Champions Day at Turffontein is one of the highlights of the annual racing calendar as it comprises four Grade 1 races, four Grade 2 events and a Listed race for stayers.
This year the event on Saturday 6 April will be even more thrilling as the four Grade 1 races are Hong Kong World Pool events.
Starting in Race 6, they are the TAB Empress Club Stakes for fillies and mares over 1600m, the Jonsson Workwear Computaform Sprint over 1000m, the TAB SA Derby for three-year-olds over 2450m and the World Pool Premier’s Champions Challenge over 2000m.
The Empress Club Stakes will attract loads of attention because it contains Mike de Kock-trained three-year-old filly Gimme A Nother, who is unbeaten in six starts. It was an interesting decision by her connections to run her in this event because she has already won the first two legs of the Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara and could easily have wrapped that up by competing in the Grade 2 Bridget Oppenheimer Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks over 2450m.
But taking on older fillies in a Grade 1 event has more appeal for a filly who has not only won all of her starts, including the Grade 1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic, two Grade 2 races and a Grade 3, but has done so with ease.
She is the best weighted runner by at least 4.5kg and looks the stand out bet on the card. JP van der Merwe has ridden her in all of her starts and he will be back in the irons for this race.
The Computaform Sprint is a dash down the straight and is all over in around 56 seconds.
Dyce defeated Thunderstruck in the Grade 1 Cape Flying Championship in Cape Town by 0.50 lengths, but Sean Tarry’s charge is taken to reverse the placings this time.
Also coming into this race as one of the best weighted runners is speedy filly Golden Sickle who has won five of her six races since moving to the Highveld, all over 1000m, and was touched off by a short head in the other.
The Tony Peter-trained daughter of Vercingetorix could run this field off their feet.
The SA Derby is the main mission of Purple Pitcher who has won six of his last seven starts, including the Grade 1 SA Classic over 1800m. That was an emotional day as it was the first Grade 1 success for young trainer Robyn Klaasen and she firmly believes her charge will have no problem going the extra 650m this time.
Jockey Kabelo Matsunyane has ridden the New Predator colt to all of his wins and he too believes this distance is right up his street.
However, there are a number of runners who could improve over this trip, in particular De Kock-trained Marauding Horde who has only recently been coming into his own.
The Champions Challenge sees the return of Betway Summer Cup winner Royal Victory, who won that race over this course and distance.
Trained in Durban by Nathan Kotzen, this Pathfork gelding has blossomed as a four-year-old and is getting better with every start.
Muzi Yeni, who rode him to victory in the Summer Cup, has been in Durban working Royal Victory and declared his satisfaction with what he has seen.
“I really believe he is doing exceptionally well, so I think he is the horse they will all have to beat,” he said on Wednesday.
Last year’s winner, Puerto Manzano, is back in action but has not been at his best of late. However, if he finds his old spark, he will prove very dangerous in this field.
Clive Robinson
