KZN season arrives as a bright new dawn

There’s more excitement at the start of this year’s Champions Season than we’ve felt in a long while.

The Drill Hall Stakes and two KwaZulu-Natal Guineas heats officially kick off the winter jamboree at Greyville on Saturday and the anticipation is keen – with many a big reputation on the line.

Mostly, there is a sense of relief. At this time last year there was a very real possibility of KwaZulu-Natal operator Gold Circle going under – thanks partly to a cynical political cash grab. That would have sunk South African racing’s seasonal climax and its flagship, the world-famous Durban July.

Those dark clouds have blown away – thanks to a bookmaker of all things – and the Hollywoodbets Durban July and its grand parade of colourful supporting cast are safe for now.

Drill Hall Stakes

The 1400m Grade 2 Drill Hall Stakes is a traditional pipe-opener for many good horses aiming for bigger things, but it also carries valuable credentials for places in coming major races.

The game’s future looks brighter than it has for ages, with overseas campaigning on the cards, so suddenly all feature races acquire extra significance in the race to the top.

Saturday’s Drill Hall is all about a brilliant three-year-old, Main Defender from Tony Peter’s Joburg stable.

The Pathfork gelding is odds-on to beat a field of mostly older horses and he will be a popular choice as banker for a Pick 6 with an anticipated pool of R5-million.

Main Defender has excelled in open age company before, notably last time out when he smashed strong opposition in the Grade 1 Horse Chestnut Stakes at Turffontein.

Ranged against him this time are July entries Royal Aussie and Cousin Casey, who are unlikely to be fully wound up and may find this trip a bit sharp, and Queen’s Plate winner Al Muthana, whose prime target might also lie elsewhere.

The main challenge could come from big-hearted mare Humdinger and under-rated Gladatorian, both of whom like the track and trip.

The other three-year-old runner, Gimmeanotherchance, took a beating from Main Defender in a Turffontein 1400m feature in mid-January. However, he looks an improving sort and gains a 1kg advantage over that race.

Grade 2 WSB Guineas

The focus of the Grade 2 WSB Guineas is on another Turffontein resident, Sandringham Summit, trained by David Nieuwenhuizen.

Here the competition looks mighty keen, with Cape stars Green With Envy, Snow Pilot and Hluhluwe and Highveld improver Mid Winter Wind well in the reckoning.

The early betting market for the Grade 2 WSB Fillies Guineas has seen a flood of money for Justin Snaith-trained Double Grand Slam, who is named for her co-owner Gary Player and who posted a very impressive win at Greyville a month ago.

White Pearl and Rascova are both overdue a feature race win, while Let’s Go Now has a strong case. A sneaky outsider might be Celtic Beauty.

GREYVILLE SELECTIONS

Race 6 (Drill Hall):

3 Main Defender, 6 Gladatorian, 7 Humdinger, 8 Gimmeanotherchance
Race 7 (Fillies Guineas):
1 Let’s Go Now, 5 Double Grand Slam, 2 White Pearl, 10 Celtic Beauty
Race 8 (Guineas):
3 Green With Envy, 4 Snow Pilot, 2 Sandringham Summit, 6 Mid Winter Wind