Several horses competing in Thursday evening’s Victory Moon Stakes at Turffontein did not make the cut in the latest handicappers’ log for the Gr1 G-BETS Summer Cup to be contested on 1 December.
Tandava – making a bid for Summer Cup
Tabnews reports that six of the 14 horses in Thursday evening’s Grade 3 event are also entered for Joburg’s most famous race but are not on the list issued on Wednesday of 20 ‘probables’for the big one.
They are: Full Mast, Cash Time, French Navy, Bulleting Home, Tandava and Bankable Teddy. The first two named are in the top 20 in the ante-post betting – at 35-1 and 50-1 respectively.
A victory for one of these geldings would catapult him into the final line-up of 20. Even an impressive showing might do the trick as the jostling for places at the bottom end of the log is very tight.
All horses in those lower reaches have allocated weights and merit ratings in the same ballpark as horses that just missed out. For example, the likes of Dawn Assault and Deo Juvente, among the current favoured 20, could easily drop away if they disappoint under the Turffontein lights.
To add spice to the mix, a few candidates in the Victory Moon field have already secured their places in the Summer Cup, notably joint favourites Like A Panther and Takingthepeace – both from the Mike de Kock stable.
Cascapedia – massive runner in Summer Cup
Coral Fever, recent winner of the Peermont Emperors Palace Charity Mile, predictably heads the latest Summer Cup log, with star filly Cascapedia at No 2 on the list.
Trainer Robbie’s Sage’s six-year-old will be giving away tons of weight to all his rivals having been allocated 60kg to Cascapedia’s 54.5kg. Most of the rest of the entries are in the 52kg-49kg range.
The handicapping committee has emphasised that the latest log is intended as a guide only and say things could easily change before announcement of the final field on Tuesday next week.
Fifteen of the original 57 entries have been scratched, leaving the handicappers with the task of finding their final 20 from the 42 remaining.
The highest-rated scratchings have been Hero’s Honour, Romany Prince and Safe Harbour.
Latest log for the Grade 1 G-BETS Summer Cup to be run over 2000m for R2 million at Turffontein on Saturday 1 December:
1 6 G CORAL FEVER
2 5 M CASCAPEDIA (IRE)
3 6 G IT’S MY TURN
4 6 G LIEGE
5 4 F TAKINGTHEPEACE
6 5 G MADE TO CONQUER
7 4 F SECRET POTION
8 4 C BUFFALO BILL CODY
9 4 C LIKE A PANTHER
10 5 G TILBURY FORT
11 4 G NOBLE SECRET
12 4 C ROY HAD ENOUGH
13 6 G ARCTICA
14 5 G DARK MOON RISING
15 5 M SABINA’S DYNASTY
16 5 G SOCIAL ORDER
17 5 H DAWN ASSAULT
18 7 G DEO JUVENTE
19 6 M FORT EMBER
20 5 G CROWD PLEASER
