2014 Sansui Summer Cup – Log Update

Yorker won the 2013 Sansui Summer Cup

The first of two logs for the 29 November 2014 Sansui Summer Cup over 2000m at Turffontein has been released.

The log has been compiled by the NHA handicappers with input from the Phumelela. The first twenty on the log are in order of preference, the next ten are also the preferred choices of the handicappers but are listed in alphabetical order, and the remainder are listed in order of merit rating.

The only official update to the log will be after the running of the Emperors Palace Charity Mile raceday on Saturday, 1 November 2014.

However any subsequent races run prior to final declarations, which take place on Tuesday, 18 November 2014, will be taken into account when the final 2014 Sansui Summer Cup field is announced. Among these races will be the Gr2 Victory Moon Stakes over 1800m, which will be run Saturday, 15 November 2014 at Turffontein racecourse.

The second entry stage for the race closes at 11AM on 3 November 2014 and the final entry stage closes at 11AM on 17 November. Therefore horses that are supplemented late in the process could also potentially be selected ahead of horses that are on the top twenty on the log.

The weights for the race will be published on Monday, 3 November. 2014 A horse entered before the 3 November publishing of the weights can only have its weight for the Summer Cup adjusted if it wins a race. However, a horse supplemented after the publishing of the weights will be weighted according to its merit rating at the time.

The final Summer Cup field will be decided by the NHA handicappers with input from the Racing Operator.

Triple Crown Champ, Louis The King

Geoff Woodruff-trained Triple Crown hero Louis The King and stablemate Tellina, a Gr1 winner who finished third in the Summer Cup last year, fill the top two positions.  Woodruff, a five-times national champion trainer, bounced back into the limelight last year after a couple of quiet seasons. He has eight horses in the top 20 on the log and nine in the top 30, so is sure to be a championship contender again this season.

Eight-times National champion trainer Mike de Kock only has two horses in the top twenty, but among them is the exciting three-year-old Anjaal, who proved his class when running a narrow tie-third in the Gr1 Premier’s Champion Stakes over 1600m at Greyville at the end of last season.

Alec Laird had a fine season with his three-year-olds last term and three of them, the ever improving Bezanova, Gr1 winner Forest Indigo and the hard-knocking As You Like, are all in the top 20.

No Worries wins the Spring Challenge (JC Photos)

Among the interesting entries from out-of-province trainers are the Gavin van Zyl-trained No Worries, the recent winner of the Gr2 Joburg Spring Challenge over 1450m. He is third on the log and from day one of this season, has been aimed at the Summer Cup, which is probably his optimum trip. The Gr1 eLan Property Group Gold Cup winner Wavin’ Flag from the Brett Crawford yard, is a high profile entry from Cape Town.

However, the most exciting of the out-of-province horses could well be the Justin Snaith-trained Cape Town horse Dynamic as well as the Charles Laird-trained KZN contender Bold Inspiration. Dynamic finished second in the Gr1 Cape Derby as a three-year-old and impressed recently when making a winning reappearance after a year-and-a-half off the track.  Bold Inspiration is an ever improving horse who has won five out of seven starts and he has won his last three outings, over trips between 1600-2000m, with consummate ease. Both Dynamic and Bold Inspiration are just outside the top 20 on the log at present.

Another interesting entry is Jet Belle, who has returned to her original trainer Robbie Sage. She should relish the trip and the galloping nature of the track and as she currently occupies eighth position on the log, looks likely to make the final field.

Punters will be happy to note that the Tote will be paying out for 6 places from the final field of 20 runners.

Log as at 6 October 2014