Despite a downgrade in status, the ‘PE July’ has attracted a bumper mix of home and away campaigners as it usually does and with Brett Crawford back to defend his title with 2016 winner Nebula, and SA champion trainer Sean Tarry in the mix with 2015 victor Stonehenge, a hotly contested race looks guaranteed.
Nebula wins the Gr3 Algoa Cup in 2016
The visitors have long held the upper hand in the R350 000 Algoa Cup and under a new branding, the coming weekend PE double-header looks to attract plenty of month-end betting turnover.
The marketing and hype around the weekend has been particularly subdued this year and the arrival of Sunshine Sweepstake as a sponsor is welcome – and it will be interesting to find out who and what they are.
The top-class Nebula, a one-time Durban July prospect, has only raced five times in the interim twelve months and while he picked up a win on the Greyville poly, he had modest luck in his KZN feature plans last term. He has drawn at 17 in the field of 18.
R350 000 Listed SUNSHINE SWEEPSTAKE ALGOA CUP
| 1 | 11 | Alghadeer | 60 | 103 | A | L Mxothwa | Grant Paddock | |
| 2 | 17 | Nebula | 59 | 101 | T A | B Fayd’Herbe | Brett Crawford | |
| 3 | 12 | True Master | 58.5 | 100 | A | C Zackey | Justin Snaith | |
| 4 | 1 | Stormy Eclipse | 57 | 97 | T A | X Ndlovu | Tara Laing | |
| 5 | 2 | Master’s Eye | 55.5 | 94 | A | G van Niekerk | Justin Snaith | |
| 6 | 10 | Kingston Mines (GB) | 55 | 93 | TCA | G Cheyne | Alan Greeff | |
| 7 | 14 | Master ‘n Commander | 55 | 93 | T A | C Murray | Tara Laing | |
| 8 | 4 | Platinum Prince | 54.5 | 94 | BA | R Fourie | Justin Snaith | |
| 9 | 18 | Laws Of Succession | 54.5 | 92 | A | *L Hewitson | Yvette Bremner | |
| 10 | 13 | Stonehenge | 54.5 | 92 | T A | S Khumalo | Sean Tarry | |
| 11 | 3 | Eternal Jet | 54 | 91 | A | M Thackeray | Yvette Bremner | |
| 12 | 7 | Road To Indy | 54 | 91 | TBA | C Maujean | Tara Laing | |
| 13 | 16 | Scent | 53.5 | 90 | T A | T Gould | Alan Greeff | |
| 14 | 9 | Gimme The Stars | 52 | 89 | A | R Munger | Yvette Bremner | |
| 15 | 15 | Loadshedder | 52 | 84 | BA | K de Melo | Andre Nel | |
| 16 | 5 | Story Of My Life | 52 | 84 | T A | J P v’d Merwe | Gavin Smith | |
| 17 | 6 | Ollivander | 52 | 83 | A | M Byleveld | Candice Bass-Robinson | |
| 18 | 8 | One Away | 52 | 70 | BA | J Penny | Corne Spies | |
| Same Trainer – Not Coupled on Tote | ||||||||
| (3,5,8) (4,7,12) (6,13) (9,11,14) | ||||||||
