Let The SA Champions Season Games Begin!

Exciting feature fields

The SA Champions Season action kicks off at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday with the running of the WSB Gr2 Guineas and WSB Gr2 Fillies Guineas, followed by the traditional season opener, the Gr2 Independent on Saturday Drill Hall Stakes, which is sponsored by Independent Newspapers.

Main Defender – East Coast campaign commences on Saturday (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)

A traditional season launch-pad for horses of various ages and end games, the IOS Gr2 Drill Hall Stakes has attracted a quality field of ten, headed by Tony Peter’s smashing 3yo Main Defender, who takes on a quality field over the 1400m.

The son of Pathfork comes in fresh off his eyecatching strike at Turffontein in the Wilgerbosdrift Gr1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes.

The Drill Hall field includes six Highveld raiders, and Justin Snaith’s very versatile Royal Aussie, who jumps from pole position.

R500 000 1400m 14:07 Ref-635
1st R312500, 2nd R100000, 3rd R50000, 4th R25000, 5th R12500
INDEPENDENT ON SATURDAY DRILL HALL STAKES (Grade 2)
Horses at Weight-For-Age + Penalties
WFA: 2yrs-11kgs 3yrs-2kgs
No Apprentice / Female Sex Allowance

1 Royal Aussie 58.5 124 A Richard Fourie Justin Snaith
2 Cousin Casey 58.5 123 A S’manga Khumalo Sean Tarry
3 Main Defender 59.5 131 A Calvin Habib Tony Peter
4 Archimides 58.5 70 BA *Kobeli Lihaba Phillip Labuschagne
5 Texas Red 58.5 104 A #Rachel Venniker Robyn Klaasen
6 Gladatorian 60 120 T A Sean Veale Stuart Ferrie
7 Humdinger 57.5 116 A Juan Paul v’d Merwe Mike de Kock
8 Gimmeanotherchance 56.5 111 A Craig Zackey Mike de Kock
9 Al Muthana (AUS) 58.5 125 A Tristan Godden Ricky Maingard
10 Waterberry Lane 58.5 112 A Deryl Daniels Ricky Maingard

 

The World Sports Betting Gr2 Fillies Guineas gives the fairer sex sophomores a first opportunity to step out in the 2024 SA Champions Season, and it is Justin Snaith’s recent runaway Gr2 Umkhomazi Stakes winner Double Grand Slam who looks the standout.

An interesting inclusion is Mike de Kock’s perennial feature bridesmaid White Pearl, who boasts seven feature place cheques in her last 8 starts. Her ‘prep’ third behind Mrs Browning in last Saturday’s TAB Gr3 Camellia Stakes should have her razor sharp on Saturday.

R500 000 1600m 14:47 Ref-636

1st R312500, 2nd R100000, 3rd R50000, 4th R25000, 5th R12500
WORLD SPORTS BETTING FILLIES GUINEAS (Grade 2)
For 3 year-old Fillies

No Apprentice / Female Sex Allowance

1 Let’s Go Now 60 114 BA S’manga Khumalo Sean Tarry
2 White Pearl 60 112 A Juan Paul v’d Merwe Mike de Kock
3 Bomber Girl 60 97 A Calvin Habib Michael Miller
4 Rascova 60 115 T A Craig Zackey Glen Kotzen
5 Double Grand Slam 60 118 A Richard Fourie Justin Snaith
6 Minogue 60 102 A Serino Moodley Wendy Whitehead
7 Sovereign Grant 60 98 A Tristan Godden Michael Miller
8 Soldier’s Eye 60 98 A *Kobeli Lihaba Weiho Marwing
9 Miss Platina 60 75 A #Rachel Venniker Tienie Prinsloo
10 Celtic Beauty 60 94 A Sean Veale Tony Rivalland

 

Only seven 3yo males will line up in the World Sports Betting Gr2 Guineas, but the trio of Gr1 stars in Highveld raider Sandringham Summit, and the Cape duo of SplashOut Cape Derby winner Green With Envy and Hollywoodbets Gr1 Cape Guineas winner Snow Pilot, make it a potential cliff-hanger!

R500 000 1600m 15:25 Ref-637
1st R312500, 2nd R100000, 3rd R50000, 4th R25000, 5th R12500
WORLD SPORTS BETTING GUINEAS (Grade 2)
For 3 year-olds
No Apprentice / Female Sex Allowance

1 Hluhluwe 60 111 A Grant van Niekerk Justin Snaith
2 Sandringham Summit 60 123 T A Gavin Lerena David Nieuwenhuizen
3 Green With Envy 60 119 A Craig Zackey Dean Kannemeyer
4 Snow Pilot 60 120 A Richard Fourie Justin Snaith
5 Royal Edition 60 85 A #Rachel Venniker Phillip Labuschagne
6 Mid Winter Wind 60 114 A S’manga Khumalo Sean Tarry
7 Navajo Nation 60 103 A Serino Moodley Robbie Hill

With a feature race total stake of nearly R35-million, South Africa’s Champions Season is set to attract the crème de la crème, all vying for prestigious titles and prizes, including the coveted R5-million Hollywoodbets Durban July, which is run on 6 July.

One of the world’s premier horseracing festivals, the three-month extravaganza showcases an impressive array of 38 graded stakes races, 13 of which are at Gr1 level.

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