Hot racing moves to the Highveld for Guineas Day

With the racing world still in raptures about a phenomenal WSB Cape Town Met meeting – which crowned a thrilling Cape season – the spotlight’s swivel to Joburg for the start of the Highveld summer term might have seemed an anticlimax.

But it’s quite the opposite, thanks to the exceptional quality of racehorse turning out for Guineas Day at Turffontein on Saturday.

Indeed, the TAB Gauteng Guineas field is arguably more competitive than that for the much-talked-about Cape Guineas just over a month ago.

That race at Kenilworth was won by Jan Van Goyen, who has been touted as a nominal best three-year-old of his generation. That colt is not in the Gauteng Guineas line-up but youngsters that are might one day give him a run for his money – including four of his stablemates from the Mike and Mathew de Kock yard (One Eye On Vegas, I’m A Fireball, Splittheeights and Yippee Kayay).

There are three standout runners from Sean Tarry’s yard, all widely tipped as future champions: Tin Pan Alley, Grand Empire and Shadowfax.

And then there’s the likely favourite, Trust, trained by Candice and Tammy Dawson and racing in the familiar winning colours of Gary Player. Trust boasts a victory over the aforementioned Jan Van Goyen – in the Grade 2 Dingaans at Turffontein in late November.

The other highlight of the day is the Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas. Here a major talking point will be champion trainer Justin Snaith’s name in the racecard.

Snaith, who dominated Met day last weekend, ventures into the hinterland with Lowveld Lily, who has two wins on the record and was fifth in the Grade 1 Cape Fillies Guineas and third in the Grade 2 Sceptre Stakes.

This filly will face hot competition from raiders from other centres: last year’s champion juvenile Golden Palm from Gqberha supremo Alan Greeff and Charge It from the KwaZulu-Natal yard of Alyson Wright.

Defending the Highveld honour are Corne Spies’s duo Elegantrix and Hazy Dazy, along with the Dawsons’ charge Warm Reception.

TAB GAUTENG GUINEAS (Grade 2), R1m, 1600m, for 3YOs, 1st Leg SA Triple Crown
(number, draw, name, weight, MR, equip., jockey, trainer):

1 4 Trust 60 119 A Serino Moodley Candice / Tammy Dawson
2 11 Tin Pan Alley 60 117 T A Keagan de Melo Sean Tarry
3 6 Grand Empire 60 108 A Craig Zackey Sean Tarry
4 3 All Systems Go 60 106 A Calvin Habib Dean Smith
5 13 One Eye On Vegas 60 106 A Sean Veale Mike / Mathew de Kock
6 10 I’m A Fireball 60 105 A Callan Murray Mike / Mathew de Kock
7 9 Copper Eagle 60 103 BA Muzi Yeni Robyn Klaasen
8 8 Golden Warrior 60 103 BA Kabelo Matsunyane Alson Ndzilana
9 2 King Harald 60 102 A S’manga Khumalo Roy Magner
10 7 Shadowfax 60 102 HA Richard Fourie Sean Tarry
11 1 Yippee Kiyay 60 101 A Ryan Munger Mike / Mathew de Kock
12 5 Splittheeights 60 97 A Raymond Danielson Mike / Mathew de Kock
13 12 Radio Star 60 95 A Gavin Lerena Mike Azzie

WILGERBOSDRIFT GAUTENG FILLIES GUINEAS (Grade 2), R750,000, 1600m, for 3YO fillies, 1st Leg Wilgerbosdrift SA Triple Tiara

1 1 Golden Palm 60 115 A Craig Zackey Alan Greeff
2 9 Lowveld Lily 60 109 A Callan Murray Justin Snaith
3 4 Elegantrix 60 106 HA Ryan Munger Corne Spies
4 5 Charge It 60 104 A Serino Moodley Alyson Wright
5 12 Hazy Dazy 60 101 HA *Trent Mayhew Corne Spies
6 7 Warm Reception 60 100 A Muzi Yeni Candice / Tammy Dawson
7 8 Daisy Jones 60 99 T A S’manga Khumalo Mike Azzie
8 10 Littlemissmillion 60 99 A Philasande Mxoli Tyrone Zackey
9 2 Tina Lovelace 60 97 A Malesela Katjedi Sean Tarry
10 15 Valentina Balducci 60 97 A Gavin Lerena Robbie Sage
11 14 Pretty Persuasive 60 93 A Keagan de Melo J A Janse van Vuuren
12 13 Drumnadrochit 60 91 BA Richard Fourie Mike / Mathew de Kock
13 11 Merryweather 60 88 A Raymond Danielson J A Janse van Vuuren
14 6 Amazon Queen 60 81 CA Kabelo Matsunyane Mano Pandaram
15 3 Frangipani 60 81 A Calvin Habib Robyn Klaasen