BOTH the winners of the Betting World Gauteng Guineas and the Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas – Louis The King and Arcetri Pink – have been nominated to run in the Grade 1 SA Classic and Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic respectively at Turffontein on Saturday 29 March.

The Guineas was the first leg of the R2-million SASCOC Triple Crown and the Fillies Guineas kicked off the R1-million Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara. The bonuses will come into effect if the pair can win the respective Classics and then the SA Derby in the case of Louis The King, and the Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks in the case of Arcetri Pink.

Gone Baby Gone, SA Classic hopeful.

There are 20 entries for the SA Classic over 1800m and they contain many of the same runners who contested the Guineas. Louis The King, who won the Guineas by 5.25 lengths, is the lone entry from the Geoff Woodruff yard but as expected he will have many challengers from the Alec Laird, Sean Tarry and Mike de Kock stables.

Runners from the Laird stable finished second (Forest Indigo), third (As You Like) and fourth (Bouclette Top) in the Guineas while unplaced Mister Cricket started favourite for the race. All of those plus Bezanova are among the entries for the Classic.

Tarry ran Lance, Fort Bellini and Mercado, who finished fifth, in the Guineas and has nominated all of them as well as Supertube. The Australian-bred gelding has run five times and has won his last two starts in good style.

De Kock only ran Taarish in the Guineas but for this event he has added Gone Baby Gone, Raaees and Umgiyo to his entries.

Woodruff-trained Not Sulking ran second behind Arcetri Pink in the Fillies Guineas and both have been nominated for the Fillies Classic. However, Woodruff has added a third string to his bow in the form of Zephira, who could turn out to be the best of the trio over this distance.

Athena, who finished third in the Guineas, is among the Classic entries. Hopefully Joey Soma’s charge will be able to land a decent draw on this occasion.

Supplementary entries close at 11 am on Monday 17 March with declarations taking place at 11am on Wednesday 19 March.

Nominations

SA CLASSIC (Grade 1) (Second Leg of SASCOC Triple Crown) R2-million 1800m

AS YOU LIKE (A G Laird); BEZANOVA (A G Laird); BOLD INSPIRATION (W H Marwing); BOUCLETTE TOP (A G Laird); FLIGHT WARNING (G M Alexander); FOREST INDIGO (A G Laird); FORT BELLINI (S G Tarry); GONE BABY GONE (M F De Kock); HILLBROW (R R Magner); LANCE (S G Tarry); LOUIS THE KING (G V Woodruff); MERCADO (S G Tarry); MISTER CRICKET (A G Laird); MR MULLINER (G M Alexander); PLATINUM JET (W H Marwing); POWER KING (D Kannemeyer); RAAEES (M F De Kock); SUPERTUBE (S G Tarry); TAARISH (M F De Kock); UMGIYO (M F De Kock).

WILGERBOSDRIFT SA FILLIES CLASSIC (Grade 1) (Second Leg of SA Triple Tiara)) R1-million 1800m

ARCETRI PINK (G V Woodruff); ASH CLOUD (W H Marwing); ATHINA (J A Soma); BLUEBELL GLADE (W H Marwing); CITY OF ATHENS (S G Tarry); COBY (G M Alexander); FOR THE LADS (S G Tarry); MILYNNE (S M Ferreira); MOHAVE PRINCESS (G H Van Zyl); NOT SULKING (G V Woodruff); QUEEN ELIZA (P F Matchett); SANTA CAROLINA (M F De Kock); WINDHOVER (P A Peter); WINTER STAR (J A Janse van Vuuren); ZEPHIRA (G V Woodruff).

-Phumelela Press Release.