Charity Mile Final Field Announced

Toro Rosso – exciting sort with Anthony Delpech up and draws 1

The Gr 2 Peermont Emperor’s Palace Charity Mile (PEPCM) final field was announced at a convivial ceremony at the Emperor’s Palace on Wednesday and the subsequent charity draws were then awaited with high anticipation.

The top class field is headed by National Champion Trainer Sean Tarry’s dual Gr 1-winner French Navy and also includes last year’s winner Bezanova as well as the like of the Supreme Cup winner Deputy Jud, impressive up and coming sorts like Toro Rosso and Ultimate Dollar and the imported Flying The Flag.

Tarry’s crack colt Legal Eagle is missing from the line up meaning he is likely to be embarking on a Cape Summer Of Champions Season campaign instead.

Topweight French Navy

French Navy, who carries topweight, is known to only get going when he hits the straight so his regular jockey Raymond Danielson won’t mind him being drawn 16 out of the 19 horse line up, which includes three reserve runners. French Navy’s stablemates Whiteline Fever and Halve The Deficit are drawn 9 and 19 respectively and the former, who has gone close in this race before, has the advantage of Anton Marcus aboard.

The exciting Mike de Kock-trained Toro Rosso, who won his last start over 1450m impressively, is drawn in pole under Anthony Delpech.

Hs stablemate Flying The Flag has his first start in South Africa from draw 10 under Marco van Rensburg.

De Kock’s third runner Mitraad is wide out in 18.

Lucky for some- Supreme Cup hero Deputy Jud has drawn 13

The Mike Azzie-trained Deputy Jud, who has come on tremendously with gelding, will have regular pilot JP van der Merwe up from draw 13.

Ultimate Dollar has a wide draw of 15 but will have the services of the peerless Piere Strydom and considering he takes a while to wind up into his big stride he will love the long straight. His Justin Snaith-trained stablemate Dynamic drew wide in 17, but Weichong Marwing, who is at his brilliant best at Turffontein, will be up.

Bezanova wins the Charity Mile in 2014

The Alec Laird-trained Bezanova jumped from draw 9 last year and carried 57kg to victory off a merit rating of 104. This year he jumps from a better draw of four and despite seeming to have shown considerable improvement carries only 57,5kg off a merit rating of 107.

His stablemate Bouclette Top was 5th last year but has improved since blinkers have been applied , although he is now ten points higher in the merit ratings and drawn slightly wider in eleven. Champion jockey Gavin Lerena is aboard.

Weiho Marwing’s pair Rampant Ice and Mac De Lago are drawn six and twelve respectively and will both love the course and distance due to their resolute finishing runs.

Bold Inspiration – only KZN raider

The only KZN raider in the 16 horse field proper is the Charles Laird-trained Bold Inspiration and he has drawn 14.

KZN-based Gavin van Zyl has the back-in-form M L Jet in the line up, but he will be campaigning out of his Johannesburg satellite yard. He drew well in five and the up and coming Keagan de Melo is aboard.

Geoff Woodruff’s progressive sort The Captain’s Tune will be a threat with 53kg on his back from a plum draw of two.

KZN-based Duncan Howells’ promising Saratoga Dancer unfortunately just missed out, but is first reserve. The other two reserve runners are former Vodacom Durban July winner heavy Metal and last season’s Sansui Summer Cup runner up Killua Castle.

The tote is offering 5 places on the PEPCM and added R100 000 to the race’s quartet pool. There is a huge pick 6 carryover of R900 000 estimated a final pool total of R4.2 million plus.