Johannesburg’s most meaningful and special race day, the R800 000 Allied Steelrode On A Mission Charity Mile, takes place at Turffontein Racecourse on Saturday 29 October and the true winners will be the 16 charity beneficiaries of the race.
Each of the 16 runners competing in the Gr2 race over 1600m on the Standside track at Turffontein on Saturday were paired at Tuesday’s official draw with a charity, who will each receive a payout based on where their horse finishes in the race.
As part of its sponsorship of this prestigious race, global steel manufacturer Allied Steelrode On A Mission have made R500 000 available to be shared by the 16 deserving Johannesburg charities.
This will range all the way from R200 000 for the charity whose horse wins the Charity Mile main race and a minimum of no less than R20 000 for the charity whose horse finishes in last position.
Representatives from all 16 beneficiary charities participated in the official draw for the Allied Steelrode On A Mission Charity Mile at Turffontein on Tuesday (Pic – JC Photos / 4Racing)
Each charity was present at the official draw and a representative from that charity was allowed to draw for one of the runners in the race.
Speaking on behalf of sponsors Allied Steelrode, CEO Arun Chadha said that as a company they have always been involved in supporting charity initiatives.
“What better way for us to do it than with a passion we have, which is horseracing. Good luck to all the charities, they are all going to be winners some way or another. So, let’s hope we can carry this Charity Mile on and maybe have more races and more charities involved in the future,” said Chadha.
“We are excited as 4Racing to see Allied Steelrode On A Mission back for the next running of the Charity Mile. It is fantastic to see the event returning to its charity tradition and to see Arun Chadha and Warne Rippon throwing their might behind the event, especially in terms of supporting the charities. We are looking forward to a wonderful day and the charities are all excited about their horse’s chances,” said 4Racing Chief Operating Officer, Colin Gordon.
Bingwa is back to defend his title (Pic – JC Photos)
Horses from the Mike de Kock yard dominate the race as he will saddle four runners which include Gr1 Daily News 2000 winner Safe Passage and Gr1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes champion MK’s Pride, who will be having the first run for his stable.
Also in the field is last year’s winner Bingwa, who has drawn in pole position and has Gavin Lerena in the irons.
The field:
1st R500000, 2nd R160000, 3rd R80000, 4th R40000, 5th R20000
ALLIED STEELRODE – ONAMISSION CHARITY MILE (Grade 2)
Open
WFA: 3yrs-8kgs 4yrs-0.5kgs
No Apprentice Allowance
| 1 | 10 | Astrix | 61.5 | 125 | BA | Randall Simons | J A Janse van Vuuren | |
| 2 | 2 | Mk’s Pride | 60 | 122 | A | Muzi Yeni | Mike de Kock | |
| 3 | 4 | Safe Passage | 59.5 | 122 | A | Grant van Niekerk | Mike de Kock | |
| 4 | 19 | Puerto Manzano (ARG) | 59 | 120 | BA | Keagan de Melo | J A Janse van Vuuren | |
| 5 | 1 | Bingwa | 58 | 118 | BA | Gavin Lerena | J A Janse van Vuuren | |
| 6 | 9 | Red Saxon | 56.5 | 116 | A | S’manga Khumalo | Joe Soma | |
| 7 | 8 | Hoedspruit | 56 | 114 | T A | Richard Fourie | Justin Snaith | |
| 8 | 15 | Pyromaniac | 53.5 | 110 | T A | Calvin Habib | Sean Tarry | |
| 9 | 11 | Homely Girl | 52.5 | 108 | A | Marco V’Rensburg | J A Janse van Vuuren | |
| 10 | 14 | Forever Mine | 52 | 106 | A | Juan Paul v’d Merwe | Mike de Kock | |
| 11 | 12 | After The Rain | 52 | 104 | A | Diego De Gouveia | Gareth van Zyl | |
| 12 | 3 | Humdinger | 52 | 103 | A | Ryan Munger | Mike de Kock | |
| 13 | 18 | Irish Tractor | 52 | 103 | BA | Kabelo Matsunyane | Brett Crawford | |
| 14 | 5 | Willow Express | 52 | 102 | T A | Julius Mariba | Sean Tarry | |
| 15 | 7 | Litigation | 52 | 101 | T A | Chase Maujean | Sean Tarry | |
| 16 | 6 | Indlamu | 52 | 100 | A | *Kaidan Brewer | Sean Tarry | |
| 17 | 17 | Cornish Pomodoro | 52.5 | 107 | TBA | Reserve 1 | Sean Tarry | |
| 18 | 16 | Vanderbilt | 52 | 98 | BA | Reserve 2 | Robyn Klaasen | |
| 19 | 13 | ExpressFromTheUS | 52 | 98 | A | Reserve 3 | Weichong Marwing | |
| Same Trainer | ||||||||
| (1,4,5,9) (2,3,10,12) (8,14,15,16,17) | ||||||||
Another special element of the event this year will be the Gr3 Her Serene Highness Princess Charlene Starling Stakes being run on Saturday on the race card at Turffontein, with Princess Charlene of Monaco making a personal charitable contribution on the day.
“In the spirit of the race day and the Princess’s passion for charities, the Racehorse Owners Association is proud to announce that together with HSH Princess Charlene, donations of R50 000 each will be made to the following two charities; The Earth Centre and The United Cerebral Palsy Association of SA,” said Natalie Turner, Chief Executive at the Racehorse Owners Association.
Here are the runners with their associated charity:
