Ruling champion trainer Sean Tarry has five horses entered for the R500 000 Gr2 Dingaans over 1600m, the main supporting feature to the Gauteng Sansui Summer Cup on Saturday 25 November, including the top-rated Wonderwall.
Wonderwall – top rated
Tabnews reports that Wonderwall came by his 107 merit rating through a 2.25-length win over Finchatton in the Joburg Spring Challenge over 1450m on the Turffontein Inside track on 7 October.
He went on to finish fourth from a wide draw behind stablemate Big Bear in last Saturday’s Emperors Palace Ready To Run Cup sponsored by CTS over 1400m on the Standside track.
Wonderwall has drawn in the low double digits for the Dingaans but, with 32 entries, is likely to start from a single-figure stall.
Handicapper hiked Big Bear’s rating after Saturday’s big win
Big Bear, a horse highly regarded by the stable, went up six points in the handicap for that Ready To Run Cup win, but his 91 merit rating is still substantially below his stablemate’s 107. That was his third win in a row after finishing third on debut, and many form students will fancy his chances of confirming the form, despite No 18 draw over a course and distance where a good draw counts.
Purple Diamond (drawn 22) was 11th in the Ready To Run Cup, while Silver God (drawn 15) and Missouri (9) were fifth and 10th in the recent Graham Beck Stakes. They make up Tarry’s sizeable entry.
KwaZulu-Natal-based Monks Hood, the second top-rated horse, hails from the stable of Alistair Gordon and ran a close-up fourth in the Premiers Champion Stakes last season.
Mike de Kock – powerful attack
Trainer Mike de Kock has a goldmine of top-class three-year-olds in his stable at the moment and he has nine horses on the list of Dingaans nominations. Like A Panther (drawn 23) and Puget Sound (drawn 10) are his highest-rated entries.
R500 000 Gr2 DINGAANS
For 3 year-olds
No Apprentice Allowance
| 12 | Wonderwall | (3C) | 60 | 107 | AT | Sean Tarry | |
| 11 | Monks Hood | (3G) | 60 | 99 | A | Alistair Gordon | |
| 27 | Flying Free | (3C) | 60 | 98 | A | Gavin van Zyl | |
| 22 | Purple Diamond | (3C) | 60 | 98 | A | Sean Tarry | |
| 24 | Surcharge | (3C) | 60 | 96 | A | Stuart Pettigrew | |
| 23 | Like A Panther | (3C) | 60 | 94 | A | Mike de Kock | |
| 10 | Puget Sound | (3C) | 60 | 94 | A | Mike de Kock | |
| 16 | #Alwahsh (NZ) | (3C) | 60 | 92 | A | Mike de Kock | |
| 32 | Hakeem (AUS) | (3C) | 60 | 92 | A | Mike de Kock | |
| 8 | Ideal Secret | (3C) | 60 | 92 | A | M G Azzie/A A Azzie | |
| 18 | Big Bear | (3C) | 60 | 91 | AT | Sean Tarry | |
| 31 | Roy Had Enough (AUS) | (3C) | 60 | 91 | BA | Frank Robinson | |
| 21 | Sea King | Scratched | (3G) | 60 | 91 | A | J A Janse van Vuuren |
| 19 | #Seerite | (3G) | 60 | 91 | A | Robbie Sage | |
| 30 | Borya | (3C) | 60 | 90 | BA | Gavin van Zyl | |
| 13 | Whorly Whorly | (3G) | 60 | 90 | A | Clinton Binda | |
| 3 | Vacquero | (3C) | 60 | 89 | A | Robbie Sage | |
| 7 | Darkest Hour | (3C) | 60 | 88 | BA | Barend Botes | |
| 28 | #Noble Secret | (3C) | 60 | 88 | A | Mike de Kock | |
| 25 | Sir David Baird | (3G) | 60 | 87 | A | Mike de Kock | |
| 15 | Silver God | (3C) | 60 | 86 | AT | Sean Tarry | |
| 20 | Manitoba | (3C) | 60 | 85 | BA | St John Gray | |
| 9 | Missouri | (3C) | 60 | 84 | A | Sean Tarry | |
| 4 | #Royal Crusade | (3C) | 60 | 84 | A | Mike de Kock | |
| 17 | Secret Harbour | (3G) | 60 | 84 | A | Paul Matchett | |
| 1 | #Alshibaa (AUS) | (3G) | 60 | 82 | A | Mike de Kock | |
| 26 | Alssakhra | (3C) | 60 | 81 | A | Paul Peter | |
| 5 | Loyal Lieutenant | (3C) | 60 | 81 | A | Robbie Sage | |
| 29 | Lake Kinneret | (3C) | 60 | 80 | BA | St John Gray | |
| 6 | #Pietro Mascagni | (3C) | 60 | 79 | A | Mike de Kock | |
| 14 | Combat Muster | (3C) | 60 | 73 | BAT | St John Gray | |
| 2 | Folk Dance | (3F) | 57.5 | 97 | A | Paul Peter | |
| (32) | |||||||
Dingaans Supplementary Entries close at 09h00 on Wednesday 15 November 2017.
Declarations are due by 11h00 on Wednesday 15 November 2017.
