Crunch Week For Heritage Hopefuls

Trainer Johan Janse van Vuuren made a major impact when winning the inaugural running of the R750 000 Grand Heritage just under a year ago with Irish Pride. On the afternoon he saddled four winners, with his winning rider Gavin Lerena bagging five firsts.

Flashback to Irish Pride (Gavin Lerena) win in 2016

Van Vuuren’s name does not appear next to any one of the 70 entries listed for the 2017 renewal of South Africa’s most populated race, which will be run at the Vaal on 30 September – but there is still time.

Supplementary entries close at 11h00 on Monday, 18 September with the final weights being published on Tuesday, 19 September. Declarations are due by 11h00 Wednesday, 20 September.

Spring Spree winner Will Pays tops the weights

In order to be considered for inclusion in the final field, every horse nominated must have had at least a minimum of one run from time of first Entry up to and including the time of Final Supplementary Entry. So we are bound to see a few entrants having a run this week.

The bright idea of creating a 1475m straight-course charge for a massive field of 28 mid-handicappers, across a wide range of weights – offering all owners and trainers a tilt at a decent stake (R750 000) and attracting big betting pools and handsome payouts – proved quite an innovation in an environment where betting turnovers are under serious pressure.

Stakes are paid all the way down to fifteenth position.

While 27 ran in 2016, a field of 28 runners (with two reserves) is likely to face the starter at the end of this nmonth .

Most of the local trainers have nominated runners including Champion Trainer Sean Tarry, Mike de Kock Mike and Adam Azzie, Geoff Woodruff and Paul Peter, but trainers from other centres have also entered runners.

PE raider Classify – top class prep run

Duncan Howells, who is the new Champion Trainer in KwaZulu-Natal, has entered Secret Captain and Gingerbread Man, while Paarl-based Glen Kotzen has nominated Fellow Traveller. Port Elizabeth-based Dorrie Sham has entered Classify, who ran an excellent trial in the Gr3 Spring Spree Stakes last week in his first start in Gauteng. He will be well acclimatized come 30 September.

The entrants range from the MR 108 Spring Spree Stakes winner, Will Pays down to Paul Peter’s MR 53 Jim Cables.

Base Weights are determined by the Handicapper prior to consideration of additional weights for Graded and Listed races. Additional Penalties accrue for highest Graded/Listed win in the last 18 months prior to date of First Entry.

No Sex allowance or Apprentice allowance is claimed.

The determination of final field is at the sole discretion of the Operator, with the selection coming  from three tiers of entrants.