THE top two rated horses, National Spirit and Elusive Fort, stood their ground at final acceptances and these two equine heavyweights will clash in the Grade 2 Gauteng Charity Mile November Handicap to be run at Newmarket Racecourse over on 4 November. 

The race, which is run over 1600m, carries a stake of R500 000.

Neither National Spirit nor Elusive Fort is well drawn and will have to jump from barriers 18 and 12 respectively. However, Piere Strydom has retained the ride on Dominic Zaki’s runner while champion jockey Mark Khan will once again be up on Elusive Fort for Geoff Woodruff. 

Also in the final line-up are last year’s Dingaans winner, Hunting Tower, with Anton Marcus in the saddle, while Weichong Marwing will ride Vodacom Durban July third Equal Image for the Mike de Kock stable. 

National Spirit comes into the race with 58kg and will have it all to do as he is conceding weight to the entire field. But after his fluent victory in the Emerald Cup at the Vaal, he has earned the reputation of the best miler in the country and will not relinquish that title easily. 

Lion Tamer, fourth in this year’s Durban July, won an impressive comeback race over 1600m at Newmarket last week and is a great back up for trainer Charles Laird. Sean Cormack will ride him in the big race. 

The Grade 3 Graham Beck Stakes over 1300m for three year olds will also be run the same evening and that race sees the return to the track of joint Equus Award champion two-year-old Kildonan. The De Kock runner is top weight for the race with 58,5kg on his back with the Zaki-trained Super Profit getting 2,5kg from his rival. 

Biarritz, who ran second to Kildonan from the worst of draws at Clairwood in the Premier’s Champion Stakes last time out, is another who will be making his first appearance of the season. 

THE GAUTENG CHARITY MILE NOVEMBER HANDICAP (Grade 2)(Open) R500000 1600m
1 – 18 NATIONAL SPIRIT (D Zaki) P Strydom 58.0 – 115
2 – 12 ELUSIVE FORT (G V Woodruff) M Khan 57.0 – 113
3 – 6 HUNTING TOWER (C Laird) A Marcus 55.0 – 109
4 – 1 SURVEYOR (O A Ferraris) R Danielson 54.5 – 108
5 – 14 WHAT A QUESTION (A D Gordon) G Schofield 54.5 – 108
6 – 4 EQUAL IMAGE (M F De Kock) W Marwing 54.0 – 107
7 – 11 SOFT LANDING (G V Woodruff) G Lerena 52.5 – 104
8 – 10 BILBOA (A G Laird) G Lerena 52.0 – 103
9 – 3 BOLD ELLINORE (M F De Kock) K Latham 52.0 – 103
10 – 9 LION TAMER (C Laird) S Cormack 52.0 – 103
11 – 16 CARNADORE (M F De Kock) R Simons 51.5 – 102
12 – 8 MY CHOICE (B Crawford) J Sampson 51.5 – 102
13 – 17 RIVER PLATE (D R Drier) C Orffer 51.5 – 102
14 – 7 TALAHATCHIE (D Zaki) D Habib 51.0 – 101
15 – 5 FAR UNDER PAR (C R Lee) K Derere 50.0 – 99
16 – 15 SCHOOL ASSEMBLY (S G Tarry) B Smith 50.0 – 99
Reserve Runners
17 – 13 JAM ALLEY (S J Gray) Reserve 1 50.0 – 98
18 – 2 NORTHERN WOLF (G V Woodruff) Reserve 2 50.0 – 94
Same Trainer: (1,14) (2,7,18) (3,10) (6,9,11)

GRAHAM BECK STAKES (Grade 3)(3 year olds) R150000 1300m
1 – 13 KILDONAN (M F De Kock) W Marwing 58.5 – 109
2 – 16 SUPER PROFIT (D Zaki) P Strydom 56.0 – 92
3 – 8 BIARRITZ (S J Gray) ……………. 55.5 – 104
4 – 3 PROCURER (C Naidoo) S Khumalo 55.0 – 90
5 – 9 TRADINET (S G Tarry) ……………. 54.0 – 96
6 – 14 JIVE TALKING (M F De Kock) G Schofield 54.0 – 90
7 – 7 LIGHTNING LECTURE (G M Alexander) S Randolph 54.0 – 88
8 – 2 NEWS TRAVELS FAST (D Zaki) D Habib 54.0 – 87
9 – 12 EPIC POETRY (A G Laird) J Geroudis 54.0 – 86
10 – 17 GLINT OF ICE (C Laird) A Marcus 53.0 – 99
11 – 15 SOUND OF THUNDER (S J Gray) ……………. 52.5 – 87
12 – 11 CACTUS WOLF (G V Woodruff) M Khan 52.0 – 84
13 – 6 KHEBRAAT (M F De Kock) K Latham 52.0 – 83
14 – 4 NO LIMITS (D G Maroun) M V’Rensburg 52.0 – 83
15 – 10 CATMANDU (A Kirsten) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52.0 – 82
16 – 1 BUY AND SELL (S G Tarry) B Smith 52.0 – 81
17 – 5 DARLING HEART (S Moffatt) Reserve 1 52.0 – 76
Same Trainer: (1,6,13) (2,8) (3,11) (5,16).