This has to be one of the most awaited clashes during this year's KZN Winter Season. The two stable companions, FUTURA and LEGISLATE, should fight this out over the 1800m. Last year's winner of the race, FUTURA, finished a very good fourth in the Vodacom July four weeks ago. That was a very good run under top weight. he is a class act and should run well again this afternoon and will be looking to emulate his run in this race last year. Interesting to remember that he did win both the J & B Met and Queen's Plate in Cape Town earlier in the year.

ICE MACHINE could come between the two Justin Snaith runners. He was finding a good finish in the July. he did win the Grade 1 Drill Hall Stakes almost three months ago. Jockey Anton Marcus has an excellent record when aboard ICE MACHINE. In the seven runs he partnered him, he has won five of them with two seconds. His record does show one win over today's distance.

Las season's Horse of the Year, LEGISLATE, ran a great race in the Grade 1 Mercury Sprint two weeks ago. With 300m to go he looked very much as though he were going to win the race. The postponement of the race for one week may have played into his hands. Expect another very good run. He ran on strongly to beat WILLOW MAGIC in the Gold Challenge over 1600m at this track the run before that.

Most racing enthusiasts would love nothing better than to see Cape Town trainer, Stan Elley, win his last Grade 1 race as a trainer in an illustrious career. PUNTA ARENAS ran a great race in the Vodacom Durban July last time and was just pipped by POWER KING in a powerful driving finish to the line. At the weights would battle to finish ahead of FUTURA again.

WILLOW MAGIC has very good form and ran second to LEGISLATE in the Gold Challenge two months ago. Looks to have a chance at the weights against LEGISLATE.

1st - FUTURA (1); 2nd - ICE MACHINE (3); 3rd - LEGISLATE (2); 4th - PUNTA ARENAS (7); 5th - WILLOW MAGIC (8)