The cream of South African sprinting stars have been entered for the four Grade 1 races at the country’s Festival of Speed at Scottsville Racecourse in Pietermaritzburg on Saturday, June 4.

A total of 90 horses have been nominated for the famous clashes over the testing 1 200m track in the KwaZulu-Natal Capital where the R1-million Tsogo Sun Sprint will head the card with an entry of 30. There have been 18 entries for the R600 000 The City Of Pietermaritzburg Fillies Sprint, 30 for the R600 000 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion for juveniles and 22 for the R600 000 Allan Robertson Championship for juvenile fillies.

Champion trainer Sean Tarry is giving his star filly Carry On Alice an easier path to another Grade 1 victory by not putting her up against the colts and geldings as she has been with great success in the past and has nominated her for the The City Of Pietermaritzburg Fillies Sprint. She comes off an impressive victory over her male counterparts in the Grade 1 Computaform Sprint and will be the horse to beat at Scottsville.

Instead he is throwing another filly, the Australian-bred four-year-old Tiger’s Touch, into the lion’s den to take on the likes of Talktothestars from the Coenie de Beer stable that ran a length second to Carry On Alice in the Computaform Sprint and is the highest-rated runner in the field. He has also nominated the three-year-old Western Winter colt Buckland.

Dennis Drier has entered Barbosa that finished third in the Computaform Sprint and Triptique that was narrowly beaten by New Predator in the Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes.

The winner of the Betting World Cape Flying Championship, Gulf Storm from the Brett Crawford yard is among the entries along with the Dean Kannemeyer-trained Captain Alfredo that won the In Full Flight Handicap last time out.

Among the fillies and mares looking to take on Carry On Alice in The City Of Pietermaritzburg Fillies Sprint are Sycamore Sprint winner Tiger’s Touch, if Tarry chooses the easier route for her, as well as the first two past the post in the Sceptre Stakes, Princess Royal and Cosmic Light.
Diadem
From the Mike Bass stable is the five-year-old winner of the Diadem, Lanner Falcon, that finished third in the Klawervlei Majorca Stakes and second in the Poinsettia Stakes, the last mentioned behind Real Princess from the Kannemeyer stable that is also among the entries.

Tarry has nominated his fabulous Captain Al filly Cloth Of Cloud for both the Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion and the Allan Robertson Championship giving him the option of where to run her depending on developments.

She beat the boys in the SA Nursery at Turffontein and if she runs in the Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion she will come up against the Mike Azzie colt Rivarine that she beat last time as well as the unbeaten Pathfork colt Red Chestnut Road from the Robbie Hill yard that won the Godolphin Barb Stakes in his last outing.

Mike de Kock has entered his unraced Australian-bred colt Tharoos and Allan Greeff has entered the Tiger Ridge colt Oomph that won the East Coast Nursery and the Dahlia Stakes in his last two races.

If Cloth Of Cloud goes for the Allan Robertson Fillies Championship, her opposition could include her stable companion and SA Fillies Nursery runner-up Myfunnyvalentine as well as the first four horses past the post in the Strelitzia Stakes - the exciting Vaughan Marshall-trained filly The Secret Is Out, Corne Spies’ Seattle Singer and two other stable companions, Touching and Visuality.
The quality of the entries is among the best seen for the speed carnival which promises a day of fantastic racing.