Stars treated kindly by handicappers after Champions Day

Mighty sighs of relief were heaved this week when the official horse racing handicappers proclaimed their verdicts on Champions Day action at Turffontein racecourse on Saturday.

Despite brilliant performances from a clutch of horses heading for KwaZulu-Natal’s Champions Season, most of the protagonists were waved through with minimal merit rating penalty – if any at all.

Grade 1 winners Purple Pitcher, Thunderstruck and Gimme A Nother had ‘unchanged’ stamped on their MR records – as did Grade 2 Hawaii Stakes victor Sandringham Summit.

Royal Victory, who came out on top of a titanic duel in the Grade 1 World Pool Premier’s Champions Challenge, was raised six points – from 119 to 125 – leaving the four-year-old intriguingly handicapped ahead of his principal target, the Durban July. The gutsy gelding has completed a tough Joburg Grade 1 double of the Summer Cup and Challenge, as a raider from the coast, and will surely be a factor in competitive races to come.

The challenge for Royal Victory’s trainer Natie Kotzen will be to keep that MR as low as possible as he prepares for the big one.

The calculations of the handicappers are not always clear to the ordinary punter, though some bright sparks claim to know how they think.

Based on Aragosta

In weighing up the Champions Challenge, the National Horseracing Authority said it was deemed that third-placed Aragosta made for the best line horse on which to base their assessment, meaning Mike de Kock’s seasoned five-year-old remained unchanged on MR 118.

Runner-up Winchester Mansion, therefore, went up from 121 to 124 – one point below Royal Victory’s new mark of 125. (It’s interesting to note that Winchester Mansion snuck into the 2023 July on MR 102 and, as a four-year-old, carried just 53kg, which many pundits said was the reason he narrowly got the better of three-year-old See It Again, who lugged 56.5kg off a MR of 124.)

The NHA reckoned that Saturday’s Grade 1 TAB SA Derby over 2450m was run at such a “sub-optimal” dawdle that clinical assessment was difficult.

Second-placed Pure Predator was the line horse and he and winner Purple Pitcher were left unchanged.

“Notwithstanding the fact that the top four highest rated horses contested the finish in the race, the handicappers took a conservative view of the rest of the horses here,” said the press release.

A compact finishing field “flattered some performances”, so the brains trust left well alone.

Mondial whacked

The notable exception was third-placed Mondial who got whacked by 10 pounds – from 105 to 115 – which seems a tad harsh in light of the above reasoning. This Mike and Adam Azzie-trained three-year-old is not included on bookmakers’ early Durban July betting boards, but that might change soon.

A much-heralded horse which has been removed from July betting is Sandringham Summit, whose new owners have indicated they will aim him at shorter big races in the coming months. His Grade 2 1400m win at the weekend was deemed to be well within his capability and he escaped unscathed.

As did the imperious and unbeaten Gimme A Nother, as she racked up a seventh win in a row. Which way her connections will jump in Durban remains a mystery, but the pencil men are taking no chances and have her at 7-1 for the July.

The only Champions Day winner to feel the full sting of the NHA whip was three-year-old filly Frances, who got lashed a full 24 points – from 94 to 118! – for an impressive showing in the Grade 2 SA Oaks.

To justify this, judge and jury declared that she was “hugely progressive”. But Frances Ethel won’t be bothered by hefty imposts in KZN. She has been bought by US-based Team Valor and is heading overseas.