Big Entry For The Grade 1 Golden Horse Sprint

Gimme A Prince (far side) and Rio Querari might renew rivalry in the Grade 1 Golden Horse Sprint. They are pictured here finishing one-two in the Grade 1 Pongracz Cape Flying Championship. (Credit: Wayne Marks).

The Grade 1 Golden Horse Sprint trophy sadly can not be defended this year because the reigning champion, the Corrie Lensley-trained Vercingetorix colt Alesian Chief, was humanely euthanised at the beginning of this month after a track work incident and subsequent post operative complications.

Nevertheless, there was a big entry list of 31 horses for the June 3 event at Hollywoodbets Scottsville.

Seven of those are females. including the crack filly Desert Miracle. She will have to carry 59,5kg, no easy task against the boys, but if she takes her place in the Grade 1 SA Fillies Sprint she would have to take on the top class Princess Calla, so it will be interesting to see which way the 124 merit rated Mike de Kock-trained filly goes.

The highest rated sprinter in the country, Isivunguvungu, is not among the entries, not surprisingly, as he is better at 1000m and carrying topweight over this tough 1200m would not do him much good ahead of his chief target, the Gr 1 weight for age Mercury Sprint around the turn at the easier Hollywoodbets Greyville track.

The topweights are the 125 merit rated pair Gimme A Prince and William Robertson. 

Gimme A Prince won by 3,10 lengths over this course and distance on debut before things went awry in the Grade 1 Gold Medallion, but he has certainly fulfilled his potential since then including a win in the Grade 1 Pongracz Cape Flying Championship. He proved last time, when a narrow second in the Grade 2 IOS Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m, that he gets further, so this tough 1200m will be ideal for him.

However, it will also be ideal for the classy William Robertson, who has won at Grade 2 level over 1450m.

Carrying half-a-kilogram less than them will be the former Equus Champion Sprinter Rio Querari. He has been back in form lately, recently recording his first win for exactly two years, so he could be well handicapped off a 124 merit rating, considering he has been as high as 130.

Last year’s runner up Bartholdi will run off a seven point higher mark of 119 this year.

There will be 16 runners and the bottom weight will be 54kg, a rule brought in last year probably to ensure the winner is deserving of Gr 1 victor status.

There will be pressure for places.

If all stood their ground the cut off merit rating would be around 112.

However, the final field panelists are not bound by merit rating order when making their final decision.

Under Your Spell is one of the more interesting female entries.

Trainer Sean Tarry, who is probably the most successful Hollywoodbets Scottsville Grade 1 trainer in history with 15 victories at the highest level, might feel Under Your Spell would play second fiddle to stablemate Princess Calla in the weight for age Grade 1 SA Fillies Sprint, so he might take his chances with her in the Golden Horse, where she would have to carry just 54,5kg off a 114 merit rating.

She won the Grade 1 Allan Robertson Championship over course and distance as a two-year-old by 3,80 lengths, a scintillating performance, so has the ability to do it. 

Tarry has also entered Last year’s Grade 1 Gold Medallion winner Thunderstruck. He has been disappointing this season, but in retrospect his only run over a sprint trip this term, when a 6,20 length fourth to Princess Calla in the Grade 2 Senor Santa over 1160m, when receiving only 1,5kg, was not a bad effort. He will sneak into the handicap here carrying 54kg off a 115 merit rating.

The full field is shown below:

Race-8 (Turf / Stand) R850 000 1200m
GOLDEN HORSE SPRINT (Grade 1)
Handicap
WFA: 2yrs-8.5kgs 3yrs-1kgs