It’s Guineas Day at Turffontein on Saturday and bettors are faced with an outstanding nine-race card.
Heading up the meeting is the Grade 2 TAB Gauteng Guineas and the Grade 2 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas, both over 1600m on the Standside track.
Of course, these two races are the respective first legs of the SA Triple Crown and Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara.
So, it is the chance for a number of horses to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Horse Chestnut and Igugu and place their names in the annuls of South African horseracing history.
Sandringham Summit looks the runner to beat in the TAB Gauteng Guineas. He is the best weighted runner by at least 3.5kg and is the lone Grade 1 winner in the field and the highest rated runner.
He was desperately unlucky in the Grade 2 Dingaans over this course and distance at the end of last year and should reverse the placings with winner Purple Pitcher.
Sandringham Summit as not raced since the Dingaans and was scratched for his January warm-up but is the class horse and if fit and well will be hard to beat.
Gavin Lerena takes the ride.
Purple Pitcher won his fifth consecutive start in the Dingaans and looks well above average. He showed real character when fighting all the way to the line in that victory and is the runner to beat if Sandringham Summit is not at his best.
He has built up a huge rapport with jockey Kabelo Matsunyane who was aboard for all five of his wins and is undefeated on all five starts on the son of New Predator.
Mike de Kock dominates the Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas with five of the 11 runners, and they are good enough to fill all the places.
There is a feeling among many pundits right now that the three-year-old fillies are far better than the colts this season and one of the could be undefeated Gimme A Nother. She is bred in the purple with both her dam and grandam bring multiple Grade 1 winners.
Gimme A Nother has not been stretched in any of her wins which include the Grade 3 Fillies Mile and the Grade 2 Ipi Tombe Challenge, both over this course and distance.
JP van der Merwe takes the ride once again.
With two career wins coming over 1600m and having just been pipped in the Grade 1 Cape Fillies Guineas, Silver Sanctuary, another De Kock-trained filly looks the most likely to keep stable companion Gimme A Nother company all the way to the line.
Richard Fourie has picked up the ride.
Clive Robinson
