With a R1-million carryover Pick 6 pool set to reach R6 million and a carryover Quartet pool expected to top R1,5 million, today’s Allied Steelrode Onamission Charity Mile at Turffontein is set to live up to the slogan ‘charity will win big and so can you’.
Tabnews reports that while it might be inaccurate to claim this is the best field ever for the R800 000 race, it is undoubtedly one of the best in the last two decades.
Safe Passage – high class 4yo makes season debut (Pic – JC Photos)
It contains four recent Grade 1 winners in Astrix, MK’s Pride, Red Saxon and Safe Passage, with the last-mentioned having claims to the title of South Africa’s best four-year-old.
The concern is that none of them has run this season and that the Charity Mile is essentially a stepping stone to forthcoming bigger events. While Safe Passage, in particular, has an uncanny knack of winning after a lengthy layoff and must be respected, it could be worth looking for the winner among those runners aimed specifically at this race.
After The Rain fits that description and could not have had a better warm-up than when running William Robertson to 0.50 lengths in the Gr2 Topbet Joburg Spring Challenge over 1450m on the Inside track last time out.
He carried 59kg in that event, whereas in the Charity Mile he has a mere 52kg. He is slightly worse off with some runners than should be the case on handicap ratings, but on form he is well weighted with several rivals and should go close.
One has to respect trainer Mike de Kock’s charges Safe Passage and MK’s Pride, who must be included in Quartet bets, as well as Red Saxon. Trainer Joe Soma’s charge is a lot better than his last three races suggest and will enjoy the drop to 1600m.
Piere Strydom has been stood down on medical grounds and replaced on his five carded rides.
The first race is off at 11h30.
