Top three-year-olds get the green light

Two of the best three-year-olds in the country, Main Defender and Sandringham Summit, will go head-to-head for the second time in the Grade 3 Betway Got The Greenlight Stakes over 1400m at Turffontein on Sunday.

This is the second time they will be meeting and ironically it is over the same course and distance and at identical weights.

The last time they met it was Main Defender who came out on top but by a miniscule distance. The two fought it out all the way to the line with the lead changing at intervals.

Although Tony Peter-trained Main Defender got the upper hand in the Graham Beck Stakes last October, Sandringham Summit did have excuses.

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Firstly, it was his first run since his victory in the Grade 1 Premiers Champion Stakes as a two-year-old while Main Defender had a warm-up – a winning one at that – in the Grade 2 Betway Joburg Spring Challenge.

Secondly, jockey Calvin Habib, who was aboard Sandringham Summit, said that when his mount saw the advertising boards on the inside of the track he put his ears back for a stride or two and that is when Main Defender got his nose in front.

Main Defender has not raced since that victory but Sandringham Summit went on to contest the Grade 2 Dingaans for threeyear- olds over 1600m for which the 2022/23 Champion two-yearold went off a very short-priced favourite.

However, once again luck was not on the side of the David Nieuwenhuizen- trained colt as early in the race he suffered interference, was carried out and had to be steadied.

Jockey Gavin Lerena said that after that interference his mount took no interest for a while and dropped to last.

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He turned into the straight way off the leading group, although he flew up late to finish a two-length third behind Purple Pitcher.

It’s a tough one to call and it all could come down to luck in running, but this time it could go the way of Sandringham Summit.

Interestingly, Habib rides Main Defender this time while Lerena is aboard Sandringham Summit again.