010 when Flirtation took the honours. This year he will be hoping that one of Safe Passage, Aragosta, Shoemaker or East Coast can provide him with that elusive 10th win.

Of late, it has been Sean Tarry who has been the most prolific winner and he will be looking for his sixth victory. He has won the race with Aslan (2009), Liege (2017), Tilbury Fort (2018), Zillzaal (2019) and Flying Carpet (2021) and looks to have a very strong hand in this line-up with Cousin Casey, Bless My Stars and Litigation.

Of course, one cannot ignore the chances of Puerto Manzano who has just got better with age. He just does not give up and despite carrying top weight this year, he must be in with a live chance, but jockey Gavin Lerena will have to navigate No 16 draw.

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Nevertheless, if you are going to land a wide draw then 2000m on the Turffontein Standside track is the place to do it. There is an 800m back straight and that does allow jockeys an opportunity to place their mounts before they hit the turn.

There is also a long enough straight to make up the ground. Puerto Manzano likes to come from off them and it should not be too much of a train smash.

However, it could be Tarry’s year again. All three of his runners have decent chances but it is going to be Cousin Casey who gets the nod. He was Equus Champion Two-Year-Old colt in 2022 and hardly had a bad race as a three-year-old. He sadly had to bump Charles Dickens a couple of times but that colt is a superstar.

Some people argue that he will not see out 2000m but Tarry has a different view. “I don’t think it will be a problem. I thought his run in the Charity Mile was top draw, I don’t think he was prepared for that. I thought he would need the run far more than what he actually showed.

“I begged Grant (van Niekerk) to be patient – he obviously never heard that part – and he did quite a bit for his first run back. I would have been a little bit more confident if he was nursed a little more through the race but he’s come out of it really well, he certainly has improved in his work, and he has to be a live wire.”

Tarry added that the son of Vercingetorix did have a lot of weight but he has earned that rating “if the handicappers have got their sums right”.

Filly Bless My Stars does not know how to run a bad race and her third place behind Winchester Mansion in the Durban July was superb. She also finished third in the Allied Steelrode Onamission Charity Mile, beaten just 0.90 lengths by Puerto Manzano and is now 1kg better off. Richard Fourie won the Grade 2 Gold Bracelet on her and he will be back in the irons for this event.

James Crawford, assistant to father Brett, said he was very happy with the way Winchester Mansion has come on and also commented positively on the progression of Billy Bowlegs. Winchester Mansion was just 1.10 lengths off Puerto Manzano and he will love the extra 400m this time. Durban July winning jockey Kabelo Matsunyane will be back in the irons.

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There are a lot of others with chances, including WSB SA Classic champion Anfields Rocket, Litigation, Zeus and Atticus Finch but trainer Tony Peter has high expectations for Electric Gold and he is definitely one for the carryover Quartet.

“I think he’s had the right prep coming into this race. He’s going to find the 2000m on a more galloping track to his advantage.

“I didn’t think he had the best ride last time in the Victory Moon Stakes. I expected him to be in the first half of the field, but he missed the break and was too far out of his ground.

“The winner got an easy lead and Electric Gold still came running on really strongly to run third. He’s improved after his last run, he’s tightened up a lot more and he’s working really, really well so I’d be disappointed if he is out of the first four.”