The R1 million Gr1 Mercury Sprint is one of ten features on Super Saturday, to be run at Greyville on 28 July.
Final declarations for the weight-for-age sprint are due on Thursday 19 July at 11h00.
Dutch Philip, winner of the hugely valuable CTS 1200 at Kenilworth in January, but only sixth behind Procal Harum when starting favourite for the eThekwini Sprint on July day, will go on a recovery mission in the Mercury Sprint at Greyville on Saturday week despite being drawn widest of all.
Dutch Philip – top class son of What A Winter heads for Gr1 Mercury Sprint
Candice Bass-Robinson told Michael Clower : “He got a fair bit back on the poly and had to come from well behind. I am not sure that he is not a better horse up the straight but there is nothing else for him so he will run in the Mercury.”
Mercury Sprint weights:
| 11 | Attenborough | (4G) | 60 | 114 | BA | Joey Ramsden | |
| 4 | $Will Pays | (6G) | 60 | 114 | A | M G Azzie/A A Azzie | |
| 16 | London Call | (7G) | 60 | 113 | A | Mark Dixon | |
| 1 | Champagne Haze | (5G) | 60 | 112 | A | Gary Alexander | |
| 15 | Trip To Heaven | (6G) | 60 | 110 | AT | Sean Tarry | |
| 14 | Bishop’s Bounty | Accepted | (4G) | 60 | 109 | A | Justin Snaith |
| 2 | Rocky Valley | Accepted | (4G) | 60 | 107 | AT | Candice Dawson |
| 9 | Always In Charge | (4C) | 60 | 106 | A | Vaughan Marshall | |
| 5 | Copper Force | (4G) | 60 | 106 | A | Justin Snaith | |
| 19 | Africa Rising | (4G) | 60 | 103 | A | Sean Tarry | |
| 18 | Black Cat Back | (4G) | 60 | 103 | A | Brett Crawford | |
| 3 | Sunset Eyes | (4G) | 60 | 103 | AT | Brett Crawford | |
| 17 | Lloyd’s Legacy (AUS) | Accepted | (4G) | 60 | 102 | A | Louis Goosen |
| 7 | Bold Respect | (3G) | 59.5 | 118 | A | Brett Crawford | |
| 13 | Pinnacle Peak | Accepted | (3G) | 59.5 | 115 | A | Dorrie Sham |
| 21 | Dutch Philip | (3C) | 59.5 | 114 | A | Candice Bass-Robinson | |
| 10 | Sniper Shot | (3G) | 59.5 | 106 | A | Paul Lafferty | |
| 6 | Speedpoint | (3C) | 59.5 | 106 | A | Joey Ramsden | |
| 8 | Hard To play | (3G) | 59.5 | 94 | A | Wendy Whitehead | |
| 20 | Vision To Kill | (4F) | 57.5 | 109 | AT | Paul Gadsby | |
| 12 | Chimichuri Run | (2C) | 52.5 | 103 | AT | Sean Tarry | |
| (21) | |||||||
Drill Hall winner Perovskia will step up to Gr1 company for the first time in the World Sports Betting Champions Cup that day and is another who will start from the outside.
Perovskia – takes his chances in the Champions Cup
He failed to make the cut for the Durban July and was unlucky when a two-length second to Infamous Fox in the Greyville Convention Centre Handicap.
Harold Crawford told Michael Clower: “Jeff Lloyd told me that he could have sat closer had he been drawn better in the Convention Centre (he started from pen nine) but he had to come wide into the straight. He is drawn 21 out of 21 in the Champions Cup but I can’t bring him back to Cape Town before then so he might as well run.”
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