Royal Victory set for return at Champions Challenge

Defending champion Royal Victory is one of 11 entries for the R2-million World Pool Premier’s Champions Challenge over 2000m at Turffontein on Saturday 29 March.

The Champions Challenge is one of four Grade 1 races to be run on Day 3 of the Championship, the others being the TAB SA Derby over 2450m, the TAB Computaform Sprint over 1000m and the TAB Empress Club Stakes for fillies and mares over 1600m.

Also on the card are four Grade 2 races – the Wilgerbosdrift Bridget Oppenheimer SA Oaks for three-year-old fillies over 2450m, the Hawaii Stakes over 1400m as well as the SA Nursery and SA Fillies Nursery, both over 1160m.

The meeting is also a Hong Kong World Pool event which will allow South African punters to bet into massive TAB pools.

Trained in KwaZulu-Natal by Nathan Kotzen, Royal Victory, a five-year-old Pathfork gelding, has run his best races on the Turffontein Standside track and last season won both the Betway Summer Cup and the Champions Challenge.

Muzi Yeni rode him to victory in both of those races but, as he was out of action with an injury, he was unable to take the ride in last year’s Summer Cup. However, Yeni confirmed he will be back in irons for this event.

There is a strong possibility he will come up against 2024 Summer Cup winner Atticus Finch from the Alec Laird yard as the Master Of My Fate gelding is also among the nominations.

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Laird has also entered three-year-old Fire Attack who is likely to be a massive runner should he accept. The son of Fire Away produced a punishing finish to run second in the Grade 1 SA Classic, this coming despite having to miss the Gauteng Guineas due to a virus and his warm-up race as a result of heavy rain.

However, he could meet the runner who beat him that day as Fabian Habib-trained Confederate is also among the entries as are Summer Cup runner-up Purple Pitcher, improved Son Of Raj and females None Other, Silver Sanctuary and World Of Alice.

Habib has left his options open as Confederate is also entered for the SA Derby as have Gauteng Guineas winner Parisian Walkway and Mike and Mathew de Kock’s exciting unbeaten prospect, Immediate Edge.

The Empress Club Stakes has attracted some talented three-year-old fillies in Grade 1 Cape Fillies Guineas winner Fatal Flaw, Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic champion Fiery Pegasus as well as Gauteng Fillies Guineas champion and runner-up Spumante Dolce and VJ’s Angel.

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The Computaform Sprint is probably the fastest sprint in the country if the weather is good and as expected two of the best sprinters in the land, Dyce and Lucky Lad, are among the nominations.

However, among the entries is the De Kock-trained Greaterix who has the speed to feature in a race of this nature. The grey colt has also been nominated for the Grade 2 Hawaii Stakes over 1400m.

Supplementary entries close at 9am on Monday 17 March with declarations by 11am on Wednesday 19 March.

Entries for the R2-million World Pool Premier’s Champions Challenge (Grade 1) over 2000m.

• 9 ATTICUS FINCH (A G Laird) 60.0
• 6 HOTARUBI (S G Tarry) 60.0 5 IMILENZEYOKUDUDUMA (G van Zyl (Jnr)) 60.0
• 1 NAVAJO NATION (W H Marwing) 60.0
• 8 PURPLE PITCHER (R Klaasen) 60.0
• 11 ROYAL VICTORY (N Kotzen) 60.0
• 7 SON OF RAJ (A P Peter) 60.0
• 3 NONE OTHER (M N Houdalakis) 57.5
• 4 SILVER SANCTUARY (M/M de Kock) 57.5
• 2 CONFEDERATE (F P Habib) 55.5
• 12 FIRE ATTACK (A G Laird) 55.5
• 10 WORLD OF ALICE (S G Tarry) 53.0

