MIKE de Kock is throwing the kitchen sink at the R1.25-million eLan Gold Cup over 3200m at Greyville on Saturday 30 July with five entries, including the foursome who filled the first four places in the Gold Vase over 3000m at Greyville on Durban July Day.
De Kock’s fifth entrant is the mare The Centenary, runner-up in the Delta Air Lines 2200.
Super Saturday, the final race meeting of the KwaZulu-Natal Champions Season, is set to be a super occasion in every way with nine feature events including the Gold Cup and the R1-million Grade 1 Mike And Carol Bass Champions Cup.
There will also be the final major races for juveniles with the R600,000, Grade 1 Premier’s Champion Stakes and the R800,000, Grade 1 Thekwini Stakes, both run over 1600m.
De Kock’s quintet should face some strong opposition from the likes of Geoff Woodruff’s Gold Bowl winner Arch Rival, the J&B Stayers winner from the Justin Snaith stable Ovidio and the winner of the Lonsdale Stirrup Cup Balance Sheet from the Dean Kannemeyer yard.
The Mike And Carol Bass Champions Cup pays tribute to Cape trainer Mike Bass who hands in his licence at the end of the season after an illustrious career and he will be hoping to close off that career with a win in this race.
He appeared to have a strong chance of doing just that with three-year-old Silvano gelding Marinaresco, who finished second to The Conglomerate in the Durban July. However, Candice Robinson, who will be taking over the stable next month, has said that because of a wide draw they will probably not run Marinaresco in the event.
That means the stable will be relying on Three Balloons and Helderberg Blue to make it a memorable occasion by featuring strongly or even winning the Gold Cup.
The entries for the Mike And Carol Champions Cup over 1800m include The Conglomerate, as well as Mac De Lago from the Weiho Marwing stable who finished third in the Durban July. Also among the entries are Exit Here and Dynamic who filled the first two places in the Cup Trial.
The two Grade 1 juvenile races over 1600m, the Premiers Champion Stakes and the Thekwini Stakes, have drawn strong entries, including Vaughan Marshall’s top Captain Al colt Always In Charge who heads the nominations for the former contest. He won the Grade 1 Gold Medallion at Scottsville and has the two horses who followed him home, Seattle Singer and Rivarine, among his potential opponents.
With the first three past the post in the Durban Golden Horseshoe – Zodiac Ruler, Misty Birnam and Gunner – also among the entries, this race could be one of the most exciting of the day.
The winner of the Gold Circle Golden Slipper, Final Judgement, heads the field for the Thekwini Stakes but she could find a strong opponent from the Corne Spies-trained filly Seattle Singer who finished second to Always In Charge against the boys in the Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion at Scottsville. Sail and Visuality, third and fourth in the Golden Slipper, give additional strength to the field for this super race.
The day’s programme includes the Grade 2 Gold Bracelet over 2000m, the Grade 2 Umkhomazi Stakes over 1 200m and the Grade 2 The Debutante over 1200m.
Supplementary entries close on Friday at 11am and declarations for the Gold Cup must be made by 11am on Tuesday 19 July. The announcement of the final field and the barrier draws will take place at a function that evening at 5.30pm.
As far as all the other races are concerned, declarations close at 11am on Thursday 21 July.
Entries for the R1.25 million eLan Gold Cup (Grade 2) over 3200m
PUNTA ARENAS (D R Drier) 60.0
MASTER SABINA (G V Woodruff) 59.0
HELDERBERG BLUE (M W Bass) 58.5
KING OF PAIN (J Ramsden) 58.5
OVIDIO (SJ Snaith) 58.5
COLTRANE (J Ramsden) 57.5
GOLD ONYX (S G Tarry) 57.5
KINGSTON MINES (M F de Kock) 57.5
