Nominations for Champion Challenge 25th April.

Nominations for Champions Challenge

Steinhoff Summer Cup winner Rudra is among the 26 entries for the R2 million Champions Challenge, to be run over 2000m at Turffontein on Saturday April 25. Mike de Kock’s four-year-old colt has not raced since beating Smart Banker by three lengths last November but the two could well do battle again here. De Kock has also nominated SA Classic winner Forest Path and fillies Milk And Honey, Gilded Minaret and Zirconeum.

Charles Laird has not only entered Smart Banker but also Summer Cup third-placed Senor Versace, Crown Of Power, and three-year-olds Oracy and Always. Unbeaten Oracy won both the Dingaans and the Gauteng Guineas but he did not race in the SA Classic last Saturday. There will be many challengers, however, as Sean Tarry has nominated Buy And Sell, who beat both Pocket Power and Dancer’s Daughter in last year’s Champion’s Cup at Clairwood. Third in that race was Surfin’ USA and Mark Dixon’s runner is also among the entries for the Champions Challenge.

Dancer’s Daughter is in the list of entries but trainer Justin Snaith has indicated the grey mare will not take her place in the final line-up. The base weight for three-year-olds is 53kg and for four-year-olds and older it is 55.5kg. Grade 1 winners will incur a penalty of 2.5kg and for Grade 2 winners it will be 1kg. Penalties are not cumulative and will only be added once, irrespective of the number of grade 1 and 2 races any horse may have won.

No penalties can be incurred after the publication of the weights on Tuesday 14 April. Fillies and mares get a 2.5kg allowance subject to a minimum weight of 50kg. Final supplementary entries take place on 14 April with the final field being announced on Thursday 16 April.

ALPE D'HEUZ (G M Alexander);
ALUMINIUM (G V Woodruff);
ALWAYS (C Laird);
BUY AND SELL (S G Tarry);
CAPTAIN CORAGEOUS (L Wiid);
CAPTAIN'S TABLE (D Zaki);
CATMANDU (A Kirsten);
CERISE CHERRY (P F Matchett);
CROWN OF POWER (C Laird);
DANCER'S DAUGHTER (J S Snaith);
EL PADRINO (D C Goss);
FOREST PATH (M F De Kock);
FULL POWER (G V Woodruff);
GILDED MINARET (M F De Kock);
HORATIO (P F Matchett);
LIKEITHOT (C Laird);
MILK AND HONEY (M F De Kock);
ORACY (C Laird);
ROYAL AIR FORCE (G V Woodruff);
RUDRA (M F De Kock);
SENOR VERSACE (C Laird);
SINGING SWORD (T Zackey);
SMART BANKER (C Laird);
SURFIN' USA (M Dixon);
THANDOLWAMI (C Eudey);
ZIRCONEUM (M F De Kock