All eyes on Turffontein Racecourse for the Championship Finale

This final race day will consolidate form, settle scorecards and decide several divisional honours ahead of the Highveld Feature Season Awards on May 17.

The season opened with upsets and emerging stars on Guineas Day.

Having had to scratch stable elect Fire Attack, Alec Laird was vindicated when stablemate Parisian Walkway scored a surprise win in the TAB Gauteng Guineas, beating the well-supported Greaterix and positioning himself as an early Triple Crown hopeful.

The Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas saw the inexperienced Spumante Dolce show what she’s capable of, digging deep to deny the highly rated VJ’s Angel and Quid Pro Quo for victory, marking the first feature race success for the newly minted Mike and Mathew de Kock training partnership and setting her up as a potential Triple Tiara candidate.

Classic Day brought decisive form reversals. The gelding Confederate ended Parisian Walkway’s Triple Crown run, outgunning the field in the TAB SA Classic under Craig Zackey and providing his sire, Fire Away, with his first Grade 1 winner.

Meanwhile, Joe Soma-trained Fiery Pegasus threw the Fillies’ Series wide open with a runaway 4.75-length victory in the Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic.

It was a red-letter day for jockey Craig Zackey, who scored a big-race double with Cosmic Speed in the HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes (Grade 1).

Champions Day produced further fireworks. Fire Attack landed the HKJC World Pool Premier’s Champions Challenge (Grade 1) in a tightly contested finish with the KZN raider Royal Victory.

Legend of Arthur and reigning SA Champion Jockey Richard Fourie delivered another Grade 1 trophy for the Sean Tarry yard in the TAB SA Derby, producing a late burst on the outside rail to win by 0.25 lengths in a nailbiter.

The ultra-consistent William Robertson finally received his Grade 1 reward with a confident run in the TAB Computaform Sprint under Ryan Munger for the Corne Spies stable.

Fiery Pegasus continued her upward trajectory, winning the Wilgerbosdrift Bridget Oppenheimer SA Oaks in the final leg of the Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara.

With the first three legs producing definitive results and standout performances, the Championship Finale will be the final opportunity for this season’s contenders to consolidate their black-type credentials, boost their merit ratings and stake claims for Highveld Feature Season Award honours.

“The Highveld Summer Season has showcased depth, consistency and quality in our racing ranks. Each leg of The Championships has brought clarity to the form book, unearthed exciting prospects, and rewarded punters and purists with top-class performances,” said Fundi Sithebe, the CEO of 4Racing.

“The Championship Finale is expected to round off the series with competitive fields and key final assessments ahead of the upcoming awards.”

Racegoers can expect a strong card featuring 11 competitive races, including seven stakes events that might influence the final standings heading into the Highveld Feature Season Awards.

General admission remains free, with various hospitality packages available for those looking to enjoy a more exclusive race day experience.

For bookings and enquiries, email [email protected] or call 011 681 1796.