Trainers Mike de Kock and Sean Tarry have set their respective Gauteng Guineas and Gauteng Fillies Guineas on course for Triple Crown and Triple Tiara glory as both runners have accepted to run in Saturday’s World Sports Betting SA Classic and Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic respectively at Turffontein.
The two Grade 1 races over 1800m on the Standside track form the second leg of the WSB Triple Crown and the Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara.
De Kock-trained Safe Passage added the Grade 2 WSB Gauteng Guineas to his Grade 2 Dingaans win in November and has been priced up at 14-10 to triumph in the SA Classic.
Rain In Holland won the Grade 2 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas and Tarry has his charge on track for the second leg of the Triple Tiara.
She has also been priced up at 14-10 but the layers still have a lot of respect for Desert Miracle who is on offer at 16-10.
For the most, both horses will be meeting similar opposition to those they saw off in the Guineas and Fillies Guineas but there are a few new faces on the scene.
In the SA Classic a number of eyes will be on unbeaten Zeus but in reality, he will have to run quite a bit above his current merit rating of 99 if he is to trouble the likes of Safe Passage.
There is also a Pick 6 carryover of R1-million at the meeting with the pool likely to reach R5 million.
Final field for the R1.5-million WSB SA Classic (Grade 1) over 1800m
1 - 8 SAFE PASSAGE (M F De Kock) S Khumalo 60.0 - 116
2 - 6 PYROMANIAC (S G Tarry) G van Niekerk 60.0 - 113
3 - 2 OUTOFTHEDARKNESS (J J van Vuuren) K de Melo 60.0 - 110
4 - 5 ARAGOSTA (M F De Kock) R Fourie 60.0 - 109
5 - 4 RED SAXON (J A Soma) J Mariba 60.0 - 107
6 - 9 SUPER EXCITED (P F Matchett) M Yeni 60.0 - 107
7 - 1 CAPTAIN LANNISTER (A B Fortune) R Munger 60.0 - 105
8 - 11 WILLIAM ROBERTSON (C Spies) C Zackey 60.0 - 105
9 - 3 PLATINUM SKY (S G Tarry) A Marcus 60.0 - 104
10 - 10 ZEUS (F P Habib) G Lerena 60.0 - 99
11 - 7 PICTURE PERFECT (W H Marwing) M Khan 60.0 - 78
Same Trainer: (1,4) (2,9)
Final field for the R1.25-million Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic (Grade 1) over 1800m
1 - 4 DESERT MIRACLE (M F De Kock) S Khumalo 60.0 - 117
2 - 3 RAIN IN HOLLAND (S G Tarry) R Fourie 60.0 - 115
3 - 7 SPRINKLES (P A Peter) W Kennedy 60.0 - 110
4 - 1 SUPREME QUEST (C Spies) R A Venniker 60.0 - 108
5 - 6 CLAFOUTIS (M F De Kock) K de Melo 60.0 - 105
6 - 8 ETERNITY RING (B/Y Botes / Vosloo) C Zackey 60.0 - 105
7 - 5 PERFECT WITNESS (C Dawson) G Lerena 60.0 - 103
8 - 10 FOLLOW ME (S T Pettigrew) D De Gouveia 60.0 - 102
9 - 9 LOOK YOURSELF (P F Matchett) M Yeni 60.0 - 88
10 - 2 DEFINITELY MAYBE (M F De Kock) K Matsunyane 60.0 - 79
Same Trainer: (1,5,10)