Clive Robinson
Horses from the Mike de Kock yard dominate the field for the R800,000 Allied Steelrode Onamission Charity Mile over 1600m at Turffontein on Saturday.
De Kock will saddle four runners which include Grade 1 Daily New 2000 winner Safe Passage and Grade 1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes champion MK’s Pride, who will be having the first run for his stable.
The other two are Humdinger and Forever Mine.
All of Safe Passage, MK’s Pride and Humdinger have drawn well at Nos 4, 2 and 3 respectively. runners have drawn well, with
Safe Passage, who has not raced since finishing third behind stable companion Sparkling Water in the Hollywoodbets Durban July, has been priced up as the 5-2 favourite for the at 5-2 to win the Grade 2 race.
While it might be felt these that the Silvano four-year-old is now looking for further, it is worth pointing out he has won four of his five races when racing over 1600m, which include the Grade 2 Dingaans and the Grade 2 Gauteng Guineas, both run at this course.
Grant van Niekerk has been given the ride for the first time.
The fact he has not race for 119 days should not bother bettors as Safe Passage has won both the Grade 2 Gauteng Guineas and the Grade 1 Daily News 2000 coming back from a lengthy break.
Humdinger is an interesting runner. She joined the De Kock yard in February and after running three seconds and a third, reeled off three successive victories. Last time she caused a major upset when winning the Grade 2 Topbet Joburg Spring F&M Challenge over 1450m despite being out at the weights.
She carried 59kg to win that event and this time will have just 52kg on her back. This will be tougher and she does take on the colts, but she is a relentless front runner and could be hard to peg back.
Puerto Manzano is one of four runners from the Johan Janse van Vuuren yard. He has to be a runner but unfortunately will have to jump from the widest draw of all in the 16-horse field, but he does have the benefit of Keagan de Melo in the irons who has the Midas touch at the moment – everything he touches turns to gold.
Among Janse van Vuuren’s runners is last year’s winner Bingwa who has drawn in pole position and has Gavin Lerena in the irons.
One also has to take into account the form of MK’s Pride who is a top miler but has not run since July and also has changed stables, moving to De Kock when champion trainer Paul Peter decided to hand in his licence.
Muzi Yeni has built up a good relationship with MK’s Pride and was aboard when he won the Horse Chestnut Stakes.
