First entries for President’s Champions Challenge

Dingaans winner Unparalleled and Henry Higgins joined the original 23 entries for this Grade 1 race on the standside track.

Unparalleled might miss a date with the R2-million SA Classic after an unfortunate oversight resulted in him becoming the first reserve runner. A run in the President’s Champions Challenge could be a form of compensation.

As a three-year-old, the Johan Janse van Vuuren-trained runner will get a 3.5kg weight-for-age allowance so he should be competitively weighted. Henry Higgins is one of the most consistent horses in training and rarely disappoints over this course and distance. Paul Peter’s charge will be taking a massive jump in class but this gutsy horse will always have his supporters.

Should all the top runners accept, the race should be an absolute humdinger with all of Louis The King, King Of Pain, Heavy Metal, Wylie Hall, Paterfamilias, Majmu and Ertijaal among the entries.

The race forms part of Champions Day which includes four other Grade 1 races – the R1.5 million SA Derby over 2450m, the Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks, also over 2450m, the Computaform Sprint over 1000m and the SA Nursery over 1160m. Also run on the day are four Grade 2 races – the SA Fillies Nursery over 1160m, the Gold Bowl over 3200m, the Camellia Stakes over 1160m for fillies and mares and the Gerald Rosenberg Stakes, also for fillies and mares, over 2000m.

Third entries close at 11am on Tuesday 7 April after which the weights and draws will be announced. Declarations close at 11am on Wednesday 15 April. Nominations for the R2-million President’s Champions Challenge over 2000m will be at Turffontein on Saturday 25 April.

AKII BUA (M F De Kock); ANJAAL (M F De Kock); ATHINA (J A Soma); CAGIVA (S G Tarry); EARL OF DERBY (A G Laird); ERTIJAAL (M F De Kock); GOTHIC (V H Marshall); HALVE THE DEFICIT (S G Tarry); HEAVY METAL (S G Tarry); HENRY HIGGINS (P A Peter); JUDICIAL (T Zackey); KILLUA CASTLE (G V Woodruff); KING OF PAIN (J Ramsden); LOUIS THE KING (G V Woodruff); MAJMU (M F De Kock); MUTAMAKKIN (M F De Kock); NO WORRIES (G H Van Zyl); PATERFAMILIAS (M W Bass); PINE PRINCESS (M F De Kock); RAAEES (M F De Kock); SABADELL (G V Woodruff); SHADOW OFHIS SMILE (G V Woodruff); TELLINA (G V Woodruff); UNPARALLELED (J A Janse van Vuuren); WYLIE HALL (W H Marwing)