Respect shown for the Post Merchants
One of the oldest events on the South African racing calendar, the R400,000 Grade 2 Post Merchants run over 1200m at Greyville on 15 June, has drawn a huge entry of 38 star sprinters – including Bold Respect and Sunset Eyes, first and third respectively in Saturday’s Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint at Scottsville.
The race dates back more than a century to when the “merchants” – store keepers in Durban – put up the stake for which the horses competed. Some of South Africa’s greatest sprinters have won the Merchants trophy.
Among this year’s entries is Betting World Cape Flying Championship victor Sergeant Hardy, who was a 17-10 favourite to win a 1000m Pinnacle Stakes at Scottsville on Saturday but who got into a tangle at the start and ended up finishing fifth.
This Captain Al gelding from the Justin Snaith stable also never featured in the recent Computaform Sprint at Turffontein.
Those two disappointing runs were uncharacteristic of the talented sprinter and his connection will be keen to put the record straight at Greyville, a track on which he has some experience.
Supplementary entries will be accepted up to 11am on Friday, 1 June with final acceptance on 4 June.
POST MERCHANTS (Grade 2) (Open) R400,000 1200m:
25 BISHOP'S BOUNTY (S J Snaith) 62.0
6 CHAMPAGNE HAZE (G M Alexander) 62.0
24 SERGEANT HARDY (S J Snaith) 62.0
18 TRIP TO HEAVEN (S G Tarry) 60.0 34 WILL PAYS (M/A Azzie) 60.0 31 ALWAYS IN CHARGE (V H Marshall) 58.0
36 AMAZING STRIKE (A G Laird) 58.0
23 BOLD RESPECT (B Crawford) 58.0
19 CAPTAIN'S CAUSEWAY (S G Tarry) 58.0 2 NAAFER (M F de Kock) 58.0 3 OUR MATE ART (C Bass-Robinson) 58.0 27 ROMI'S BOY (A G Laird) 58.0 15 SPEEDPOINT (J Ramsden) 58.0
4 BLACK CAT BACK (B Crawford) 56.0
26 DOOSRA (J J van Vuuren) 56.0
16 LORD BALMORAL (V H Marshall) 56.0 33 MY PAL AL (A D Gordon) 56.0 9 PURE BLONDE (A G Laird) 56.0
20 SNIPER SHOT (P V Lafferty) 56.0
1 SUNSET EYES (B Crawford) 56.0
13 GREEN PEPPER (J J van Vuuren) 55.5
17 DOWN TO ZERO (M/A Azzie) 54.0
38 MUJALLAD (M F de Kock) 54.0
22 ROCK OF AFRICA (V H Marshall) 54.0
32 TRIBAL FUSION Humby) 54.0
5 WONDERWALL (S G Tarry) (S W 54.0
11 WYNKELDER (A J Rivalland) 54.0
10 ZOUAVES (G V Woodruff) 54.0
37 TOO PHAT TO FLY (G S Kotzen) 53.5 8 ALWAHSH (M F de Kock) 52.0 7 MOMBELA (S G Tarry) 52.0 21 PUNTA CANA (M F de Kock) 52.0
35 SPLENDID GARDEN (M/A Azzie) 52.0
14 TORRE DEL ORO (S G Tarry) 52.0
29 FINAL JUDGEMENT (G S Kotzen) 51.5
12 MYFUNNYVALENTINE (S G Tarry) 51.5 28 NEALA (S W Humby) 51.5 30 HOIST THE MAST (W A Nel) 50.0