Strong entry for Charity Mile and three-year-old features
DOUBLE: LAST YEAR’S WINNER HAT PUNTANO BACK FOR SECOND CRACK AT R1-MILLION RACE
Tarry, De Kock have 22 of the 45 entries for the Charity Mile between them.
Hat Puntano, winner of last year’s Peermont Emperors Palace Charity Mile, is among the 45 entries for this year’s race over 1600m on the Turffontein Standside track on Saturday 3 November.
This Grade 2 race differs from other events in that every horse will run for a charity while each charity selected will be represented by a celebrity. The money will be divided among the charities based on the positions of where their horses finished. No charity will go home empty handed.
There is a supplementary entry stage on Friday and the final field as well as the draws will be announced at a function at Emperors Palace on Wednesday 24 October. The celebrities and charities will also be announced, as well as the horses they have drawn.
Half of the entries for this race are from either the Sean Tarry or Mike de Kock yards. Tarry has nominated 12 horses and De Kock 10.
Tarry’s dozen are Africa Rising, Bulleting Home, Captain And Master, Desert Rhythm, French Navy, last year’s Summer Cup winner Liege, Matador Man, Safe Harbour, Silver God, Social Order, Tilbury Fort and Warrior’s Best.
De Kock has a very strong entry comprising of top three-yearolds Soqrat and Alyaasaat, recent Joburg Spring F&M Challenge winner Cascapedia, four-yearolds Noble Secret, Like A Panther, Puget Sound, Mujallad, Hakeem and filly Takingthepeace as well as fast-improving Irish import Buffalo Bill Cody
Mike and Adam Azzie, who train Hat Puntano, have entered five runners, the others being Arctica, Orpheus, Full Mast and Splendid Garden. The draws are quite important over this distance although the race has been won from the widest draw of all.
There are a number of other feature races on the card but only the nominations for the two three-year-old races – the Graham Beck Stakes and the Starling Stakes for fillies – have been announced. Both are 1400m Grade 3 races over 1400m with prize money of R250,000.
De Kock has also entered Soqrat and Alyaasaat in this race but the pair have drawn No 19 and No 9 respectively so he might prefer to go for the Charity Mile. However, he will be happy that Ghaalla has drawn beautifully at No 6 for the Graham Beck Stakes and at No 5 for the Starling Stakes so that does leave him with options.
Equally, Tarry will be pretty disappointed Chimichuri Run is drawn No 21 and Cirillo at No 26. However, Celtic Sea is drawn No 12 for the fillies’ race and with a few withdrawals she could end up with a decent draw.