The final field for the 2024 R6-million Betway Summer Cup at Turffontein on 30 November was announced at a lively ceremony in Johannesburg on Wednesday, and the barrier draws were finalised.
This year’s Summer Cup theme is ‘Silks in the City,’ a vibrant incentive for racegoers and fashionistas to show off cutting-edge fashion to the background of top-tier racing and world-class entertainment.
Jonathan Blumberg, Head of Customer Experience for Betway Africa, said that this was an exciting start to this season’s Cup festivities. He said that horse racing remains a key focus area for Betway’s growth and that he was proud that this much anticipated event now carries the biggest purse of any Graded event on the African continent.
Blumberg said that, with the draws available, trainers will have a chance to plot their strategies ahead of the big race. Betway Ambassador Mike de Kock was disappointed that last year’s runner-up Safe Passage failed to make the final field, but he is happy with draw 9 for his filly, Silver Sanctuary. “She’s doing very well in her preparation, being drawn in the middle of the field gives us options and I fancy she’ll be right there at the finish next week,” said Mike.
Sean Tarry, Betway’s other racing ambassador, will be chuffed with barrier one for his runner Litigation and number 4 for Future Pearl, but Hotarubi wasn’t that lucky and drew on the outside at 18.
Mike has a single runner entered this weekend – Fireburst in Race 3 over 1600m. He said: “She ran six lengths off in a stronger race last time, which was not too bad after her Maiden win. We’ll have to see how she goes on the standside track and the longer straight. She is drawn a bit wide, has a Trifecta chance.”
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The weekend highlight is the meeting at
HWB Kenilworth, where four feature races will be staged and a number of bright prospects are in action, some in their final warm-up races for the Cape classics which are around the corner.
Vaughan Marshall’s One Stripe, who has been priced up ante-post favourite for the Cape Guineas, has his first start over 1600m in the Grade 2 Punters Cup. He is deep in the red at 3-10 on the Betway boards, but still has to prove that he sees out the mile. There is some Betway value on the already proven miler On My Honour (11-1), who won a recent Fairview feature in impressive style.
One Stripe’s speedy stablemate, Lion Rampart, tops the boards in Race 3, the Listed Sophomore Sprint over 1200m. He is easier to back at 3-1, with punters recognising some value about the recently gelded Kai-Boy at around 9-2.
Another Marshall runner, Questioning, opened joint-favourite at 4-1 alongside Meu Capitane for the Bantry Bay Stakes over 1100m, a race in which up-and-coming sprinter, The Real Prince, has a chance to show if he can match strides with the big guns. His supporters have 8-1 available, to them, and that could prove to be generous.
Candice Bass-Robinson’s star filly, Red Palace, won her last race over 1400m with a measure of ease over Double Grand Slam. With no change at the weights, it’s hard to see the runner-up turn the tables in the Summer Bowl over 1600m, but there will be good value about Brett Crawford’s filly Princess Izzy, who ran just 3.75-lengths behind Red Palace in the Stormsvlei Stakes last May and is 5,5kg better off for that run. She comes into the fray at 26-1 and is the best roughie in the race.
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