Sir Duke heads the EC Poly Challenge charge with 16 points
PE is set to stage one of their biggest racing weekends of the year and it comes with a heart-warming feel-good factor thrown in.
Friday, 12 May hosts an all-poly meeting featuring the final leg of this year’s World Sports Betting East Cape Poly Challenge. Alan Greeff charge Juan Two Three thrashed the opposition in the 1200m first leg on 27 March, with Tara Laing-trained Sir Duke finishing in second spot. Sir Duke came back to pip Peach Delight to the post in the 1400m second leg on 14 April and while he cannot win the overall title, Sir Duke is in the driving seat for the R50k consolation bonus with 16 points in the bag so far.
Saturday hosts a turf card, with the World Sports Betting Listed EC Derby and Listed Dahlia Plate headlining the day’s racing fare. Despite the downgrade to Listed status, the Derby has still received warm support with out of town raiders from the Duncan Howells, Candice Bass-Robinson, Justin Snaith and Brett Crawford yards and looks set to be an exciting clash.
Piere Strydom (photo: hamishNIVENPhotography)
There is also a host of visiting jockeys to add flavour to the two-day meeting and Striker Strydom is adding a feel-good factor, pledging R500 per win, R300 for a second and R200 for each third place he rides over the weekend to the East Cape Horse Care Unit. Piere is being joined by fellow jockeys Callan Murray, Craig Zackey, Mathew Thackeray, Greg Cheyne and Marco van Rensburg. The riders are being matched by sponsors World Sports Betting, New Turf Carriers, No More Ants, Phoenix Warehousing Solutions, Fumigation Dot Com and Acoustic Insurance to make sure that the Horse Care Unit gets a much needed shot in the arm to help them get through winter. Kevin Hunter’s Acoustic Insurance has also generously agreed to match everything son-in-law Marco Van Rensburg raises, as well as matching the funds raised by the highest earning jockey.
A real feel-good weekend’s racing all round!