NO WORRIES (GH van Zyl) 57.5
BALANCE SHEET (D Kannemeyer) 56.5
DEPUTY JUD (M G Azzie) 56.5
DISCO AL (J Ramsden) 56.5
DYNASTIC POWER (V H Marshall) 56.5
THE CENTENARY (M F de Kock) 56.0
ARCH RIVAL (G V Woodruff) 55.5
SERISSA (SG Tarry) 55.5
SOLAR STAR (D Kannemeyer) 55.5
STORM WARNING (J A Janse van Vuuren) 55.5
GATHERING FAME (D R Drier) 55.0
CAPE SPEED (D Kannemeyer) 54.5
PATCHIT UP BABY (D C Howells) 54.5
WAVIN’ FLAG (B Crawford) 54.5
STEBBINS (W H Marwing) 53.5
FORTUNE FELLA (D Little) 53.0
ENAAD (M F de Kock) 52.5
GREAT RUMPUS (F Robinson) 52.5
KINAAN (M F de Kock) 52.0
OH SO MODUS (R du Plessis) 52.0
SMART MART (M F de Kock) 52.0
THREE BALLOONS (M W Bass) 52.0
ZAFIRA (W H Marwing) 52.0
Entries for the R1-million Mike And Carol Bass Champions Cup (Grade 1) over 1800m
7 MAC DE LAGO (W H Marwing) 60.0
15 THE CONGLOMERATE (J Ramsden) 60.0
19 ICE MACHINE (C Laird) 59.0
9 BEZANOVA (A G Laird) 58.0
14 DYNAMIC (S J Snaith) 58.0
8 GOLD ONYX (S G Tarry) 58.0
6 IT IS WRITTEN (D Kannemeyer) 58.0
11 NO WORRIES (G H van Zyl) 58.0
10 PUNTA ARENAS (D R Drier) 58.0
1 SARATOGA DANCER (D C Howells) 58.0
4 ST TROPEZ (J Ramsden) 58.0
5 NEW PREDATOR (J A Janse van Vuuren) 57.5
17 BARITONE (S J Snaith) 56.5
13 EXIT HERE (C Laird) 56.5
2 LIEGE (S G Tarry) 56.5
20 MALAK EL MOOLOOK (S G Tarry) 56.5
16 MAMBO MIME (D Kannemeyer) 56.5
18 MARINARESCO (M W Bass) 56.5
3 ROCKETBALL (G H van Zyl) 56.5
12 OLMA (F Robinson) 55.5
Entries for the R600,000 Premiers Champion Stakes (Grade 1) over 1600m
7 AFRICA RISING (S G Tarry) 60.0
10 ALWAYS IN CHARGE (V H Marshall) 60.0
25 BOLD REX (M F de Kock) 60.0
24 BOLD VIKING (S G Tarry) 60.0
32 BUFFALO SOLDIER (C Laird) 60.0
11 CROWD PLEASER (J A Janse van Vuuren) 60.0
30 GOOD TO GIVE (C Laird) 60.0
15 GUNNER (P M Gadsby) 60.0
22 HACK GREEN (D R Drier) 60.0
21 HEAVENLY BLUE (M F de Kock) 60.0
29 HIGHWAY EIGHTYFIVE (D I Campbell) 60.0
18 LAST WINTER (D Kannemeyer) 60.0
31 LEGEND (D C Howells) 60.0
23 LOTUS ELAN (C Spies) 60.0
13 MISTY BIRNAM (M F de Kock) 60.0
28 MR O’NEILL (D Kannemeyer) 60.0
2 OCEAN DRIVE SOUTH (K Naidoo) 60.0
3 OVER SURE (K Naidoo) 60.0
26 PALLADIUM (C Laird) 60.0
9 RIVARINE (M G Azzie) 60.0
20 ROCKEFELLER (C Laird) 60.0
6 ROCKY VALLEY (D R Drier) 60.0
33 RYDER (M G Azzie) 60.0
5 SECRET CAPTAIN (D C Howells) 60.0
8 SKIP THE RED (L Forbes) 60.0
4 STEP UP (V H Marshall) 60.0
19 VIKING RED (F Robinson) 60.0
17 WINTER IS COMING (F Robinson) 60.0
12 WITHOUT A DOUBT (G H van Zyl) 60.0
14 ZELIG (G H van Zyl) 60.0
1 ZODIAC RULER (S J Snaith) 60.0
16 BONNE VIE (C Spies) 57.5
27 SEATTLE SINGER (C Spies) 57.5
Entries for the R600,000 Thekwini Stakes (Grade 1) over 1600m
19 AL HAWRAA (M F de Kock) 60.0
14 ARISSA (A G Laird) 60.0
17 BONNE VIE (C Spies) 60.0
8 CHILL BABY CHILL (W H Marwing) 60.0
18 COSTA DA SOL (G H van Zyl) 60.0
3 DAWN CALLING (D C Howells) 60.0
16 FINAL JUDGEMENT (G S Kotzen) 60.0
9 FORTISSIMUS (S J Snaith) 60.0
6 HUNGRY HEART (D R Drier) 60.0
12 ICED UP (D S Bosch) 60.0
1 INTRIGUING LADY (M F de Kock) 60.0
7 KAHULA (S G Tarry) 60.0
2 MYFUNNYVALENTINE (S G Tarry) 60.0
5 POSTER GIRL (G H van Zyl) 60.0
10 QUERARI FALCON (M G Azzie) 60.0
20 ROYAL ROSE (F Robinson) 60.0
13 SAFE HARBOUR (S G Tarry) 60.0
15 SAIL (D R Drier) 60.0
11 SEATTLE SINGER (C Spies) 60.0
4 VISUALITY (S G Tarry) 60.0
Entries for the R400,000 Gold Bracelet (Grade 2) over 2000m
10 DEPUTY RYDER (N L Bruss) 58.0
16 ENCHANTED SILK (S G Tarry) 58.0
1 GATHERING FAME (D R Drier) 58.0
14 GREY LIGHT (J Ramsden) 58.0
7 MA CHOIX (W A Nel) 58.0
4 OLMA (F Robinson) 58.0
2 SPEEDY CHESTNUT (B Crawford) 58.0
9 THE CENTENARY (M F de Kock) 58.0
11 ZANTE (N L Bruss) 58.0
3 ADORADA (V H Marshall) 56.5
5 FLYING ICE (N L Bruss) 56.5
8 INTERGALACTIC (S G Tarry) 56.5
12 LALA (D I Campbell) 56.5
13 NIGHTINGALE (M W Bass) 56.5
15 TONYA (V H Marshall) 56.5
6 WITCHCRAFT (S G Tarry) 56.5
