Classic Day countdown

Gimmethegreenlight - won with ease under the lights in his prep run - now drawn 19

While there have been no horses added into the fields for the R2-million SA Classic and the R1-million SA Fillies Classic at the supplementary entry stage, six runners have been inserted into the nominations of the R1-million HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes. All three Grade 1 races are to be run at Turffontein on Saturday 31 March.

Topping the list is Joey Ramsden’s Bravura, who finished second behind Igugu in this year’s Grade 1 J&B Met at Kenilworth. The five-year-old gelding, who runs off a merit rating of 116, is also the winner of the 2010 Grade 1 Investec Cape Derby over 2000m and last year’s Grade 2 Green Point Stakes over 1600m, both at Kenilworth.

Bravura - tops the field and drawn 1

The good news for the connections is that Bravura has landed the No 1 draw.
Also added to the entries are Seal, trained by Gavin van Zyl, Sean Miller’s Water Jet, Super Trouper, trained by St John Gray, and Sean Tarry’s fillies Happy Archer and Hidden Beauty.  Seal has been in top form of late and the winner of last year’s Grade 1 SA Derby over 2450m at Turffontein has since gone on to capture the Listed Wolf Power Handicap over this distance on the inside track, despite shouldering 62.5kg.
Water Jet has done most of his campaigning on the sand in both Flamingo Park and the Vaal although he did score on the turf over 1400m at Fairview in November last year. He has yet to prove he is in the class of some of the other contenders but the seven-year-old Jet Master gelding has now won eight of his 27 starts and placed on 14 other occasions.

Super Trouper is getting better with each run and in his last two outings ran a 2.25-length third behind Galanthus and last time out was fourth to Gimmethegreenlight over 1400m at Turffontein, beaten 4.75-length.

Four-year-old Happy Archer is one of the best performers of her generation but she has shown a preference for Greyville Racecourse. It is at that track where she won both of her Grade 1 races, the Thekwini Stakes and the Garden Province Stakes, both over this distance.
There were some doubts that three-year-old Hidden Beauty would stay 1600m but she ran a superb race in the Grade 2 Gauteng Fillies Guineas over the course and distance last month to finish just over a neck behind Go Indigo.

There have also been three of withdrawals. Run For It, trained by Justin Snaith, has returned to Cape Town following an injury during a gallop at Randjesfontein and is out of the Horse Chestnut Stakes while Ormond Ferraris has pulled Captain Vedici and Markofdistinction out of the SA Classic and SA Fillies Classic respectively.

The SA Classic and SA Fillies Classic form the second leg SASCOC Triple Crown and the SA Triple Tiara respectively. There is a R2-million bonus for any horse who can win the Triple Crown – the Guineas, SA Classic and SA Derby – while a R1-million bonus will be paid out to a Triple Tiara champion – Fillies Guineas, SA Fillies Classic and SA Oaks.

Amanee

The three Grade 1 events are among the eight Graded races to be run on the day. Also on the card will be the Grade 1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes over 1600m, the Caradoc Gold Cup over 2850m, Man O’ War Sprint, Protea Stakes and Pretty Polly Stakes – all over 1100m – and the Jacaranda Handicap over 1800m. These last five events are all Grade 3 races.
Final declarations for the SA Classic and SA Fillies Classic close at 11am on Thursday 22 March. Declarations for the balance of the card take place on Tuesday 27 March.

Nominations (with weights and draws)