Mega-stars entered for 2017 Sun Met in January

– Legal Eagle, beaten only by Whisky Baron when starting favourite for the 2017 Sun Met, tops the list of 31 entries for the R5-million race, to be run over 2000m at Kenilworth on Saturday 27 January next year.

Captain America, Gold Standard and Vodacom Durban July hero Marinaresco – third, fourth and fifth this year – have also been entered.

The race this season is run on weight-for-age terms. Had that been the case last season Legal Eagle might well have won because he had to carry 2kg extra as a Grade 1 winner. So, too, did Marinaresco for his triumph in

Cape Town

the previous year’s Champions Cup.

Sean Tarry, trainer of Legal Eagle and successful with Alastor in 2005, has also entered last season’s Cape Fillies Guineas runnerup Safe Harbour and Stonehenge.

Trainer Brett Crawford will be bidding for his fourth Met following Angus in 2003, Futura in 2015 and Whisky Baron and his hand this time could include Cape Derby and Daily News winner Edict Of Nantes, Champions Cup winner Sail South and Captain America, who won the Rising Sun Gold Challenge in June.

Mike de Kock has also won the race three times and has entered four: Empress Club winner Nother Russia, Heavenly Blue, Orchid Island and Silver Thursday, who runs in Saturday’s World Sports Betting Fillies Guineas.

The maximum number of runners is 20.

Entries for the Sun Met over 2000m at Kenilworth: ABASHIRI (M/A Azzie); AFRICAN NIGHT SKY (S J Snaith); BLACK ARTHUR (S J Snaith); CAPTAIN AMERICA (B Crawford); COPPER FORCE (S J Snaith); CORAL FEVER (R R Sage); DEO JUVENTE (G V Woodruff); EDICT OF NANTES (B Crawford); ELUSIVE SILVA (S J Snaith); EYES WIDE OPEN (G S Kotzen); GOLD STANDARD (G S Kotzen); HAT PUNTANO (M/A Azzie); HEAVENLY BLUE (M F De Kock); HORIZON (C Bass-Robinson); KRAMBAMBULI (S J Snaith); LAST WINTER (D Kannemeyer); LEGAL EAGLE (S G Tarry); MAC DE LAGO (W H Marwing); MAMBO MIME (D Kannemeyer); MARINARESCO (C Bass-Robinson); NEBULA (B Crawford); NIGHTINGALE (C Bass-Robinson); NOTHER RUSSIA (M F De Kock); ORCHID ISLAND (M F De Kock); OUR MATE ART (C Bass-Robinson); PACK LEADER (G S Kotzen); SAFE HARBOUR (S G Tarry); SAIL SOUTH (B Crawford); SILICONE VALLEY (G R Puller); SILVER THURSDAY (M F De Kock); STONEHENGE (S G Tarry).