Panel eliminates eight from Cup
SCRATCHED: NOTHER RUSSIA, DEO JUVENTE AND MATADOR MAN PULLED OUT BY CONNECTIONS
Trainer Weiho Marwing has three runners, including favourite Hermoso Mundo, Mac De Lago and Let It Rain.
Acompetitive field of 20 runners will face the starter in the R2-million Gauteng Sansui Summer Cup (Grade 1) over 2000m at Turffontein on Saturday next week.
The final field was announced yesterday, with a special function tonight to determine the draws.
Ante-post favourite Hermoso Mundo, a Weiho Marwing-trained five-year-old who has been given a low weight in in Johannesburg’s premier race, will carry saddlecloth No 11 in the race. He will be ridden by his trainer’s brother Weichong, who was in the saddle when Hermoso Mundo won the Gold Cup at Greyville last season. Hermoso Mundo was priced up 7-1 joint favourite with Abashiri with Betting World.
Marwing has two other horses in the line-up Mac de Lago and Let It Rain, but racecourse chatter echoes strong leanings towards the favourite.
Abashiri, who topped bookmakers’ boards early in the nomination proceedings has 58kg to shoulder. The Mike and Adam Azzie-trained Triple Crown (2016) winner will be ridden by the jockey who has partnered him in all but five of his races so far, Karl Zechner.
Trainer Geoff Woodruff, who has won the Summer Cup six times since the race was reintroduced in 1999, including the last four years in a row has three horses in the line-up, including Pagoda, who ran third behind Girl On The Run (subsequently won the Victory Moon Stakes last week). The four-year-old Mogok gelding is third favourite with Betting World. He will be ridden by JP van der Merwe.
Woodruff’s other runners are Master Switch, third in the Victory Moon Stakes, and talented stayer Banner Hill. Piere Strydom will ride Master Switch and Grant van Niekerk has been declared for Banner Hill.
He scratched Deo Juvente, the horse who had topped the Summer Cup log since the handicappers compiled their first list of possible runners in the race.
Two other horses who have attracted betting interest in the Summer Cup preliminaries were Nother Russia and Matador Man. Their connections declined to run them but had been hinting at their non participation for a while now.
Nother Russia is trained by Mike de Kock, who will run smart filly Orchid Island, winner of the SA Fillies Classic this year and fourth in the Victory Moon Stakes. She has just 53.5kg to carry and will be ridden by Anthony Delpech.
The field was decided by a panel of Phumelela’s Vee Moodley, Clyde Basel and Jay Harrielall and handicappers Roger Smith and Matthew Lips. The eight horses eliminated were Witchcraft, Irish Pride, BiPot, Bezanova, Go Direct, The Elmo Effect, Hidden Agenda and Royal Utopia.
7-1 Abashiri, Hermoso Mundo; 9-1 Brazuca, Orchid Island; 10-1 French Navy, Crowd Pleaser; 12-1 Pagoda, Social Order; 14-1 Master Switch, Banner Hill, Liege; 16-1 Girl On The Run, Coral Fever; 18-1 Wind Chill; 20-1 Master Sabina; 25-1 New Predator, Tilbury Fort; 33-1 Fort Ember; 50-1 Let It Rain; 75-1 Mac De Lago.
The field in order of saddlecloth number, (no draw), horse, trainer, jockey, weight and merit rating is: