Top speedsters set to clash in Mercury Sprint.
As the KwaZulu-Natal season draws to a close, it is the speed merchants who grab centre stage on Saturday with the running of the R800,000 Mercury Sprint over 1,200m at Greyville.
The race has been won by some of the big names in racing, including Harry Hotspur, Sunera, Senor Santa, National Colour, What A Winter and Captain Of All.
The 22 entries include three runners from Sean Tarry’s stable — Bull Valley, Trip To Heaven and Captain’s Causeway. The first-named may well start favourite following his recent grade 1 success at Scottsville.
Trainer Joe Ramsden, who won the 2016 race with Red Ray, has nominated Brutal Force while Brett Crawford’s could be represented by Gulf Storm and Search Party.
Two interesting nominations from Gauteng are Coenie de Beer’s ruling champion sprinter Talktothestars and Grant Maroun’s talented filly Wrecking Ball. De Beer did this column’s readers a good turn when saddling 10-1 chance Lady Starlett, a full sister to Talktothestars, to win the seventh race at Turffontein last Saturday.
Although this was Lady Starlett’s fourth win, the Scott Brosbred filly has some way to go to catch up with her brother who has 10 victories to his credit in an outstanding career.
Wrecking Ball, a daughter of Great Britain, provided Gavin Lerena with one of his three winners last Saturday and it will be interesting to see if Maroun decides to take his chance and send down the three-year-old for the Mercury Sprint.
Bred by Worldwise Breeding, Wrecking Ball boasts five wins and six placings from her 16 starts and it is a credit to Maroun that her only disappointing run was behind Brutal Force at Turffontein in April.
It remains to be seen whether S’manga Khumalo, who did not ride in Sunday’s Interprovincial Challenge at Scottsville, will take up his five booked rides at the Vaal on Tuesday.
They include four runners from Tarry’s stable with the pick of his quintet being Isolde (fifth race) and Goodytwoshoes in the sixth. The latter is bidding to complete a hat-trick.
The worry for Isolde’s backers is that the Silvano filly is taking on Mike de Kock’s Aussie import High Seas Beauty with Anthony Delpech booked to partner the three-year-old for the first time. Karl Zechner, victorious on Hermoso Mundo in the Gold Vase at Greyville on July day, can also be involved in the finish on Michael Azzie’s Trippi filly Shatoosh.
The main rival to Goodytwoshoes in the sixth race may be another of Delpech’s mounts Golddust Woman. This daughter of Western Winter should be cherry ripe in her third outing after a rest.
Earlier in the meeting, the interestingly named A Horse With No Name, could provide Lerena with another winner before he flies back to the UK to continue riding for Charlie Hills. His chief threat is likely to be Tony Nassif’s Severino.