Charity Mile entries and draws

THE winners of last season’s Vodacom Durban July, SANSUI Summer Cup and eLan Gold Cup all feature among the entries for the R1-million Peermont Emperors Palace Charity Mile.

The Grade 2 race will be run over 1 600m on the Turffontein Standside track on Saturday, November 5.

The Conglomerate, Master Sabina and Enaad are probably looking ahead at the Summer Cup at the end of November but this is an important race and none of the connections would mind walking away with the winner’s cheque.

While Master Sabina has landed draw 12 and Enaad 10, Durban July champion The Conglomerate as drawn 28 of the 38 entries.

However, there are some excellent “milers” in the field, including Rabada, St Tropez, Mac De Lago, Champagne Haze, Mogok Master, Saratoga Dancer, New Predator and last year’s winner Bouclette Top.

Rabada has joined Brett Crawford’s yard but has been in Jo’burg for quite a while. Unfortunately he was withdrawn from his warm-up run and if he is declared to run he might have to go in without a prep race. Crawford will not be happy that his charge has landed 31 draw.

John Janse van Vuuren will be reasonably happy New Predator has drawn 13. That should see him come in to around 8 for the race, should he accept.

Gary Alexander did not enter Kangaroo Jack for this event but he has nominated Champagne Haze who had a decent warm-up run when placed fourth behind his stablemate in the Grade 2 Joburg Spring Challenge.

He has landed draw 18. Last year the half-brother to Pierre Jourdan won the R2.5-million Emperors Palace Ready To Run Cup over 1400m on Charity Mile day.

The final field will be unveiled at a function at Emperors Palace on Tuesday, October 25.

The 16 celebrities and charities will also find out which horse will represent them in the big race. The charity who draws the winning horse will receive R150,000, the charity represented by the runner-up will receive R100,000 with the other 14 charities getting proportionate amounts of the total donation, depending on the allocated horse’s placement. No charity will go home with less than R20,000. Supplementary entries close at 11am on Friday after which the weights will be posted.

Declarations close at 11am on Tuesday 25 October after which the final field will be announced.