Jack Milner: Trainer Paul Peter has confirmed Equus Horse Of The Year Summer Pudding will take her place in the Grade 1 HSH Princess Charlene Empress Club Stakes over 1600m on the Turffontein Standside track on Saturday.
“We know 1600m is a touch on the short side for her, but she loves the track and will come in very well handicapped,” said Peter.
Originally the plan was to run her in the Grade 1 Premier’s Champions Challenge over 2000m at Turffontein on 1 May. “That may come too soon after this run, but we will see how she takes this race and then make a decision on her future,” added Peter.
The Empress Club Stakes is for fillies and mares and is run under weight-for-age conditions. That means Summer Pudding will be at level weights with all but Zimbaba and Due Diligence, the two three-year-old nominated, who will get 2.5kg from the balance of the field.
Due Diligence was supplemented into the field by trainer Mike de Kock on Monday morning, which now means there are now 13 runners nominated.
As a result, Peter’s charge will be at least 5kg better handicapped with any of the other runners. Summer Pudding runs off a merit rating of 129 with the next best weighted runner, Running Brave, rated 119. In the WSB Summer Cup over 2000m, Running Brave was beaten 2.50 lengths by Summer Pudding and was in receipt of 2kg.
It comes as no surprise the daughter of Silvano has been priced up at 5-10 with the balance of the field at 9-1 and better.
Lady Of Steel finished a 2.10-length third behind Summer Pudding in last year’s Grade 1 Woolavington 2000 at Greyville at level weights and could be better suited to this 1600m, while Sean Tarry’s has entered Seehaam, who could not have been more impressive when winning the Listed Jacaranda Handicap over 1800m at Turffontein.
However, Seehaam won with 52.5kg on her back, and if she accepts to run in the Empress Club Stakes, will carry 60kg.
Entries for the R750,000 HSH Princess Charlene Empress Club Stakes (Grade 1) over 1600m at Turffontein on Saturday.
6 KELPIE (B Crawford) 60.0 7 LADY OF STEEL (J J van Vuuren) 60.0 11 MARYGOLD (A G Laird) 60.0 8 MILL QUEEN (D Nieuwenhuizen) 60.0 2 RIO’S WINTER (S Moffatt) 60.0 1 ROUGE ALLURE (S Moffatt) 60.0 10 RUNNING BRAVE (F Bronkhorst) 60.0 12 SARAGON (G M Alexander) 60.0 4 SEEHAAM (S G Tarry) 60.0 3 SUMMER PUDDING (P A Peter) 60.0 5 WISTERIA WALK (M N Houdalakis) 60.0 9 DUE DILIGENCE (M F De Kock) 57.5 13 ZIMBABA (S G Tarry) 57.5