Golden Horse Casino Sprint Raceday

The Golden Horse Casino Sprint raceday to be staged at Scottsville in Pietermaritzburg on Saturday, May 30, boasts a “jackpot” of Grade 1 races. Apart from the main feature, the R600 000 Golden Horse Casino Sprint (Gr 1), Scottsville also plays host to two of the country’s top juvenile races, the R500 000 Gold Reef Resorts Medallion for colts and the R500 000 Allan Robertson Fillies Championship for two-year-old fillies.



The fourth Grade 1 feature of the afternoon is the R500 000 South African Fillies Sprint. All four races are contested over the straight 1200m.



The Gold Reef Resorts Medallion has attracted an exceptional field and there will be a number of big reputations on the line. Mike Azzie will saddle the hitherto unbeaten Vacherin who slammed the best juvenile colts on the Highveld in no uncertain manner when winning The Nursery (Gr 2) at Turffontein in only his second outing. Opposing will be two runners out of the Mike de Kock yard, Mr. Crazy Boy and Solid Choice. Mr. Crazy Boy showed a blistering turn of foot when getting up on the line to head Aim High in a desperate finish to the Umkomazi Stakes (Gr 2) over the course and distance earlier this month. Aim High, out of the Glen Kotzen yard, will again be in opposition.



The Australian-bred Solid Choice made a superb start to his racing career when upstaging the heavily backed favourite August Rush in a hotly contested maiden at Clairwood and De Kock was lavish in his praise post race. With the De Kock yard gearing up for a tilt at a UK campaign, it may be significant that globe-trotting stable jockey Kevin Shea is in town for the ride.



Also in the field is the highly rated Villandry from the Vaughan Marshall yard. He carried top weight in the Umkomazi and showed plenty of early pace before fading late behind Mr. Crazy Boy and Aim High. He meets this pair on much more favourable weight terms this time round which could see him turn the tables.



Trainer Michael Azzie has an enviable record in these big Scottsville races and apart from Vacherin in the Gold Reef Resorts Medallion, he will saddle the exciting My Kazzie in the Allan Robertson Fillies Championship. Renamed after Azzie by co-owner Barry Irwin of the Team Valor syndicate, My Kazzie made a promising enough debut in the Pretty Polly Stakes before strolling to victory to shed her maiden. Captain’s Call and Dijla fought out a desperately tight finish to The Debutante (Gr 2) over the course and distance earlier this month with Dijla in front before and after the line but not on it, so there is a score to settle here. Third that day was the Duncan Howells-trained Passive Resistance who was giving weight all round and on handicap terms possibly ran the best race of the lot.



The Gavin van Zyl-trained Onehundredacrewood is unbeaten in two outings and ran Pretty Polly Stakes winner Corpes Da Elite off her feet when last they met. On that sort of form, Van Zyl will be more than hopeful of his filly’s chances.





The South African Fillies Sprint makes up the quartet of Grade 1 races and has also attracted a top class field where three runners had to be eliminated at final acceptances. Most interest here should centre on the Charles Laird-trained Merlene De Lago who will be out to make amends for her shock defeat at Turffontein on Champions day. Back for another crack at the title is the Sean Tarry-trained Ethereal Lady who seems to come good at this time of the year. A winner two season’s back, she had to play second fiddle behind Rat Burana last year and seems sure to be a factor again.



In the mean time, there is a lot to ponder before what will be a brilliant afternoon’s racing.

Charles Laird appeared to hold the whip hand when the final field for the R600 000 Golden Horse Casino Sprint was announced on Thursday. The champion trainer elect declared Warm White Night and Our Giant to run in the Grade 1 event to be run over the straight 1200m at Scottsville on Saturday, May 30.



Winner of last year’s Gold Reef Resorts Medallion, Warm White Night, will be aiming for a Grade 1 double at Scottsville’s big raceday after beating home Cerise Cherry in the Gold Reef Resorts Medallion last year.



Our Giant, the second highest rated galloper in the country behind Pocket Power, takes on the champion at Clairwood this Sunday, May 23, and has been allocated top weight of 60kg for the Golden Horse. His presence sees his stable companion, Warm White Night, come into the Golden Horse with a handy 56,5kg to shoulder.



Other notable entries in the country’s premier sprint include recent Drill Hall Stakes (Gr 2) winner and Zimbabwean champion Earl Of Surry out of the Geoff Woodruff yard while Mike Bass will saddle WPOTA Diadem Stakes (Gr 2) winner and Cape Flying Championship (Gr 1) runner-up, Blue Tiger. Bass also sends out Gaultier, a winner at Greyville a fortnight back, who has been specially prepared with this race in mind.



One of the three-year-olds in the line-up is Target Acquired. The highly rated son of Western Winter out of the Dean Kannemeyer yard lost his unbeaten record when fourth behind Polished Steel and Big City Life in the Byerley Turk, also run at Scottsville, but he comes into this race with only 52kg to shoulder and can give his more salted rivals a tough race.