Jack Milner
If the entries are anything to go by, book your tickets now for Classic Day at Turffontein on Saturday 7 March.
The meeting is headed up by three Grade 1 races – the TAB SA Classic and Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic over 1800m, as well as the HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes over 1600m.
First entries for the meeting closed on Monday and they include some of the best horses in training all over the country.
The R1.5-million Horse Chestnut Stakes is one of three Grade 1 races open to all horses over 1600m in the country and is run on weight-for-age terms
Justin Snaith has entered World Sports Betting Cape Met winner See It Again as well as last year’s KZN Guineas champion Sail The Seas.
In addition, Dean Kannemeyer has entered Hollywood Durban July and L’Ormarins King’s Plate victor The Real Prince.
Also included are Alec Laird-trained Fire Attack, who came back his best with a win the Grade 3 London News Stakes, last year’s winner Cosmic Speed, trained by Sean Tarry, and Tony Peter’s charge Main Defender, who returned from almost a year off the track at Turffontein last Saturday.
The SA Classic is Leg 2 of the TAB SA Triple Crown and Splittheeights, winner of the Grade 2 TAB Gauteng Guineas first leg, is among the nominations. However, trainers Mike and Mathew de Kock have three other entries, headed up by Grade 1 Cape Guineas winner Jan Van Goyen. They are joined by One Eye On Vegas and Yippee Kiyay.
Dingaans winner and Gauteng Guineas third-placed Trust, trained by Candice and Tammy Dawson, as well as Guineas second-placed Grand Empire and Tin Pan Alley, both trained by Sean Tarry, have been nominated for both the SA Classic and the Horse Chestnut Stakes.
Another interesting entry for the SA Classic is highly regarded Errol Flynn, trained by Joe Soma, who knows what it takes to win this race.
Dean Smith has entered All Systems Go while Mike Azzie has Radio Star.
The SA Fillies Classic, Leg 2 of the Wilgerbosdrift Tiple Tiara, is heading to be a genuine classic. Not only is first leg winner, Corne Spies-trained Hazy Days, among the entries but so are Gauteng Fillies Guineas second, third, fourth and fifth – Charge It, Golden Palm, Lowveld Lily and Littlemissmillion.
The first three mentioned are trained by raiders – Alyson Wright, Alan Greeff and Snaith respectively – while Tyrone Zackey is the man in charge of Littlemissmillion.
Supplementary entries close at 09.00 on Friday 27 February while Declarations close at 11.00 on Tuesday 3 March.
There will also be Hong Kong World Pools betting on these races as well as a Pick 6 carryover.
Entries for the R1.5-million HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes (Grade 1) over 1600m.
ATTICUS FINCH (A G Laird) 60.0
COSMIC SPEED (S G Tarry) 60.0
FIRE ATTACK (A G Laird) 60.0
MAIN DEFENDER (A P Peter) 60.0
PRESSONREGARDLESS (D Nieuwenhuizen) 60.0
RADICCHIO (R R Sage) 60.0
SAIL THE SEAS (J S Snaith) 60.0
SEE IT AGAIN (J S Snaith) 60.0
SOLAR SAIL (M Khan) 60.0
TEXAS RED (R Klaasen) 60.0
THE REAL PRINCE (D Kannemeyer) 60.0
CALLMEGETRIX (S G Tarry) 57.5
GRAND EMPIRE (S G Tarry) 57.0
TIN PAN ALLEY (S G Tarry) 57.0
TRUST (C/T Dawson) 57.0
Entries for the R1.5-million TAB SA Classic (Grade 1) (for three-year-olds) (2nd Leg of SA Triple Crown) over 1800m
ALL SYSTEMS GO (D G Smith) 60.0
COPPER EAGLE (R Klaasen) 60.0
DIOGENES (W C Marwing) 60.0
ERROL FLYNN (J A Soma) 60.0
GRAND EMPIRE (S G Tarry) 60.0
JAN VAN GOYEN (M/M de Kock) 60.0
ONE EYE ON VEGAS (M/M de Kock) 60.0
RADIO STAR (M G Azzie) 60.0
SPLITTHEEIGHTS (M/M de Kock) 60.0
TIN PAN ALLEY (S G Tarry) 60.0
TRUST (C/T Dawson) 60.0
YIPPEE KIYAY (M/M de Kock) 60.0
Entries for the R1.25-million Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic (Grade 1) (for three-year-old fillies) (2nd Leg Wilgerbosdrift SA Triple Tiara) over 1800m
ALTA CAPITANA (S G Tarry) 60.0
CHARGE IT (A Wright) 60.0
DAISY JONES (M G Azzie) 60.0
DRUMNADROCHIT (M/M de Kock) 60.0
FRANGIPANI (R Klaasen) 60.0
GOLDEN PALM (A C Greeff) 60.0
HAZY DAZY (C Spies) 60.0
INTO DANCING (S T Pettigrew) 60.0
LITTLEMISSMILLION (T Zackey) 60.0
LOWVELD LILY (J S Snaith) 60.0
MERRYWEATHER (J J van Vuuren) 60.0
SCARLETT HEART (F Bronkhorst) 60.0
SURPRISE PARTY (P F Matchett) 60.0
TINA LOVELACE (S G Tarry) 60.0
TRIP OF FAITH (R Klaasen) 60.0