The Premier’s Champions Challenge is the new name for the country’s richest open thoroughbred race, which is to be run on April 30 over 2000m at Turffontein for a stake of R4 million.
President’s Champions Challenge 2015 winner Wylie Hall
The name change of the Gr 1 race, which was formerly known as the President’s Champions Challenge, reflects that Phumelela is working closely with the Premier’s office to grow the day.
The conditions of the Premier’s Champions Challenge favour the best horses and encourages champions from around the country to enter. This has created a market which appeals to overseas buyers.
It is fitting in the Premier’s first year of being associated with the race that the country’s best older horse Legal Eagle will be lining up.
Champion Legal Eagle
This magnificent thoroughbred, trained by national champion trainer Sean Tarry, already has two of the country’s premier weight for age mile races under his belt this season, winning both the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate at Kenilworth in Cape Town and the HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes at Turffontein.
The latter win secured him his third career Gr 1 victory and the frightening point is he is likely even better over 2000m, considering the brilliant nature of his SA Derby win over 2450m last year.
His stablemate French Navy is also a Gr 1 winner and will provide stern opposition.
Gr1 Paddock Stakes winner Inara
The best older filly still remaining in the land, the three-time Gr 1-winner Inara, is among the entries and she could arrive as a four-time Gr 1-winner if she converts likely favouritism in Saturday’s Gr 1 Laurie Jaffee Empress Club Stakes over 1600m at Turffontein.
Inara is trained out of Cape Town and another big Cape horse among the entries is the Gr 1 winner Captain America.
Master Sabina, who was the winner of Gauteng’s biggest traditional race, the SANSUI Summer Cup, this season, is also among the entries and so is the narrow Summer Cup runner up Deo Juvente.
Number 1! David Makhura – Gauteng Premier
The three-times Gr 1 runner up Brazuca heads the three-year-old challenge and looks likely to relish the course and distance. He deserves to make it into the winner’s box and will have plenty of support.
The race will attract thousands to Turffontein, not least because it coincides with the new hero of the South African turf, the Mike Azie-trained Abashiri, making his bid to become the third horse in history to land the SA Triple Crown. Only the gruelling 2450m of the SA Derby and a few tough opponents stand in his way.
There are in fact four Gr 1 events on the day.
The Premier will be welcomed with open arms to Turffontein and looks sure to be caught up in the excitement of the big occasion.
