Tsogo Sun raceday at Scottsville in Pietermaritzburg this coming weekend confirmed its status as the sprinting capital of South Africa when full fields of 16 runners plus reserves were carded for the four Grade 1 races over 1 200m that make the meeting unique on the country’s racing calendar.

With total feature race stakes of R3.25-million on offer for the four races, every top sprinting thoroughbred in the country is set to face the starter with the R1-million, Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint field including the first three horses past the post in the Grade 1 Computaform Sprint at Turffontein recently.

Joey Ramsden’s speedsters Attenborough and Speedpoint filled first and third places in that 1 000m race with Dorrie Sham’s Pinnacle Peak sandwiched between them and they are set to renew their battle over the testing Scottsville course where they will be joined by, among others, the winner and runner-up in the In Full Flight Handicap Bold Respect and Sunset Eyes from the in-form Brett Crawford stable.

Poinsettia Stakes winner Sommerlied from the Dennis Drier stable along with the first three past the post in the recent Camelot at Turffontein, Green Plains, Myfunnyvalentine and Winter’s Forge, are among the acceptors for the R750 000, Grade 1 South African Fillies Sprint and the two Grade 1 races for juveniles, the Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion and Allan Robertson Championship, have highly competitive fields featuring the leading two-year-olds from around the country.

Dennis Drier has accepted with his three entries – Crown And Country, Goliath Heron and Immortelle – in his bid to win the Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion for the eighth time but will face serious opposition from William The Silent, Cirillo and Chimichuri Run that filled the first three places in the SA Nursery at Turffontein and the trifecta of runners from the Godolphin Barb – Cue The Music, Van Halen and Traces that led his colt Goliath Heron home on the day.

In the Allan Robertson Championship, the outcome of the race is another difficult to predict as the field includes the winner and runner-up in the SA Fillies Nursery at Turffontein, Ronnie’s Candy and Ghalla as well as the first three past the post in the Strelitzia Stakes, Inverroche, Canukepitsecret and Petra.

The four races form the official Jackpot at the meeting and with large exotic bet pools on the day, the competitiveness of the feature events could result in large payouts for successful punters.

- Richard McMillan.

Image of Cue The Music by Gold Circle