Battle for the bonus

Dispatch Racing Editor

CAPE Rebel and Sao Paulo will fight it out for the consolation bonus of R50 000 in the third and last leg of the World Sports Betting Eastern Cape Poly Challenge at Fairview tomorrow.

Those two runners carry the hopes of owners Justin Turner and the Money Talks Syndicate, but they will not be the only connections with a keen interest in Race 7, over 1 600m. The contest looks wide open, with all 11 horses in the line-up having lively chances of winning.

The bonus prize for a winner of all three legs of the series will not be won this year as Cape Rebel won the first leg and Breakfast Club the second. Also, only horses who compete in all three races qualify for the consolation prize and this brings Cape Rebel and Sao Paulo into the bonus picture.

Cape Rebel will once again have Jarryd Penny in the saddle for the Tobie Spies yard, while Karl Zechner is the pilot on Sao Paulo for the Jacques Strydom stable.

Stormy Eclipse is eyeing a third consecutive win for owners Dr Ashley Parker and Gavin Venter, while Razed In Black and Breakfast Club are both above average runners that could deny Cape Rebel and Sao Paulo their glory.

On form, Afrikaburn and Story Of My Life also look dangerous.

Afrikaburn came very close in his last two starts, while Story Of My Life was beaten by less than half a length in his last start with Muzi Yeni up. Yeni retains the ride.

The dark horse in the race is Gavin Smith’s Dawnbreaker, who will have Craig Zackey up and jumps from gate four.

He ran a much-improved last race when finishing 1,75 lengths behind Breakfast Club in the second leg of the Challenge. Look out for more improvement.

The vote goes to Cape Rebel to lead home Sao Paolo, Story Of My Live and Breakfast Club.

The 10-race card starts at 12:00 with a 1 300m Maiden Plate.

The meeting kicks off a two-day racing carnival in Port Elizabeth, with the climax being Saturday’s East Cape Derby, which attracts a big crowd. Both race days feature big Pick 6 carryovers – the start of TAB’s three-week bonanza of Pick 6 mega-pools.