Entries for the R1-million TAB Empress Club Stakes (F&M) over 1600m

• 1 BEATING WINGS (S T Pettigrew) 60.0
• 7 LADY FALLON (M N Houdalakis) 60.0
• 12 LET’S GO NOW (S G Tarry) 60.0
• 13 MINOGUE (C Dawson) 60.0
• 15 MY SOUL MATE (C Dawson) 60.0
• 2 RASCOVA (S G Tarry) 60.0
• 9 SILVER SANCTUARY (M/M de Kock) 60.0
• 5 WHITE PEARL (M/M de Kock) 60.0
• 14 FATAL FLAW (B/J Crawford) 57.0
• 4 FIERY PEGASUS (J A Soma) 57.0
• 11 MISS SCALETTA (P F Matchett) 57.0
• 3 QUEEN OF LOVE (R R Magner) 57.0
• 10 SPUMANTE DOLCE (M/M de Kock) 57.0
• 8 VJ’S ANGEL (A P Peter) 57.0
• 6 WILLY MEET AGAIN (M N Houdalakis) 57.0

Entries for the R1.5-million TAB SA Derby (Grade 1) over 2450m

• 3 BACCHUS (F P Habib) 60.0
• 11 CASUS BELLI (P F Matchett) 60.0
• 8 CHESTNUT BOMBER (J J van Vuuren) 60.0
• 12 CONFEDERATE (F P Habib) 60.0
• 5 COUNT HUHTIKUU (B/J Crawford) 60.0
• 17 DIWALI ROCKET (M Pandaram) 60.0
• 2 DON’T CRY FOR ME (S G Tarry) 60.0
• 6 GREY JET (W C Marwing) 60.0
• 9 IMMEDIATE EDGE (M/M de Kock) 60.0
• 13 LEGEND OF ARTHUR (S G Tarry) 60.0
• 14 ONE MORE STAR (S G Tarry) 60.0
• 15 PANNING GOLD (A Ndzilana) 60.0
• 4 PARISIAN WALKWAY (A G Laird) 60.0
• 7 TOWERS OF GOLD (P F Matchett) 60.0
• 10 WILD INTENT (M N Houdalakis) 60.0
• 16 ZIP CODE (D Nieuwenhuizen) 60.0
• 1 OLIVIA’S WAY (R R Magner) 57.5

Entries for the R1-million TAB Computaform Sprint (Grade 1) over 1000m

• 16 CRUISE CONTROL (G D Smith) 60.0
• 10 DYCE (M N Houdalakis) 60.0
• 2 LUCKY LAD (S G Tarry) 60.0
• 17 MOVER AND SHAKER (F P Habib) 60.0
• 15 WILLIAM ROBERTSON (C Spies) 60.0
• 18 CHOCOLATE SOLDIER (C Spies) 57.5
• 7 COSMIC SPEED (S G Tarry) 57.5
• 8 GOLDEN SICKLE (A P Peter) 57.5
• 9 GREATERIX (M/M de Kock) 57.5
• 6 KARATE KID (P F Matchett) 57.5
• 11 NO FILTER (M N Prinsloo) 57.5
• 4 PISTOL PETE (A P Peter) 57.5
• 13 ROMAN AGENT (K Naidoo) 57.5
• 1 TAXI TO THE MOON (A P Peter) 57.5
• 3 TIME FO ORCHIDS (J J van Vuuren) 57.5
• 5 TRUTH (C Dawson) 57.5
• 12 WILD AT WAR (C Dawson) 57.5
• 14 WINDS OF CHANGE (M/A Azzie) 57.5

Entries for the R750,000 Wilgerbosdrift Bridget Oppenheimer SA Oaks (Grade 2) over 2450m

• 10 ANCIENT WISDOM (A P Peter) 60.0
• 8 CARE FORGOT (B D Botes) 60.0
• 1 COCOMELON (S G Tarry) 60.0
• 11 FETCHING FLYER (P F Matchett) 60.0
• 5 FIERY PEGASUS (J A Soma) 60.0
• 3 GERBERA (S G Tarry) 60.0
• 7 HAT’S QUEEN (A P Peter) 60.0
• 13 KEY WORKER (S T Pettigrew) 60.0
• 12 OLIVIA’S WAY (R R Magner) 60.0
• 6 PARTY PUNCH (P P Labuschagne) 60.0
• 2 THE MIGHTIEST (W H Marwing) 60.0
• 9 TODOQUE (P F Matchett) 60.0
• 4 WORLD OF ALICE (S G Tarry) 60.0