Charity Mile field announced
THE final field for the Grade 2 Peermont Emperor’s Palace Charity Mile to be run on Turffontein Standside on November 3 was announced yesterday.
Meanwhile, the ante-post betting for the supporting features on the day has been out and the race of the day might well be the Princess Charlene Starling Stakes over 1400m as it has attracted what looks to be an exceptionally strong field.
The Charity Mile is always a difficult race to assess as some use it as a preparation event for the GBets Summer Cup.
Hat Puntano carried 61kg to victory last year and has the same weight this season.
He comes in off the back of one moderate outing, as he did last year.
Noble Secret is the favourite and this big, progressive sort will be capable of carrying 55kg but the Summer Cup, where he is also favourite, is likely his chief goal.
Matador Man will have a huge shout carrying 56kg as he has proved his class as a miler and this is likely his chief Johannesburg mission.
New Predator
New Predator was beaten just 1,65 lengths last year carrying 61kg and now carries 55,5kg due to a below par sequence of runs.
The joint topweight is Coral Fever who can always be relied on for a good performance, although the mile is on the sharp side for him.
Near the bottom of the weights Arctica carrying 53kg makes some appeal at long odds.
In the Starling Stakes one of the talking horses of the season, the Mike de Kocktrained Isle de France, has been allowed to open at 14/1 by World Sports Betting despite landing a nice draw of eight in a field which has 37 entries still standing. This Var filly is out of the SA Oaks winner Ilha Bela, a daughter of the top class Ilha da Vitoria.
On debut over 1450m on the Turffontein Inside track she found herself out of her ground but Gavin Lerena was not concerned as De Kock had told him that all members of this family loved to accelerate.
Like other members of the family she is also not at all big, but has a big heart and a big action and she duly made up the ground in a matter of strides before ricocheting away to win by 4,10 lengths.
However, it was not a great maiden field and next Saturday’s race is a big step up in class.
The deserved 5/1 favourite is the unbeaten Mighty High, who drew 14.
The form of her Assessment Plate win over 1200m recently has been franked by the runner up Big Mistake winning a minor feature.
The only concern is how well she will settle over 1400m as this Grade 1 Allan Robertson winner has plenty of pace.
On pedigree she should love the 1400m as her sire won a Group 1 over that trip and her dam Bold Nimph (Shamardal) is a half-sister to Bluroute (Dubai Destination), who finished a close second in the Starling Stakes and later won over a mile.
Celtic Sea, 11/2 second favourite, did not have the run of the race in the Grade 2 Golden Slipper over this trip at Greyville but still won, although she has not raced since.
Ghaalla, 17/2 third favourite, ran a cracker over 1450m in the Joburg Spring Fillies and mares challenge when finishing 0,6 lengths behind one of the Summer Cup favourites Cascapedia on weight for age terms. She has pace and has drawn well in five.
Nafaayes and Firdoas have done little wrong and are 13/1 and 15/1 drawn in pole and 18 respectively.
In The Dance by Gimmethegreenlight is a half-sister to Capetown Noir and the 18/1 is tempting as she put in an exceptional winning debut, but she did draw 22.
There will be a lot of others with supporters in a classy line up.