Jack Milner
The last two winners of the Grade 2 Betway Joburg Spring Challenge will be in action again at this year’s race which will be run over 1450m on the Inside track at Turffontein on Saturday.
The final field for the R550,000 race was declared yesterday as well as for the R450,000 Betway Joburg Spring F&M Spring Challenge.
Both races are weight-for-age plus penalties events.
To make the meeting even more enthralling for bettors, there is a R1-million Pick 6 carryover with the pool likely to reach R5 million.
In 2022 William Robertson edged out KwaZulu-Natal raider After The Rain to win by a neck and last year Main Defender was a runaway winner. Both will be running on Saturday but while Corne Spies’ charge will carry 1kg less than when he won, Tony Peter-trained Main Defender will carry 9.5kg more than when he won it as a three-year-old in 2023.
Despite all that, the Pathfork gelding will come in as the best weighted runner, but by just 1kg from William Robertson.
Gavin Lerena will ride Main Defender for the first time while Marco van Rensburg is aboard William Robertson.
But the field does not end with those two. KZN trainer Stuart Ferrie will be raiding with Gladatorian who is a Grade 1 winner, and is in top form at the moment.
The five-year-old Vercingetorix gelding is a seven-time winner and will have regular jockey Sean Veale in the irons.
Barbaresco, an impressive winner in his last race over 1600m at the track, will take his place and will have Raymond Danielson up for the first time while Sean Tarry will be running talented three-year-old Dantonfromsandton who was touched off by Cats Pajamas in the Grade 2 Umkhomazi Stakes over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Greyville. The winner franked that in no uncertain terms form in his comeback run last Sunday.
The fillies and mares race is equally exciting as Peter will be running Grade 1 Premiers Champion Stakes winner VJ’s Angel will take her place in the line-up. She beat the colts on that occasion but she does get a Grade 1 penalty and will carry 54kg and will have to overcome the widest draw in the 14-horse field.
Kabelo Matsunyane will take the ride.
Gimme A Shot bounced back to her best form with an impressive win last time over this distance but on the Vaal Classic track. This Mike and Adam Azzie-trained filly was a top-class three-year old and should be a force now back to her best, with Craig Zackey in the irons.
Final field for the R550,000 Betway Joburg Spring Challenge (Grade 2)(For all horses at Weight for age + Penalties) over 1450m
1 - 8 MAIN DEFENDER (A P Peter) G Lerena 60.0 - 131
2 - 4 PURPLE PITCHER (R Klaasen) K Matsunyane 60.0 - 123
3 - 10 WILLIAM ROBERTSON (C Spies) M V'Rensburg 58.5 - 125
4 - 6 GLADATORIAN (S H Ferrie) S Veale 58.5 - 120
5 - 9 MELECH (R R Magner) S Moodley 58.5 - 118
6 - 14 UNZEN (R R Sage) D Schwarz 58.5 - 116
7 - 2 BACK IN BUSINESS (J A Soma) R A Venniker 58.5 - 106
8 - 3 BARBARESCO (J J van Vuuren) R Danielson 58.0 - 120
9 - 12 GIMMEANOTHERCHANCE (M F De Kock) C Zackey 58.0 - 119
10 - 5 ZINOVI (M F De Kock) P Strydom 58.0 - 114
11 - 7 JOKER MAN (J J van Vuuren) ............... 58.0 - 106
12 - 11 GRAND CRESCENDO (C Dawson) K A Brewer 50.5 - 114
13 - 13 DANTONFROMSANDTON (S G Tarry) M K Katjedi 50.5 - 108
14 - 1 WILD AT WAR (C Dawson) P Mxoli 50.5 - 100
Same Trainer: (8,11) (9,10) (12,14)
Final field for the R450,000 Betway Joburg Spring F&M Spring Challenge (For Fillies and Mares at Weight for age + Penalties) over 1450m
1 - 8 GIMME A SHOT (M/A Azzie) C Zackey 60.0 - 110
2 - 7 CELTIC RUMOURS (S G Tarry) G Lerena 60.0 - 106
3 - 3 CAPTAIN PEG (S T Pettigrew) C Habib 60.0 - 104
4 - 13 LET'S GO NOW (S G Tarry) S Veale 59.5 - 114
5 - 4 MY SOUL MATE (C Dawson) R Danielson 59.5 - 111
6 - 5 WHITE PEARL (M F De Kock) P Strydom 59.5 - 109
7 - 10 KEY ELEMENT (P F Matchett) P Mxoli 59.5 - 101
8 - 1 MISS HANNIGAN (F P Habib) D Schwarz 59.5 - 97
9 - 14 SOLDIER'S EYE (W H Marwing) K A Brewer 59.5 - 97
10 - 2 BLUE HORIZON (W H Marwing) K J Lihaba 59.5 - 89
11 - 15 VJ'S ANGEL (A P Peter) K Matsunyane 54.0 - 111
12 - 12 LITTLE BALLERINA (C Dawson) S Moodley 53.0 - 104
13 - 11 FIERY PEGASUS (J A Soma) M K Katjedi 52.0 - 104
14 - 9 FROZEN FANTASY (R Klaasen) R A Venniker 52.0 - 102
Reserve Runner
15 - 6 SEA ANEMONE (M F De Kock) Reserve 1 60.0 - 89
Same Trainer: (2,4) (5,12) (6,15) (9,10)