First Gr1’s Of SA Champions Season On Saturday 25 May

25 May @ Hollywoodbets Greyville

The first Grade 1 contests of the stakes-boosted 2024 SA Champions Season will be run at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday 25 May when the Daily News 2000 and the Woolavington 2000 headline Day 3 of the big season.

A benchmark 3yo male contest, the R2 million Daily News 2000 has attracted an entry of 12, headed by Dean Kannemeyer’s recent WSB Gr2 Guineas winner Green With Envy, who is scheduled to use this race as his final stepping stone into the Hollywoodbets Durban July.

Dean Kannemeyer – plotting and planning a big Hollywoodbets Durban July (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)

History shows that the Daily News has produced the July winner only three times this century. Interestingly Dean Kannemeyer trained one of the trio, in the shape of the iconic Dynasty who registered the rare double back in 2003.

The other two are Glen Kotzen’s sadly ill-fated Big City Life (2009), and Justin Snaith’s dramatic 2014 July winner, Legislate.

Snaith has three Daily News entries in Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas winner Snow Pilot, Gr2 Cape Punters Cup victor Hluhluwe, who was well beaten in the recent Guineas by Green With Envy, and the consistently progressive The Grey King, who will need to do more to feature here.

Flag men! Serino Moodley and assistant Gavin van Zyl celebrate Flag Man’s eyecatching victory last Saturday 9Pic – Candiese Lenferna)

Gareth van Zyl’s Hollywoodbets Durban July supplementary entry Flag Man has won 3 of his 5 starts, and has emerged as a potential big race candidate after beating The Grey King (admittedly in receipt of 5kgs) going away in a 1900m Middle Stakes from an awful draw last Saturday..

R2 000 000 – 2000m (Turf)
Daily News Gr1 2000

9 Barbaresco J A Janse van Vuuren 109
2 Flag Man Gareth van Zyl 92
7 Green With Envy Dean Kannemeyer 123
8 Hluhluwe Justin Snaith 117
11 Hotarubi Sean Tarry 116
3 Jordan Sean Tarry 97
6 Mid Winter Wind Sean Tarry 116
5 Oriental Charm Brett Crawford 118
4 Pure Predator Fanie Bronkhorst 119
12 Snow Pilot Justin Snaith 120
10 The Grey King Justin Snaith 96
1 William Iron Arm Tony Peter 117

 

SA Champion trainer Justin Snaith has saddled the Woolavington winner five times in the last ten years, but does not hold an entry at this point in time, in the fillies and mares contest.

The race won last year by SA Triple Tiara queen of 2022 Rain In Holland, attracted a first entry of 13 on Monday.

Gold Circle CEO Michel Nairac (third from left) with the KRA representatives, enjoy Saartjie’s smart win last Saturday (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)

While the Sabine Plattner owned Hollywoodbets Durban July entry Saartjie won a cracker when storming home late to win the KRA Listed East Coast Cup last Saturday, all eyes are likely to be on Brett Crawford’s Wilgerbosdrift Bridget Oppenheimer Gr2 SA Oaks winner Frances Ethel, who will have her first start in KZN if taking her place on Saturday 25 May.

A winner of her last four starts, the daughter of Rafeef now races in the globally recognized Team Valor International silks. Brett Crawford last won this race with Dynasty galloper Lady Of The House under Piere Strydom in 2017.

R1 500 000 – 2000m (Turf)
Tabgold Gr1 Woolavington 2000

Horse Trainer MR
9 Beating Wings Stuart Pettigrew 114
11 Bellevarde Joe Soma 110
2 Frances Ethel Brett Crawford 118
4 Future Girl Brett Crawford 97
6 Gilded Butterfly Stuart Pettigrew 108
10 Hold My Hand Glen Kotzen 108
12 Minogue Wendy Whitehead 102
8 My Soul Mate Candice Dawson 115
7 None Other Lucky Houdalakis 110
3 Perfect Witness Candice Dawson 105
5 Saartjie Andre Nel 110
1 Silver Sanctuary Mike de Kock 116

Supplementary entries for both features close at 11h00 on Friday 17 May, with declarations due by 11h00 on Tuesday 22 May.

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