Sandringham Summit winning the Gr 2 Durban Golden Horseshoe (Picture: Candiese Lenferna)
Whilst Cape Town has suffered extensive damage from the excessive rainfall, it is a different story on the Highveld where rain is needed.
David Nieuwenhuizen is hoping for more rain so that there will be further improvement in the condition of the Turffontein Inside track as he might bring his champion colt Sandringham Summit out for his seasonal reappearance in the R400,000 BSA Sales Cup over 1450m on October 7.
He said, “We are going to nominate him for the BSA Sales Cup, but it obviously depends on the draw. It’s on the Inside track and there’s been a bit of rain, which helps a lot, because I don’t think this track is at its best. It has been raced on a lot lately and the Standside is obviously not available at present. We had about 10mm last month, but we need more rain just so it can green up a bit and soften up a bit. Then they can trim it down a bit and roll it just to get the track in better condition. That is obviously important so the horse can pull up sound, as he’s got decent races set up for him further down the line. The BSA Sales Cup would be a nice entry for him into the season.”
He said it would not be vital to give Sandringham Summit a workout on the grass, because he had been doing very well working on the sand. A grass gallop might be considered though if was not deemed to be risky.
He said despite generally being believed that the colt does not need a good draw because of his ability to come from off the pace, he felt a good draw on the Turffontein Inside track would be important.
He said, “It’s difficult on the Inside track because it is on an incline and you generally have to drop to the back of the field and there is quite a short run in. So we would like an inside draw.”
David said a Cape Town campaign would be on the cards for the Gimmethegreenlight colt and he added that going down there would financially be the right way to go (considering the incentives and perks in place for raiders).
However, he added, “But the Dingaans would be his next target after the BSA, those two races would be a nice entry into the season and from there we can then play each one as it comes up. The Triple Crown will also be on the cards.”
David has noticed that KZN have shown their hand on the three-year-old male front more than Cape Town, but he was sure some big horses would emerge in Cape Town sooner or later.
Sandringham Summit struck as one with plenty of scope and many fans are excited in their anticipation of this long-striding, classy individual blossoming into a top class three-year-old.
