Clash of the titans in Horse Chestnut

JOHANNESBURG – The final fields for Classic Day at Turffontein on March 7 have been declared and all the big names will be coming.

There are three Grade 1 races – the Wilgerbosdrift HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes, the HKJC World Pool SA Classic and Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic – and all three have thrilling fields.

The highlight will be the 1.5 million rand (S$116,000) Horse Chestnut Stakes (1,600m), named after one of the great South African thoroughbreds who won the Triple Crown, and which features some of the top champions on its roll of honour.

Legal Eagle won the race three times in a row (2016 to 2018) while multiple Group 1 winners, and now stallions, Soqrat and Hawwaam won in 2019 and 2020 respectively.

This year’s renewal will feature an epic showdown between World Sports Betting Cape Town Met (2,000m) winner See It Again and Hollywoodbets Durban July (2,200m) champion The Real Prince.

Although they will be the two headline acts, the supporting cast are not in to make up the numbers. The last two winners Main Defender (2024) and Cosmic Speed (2025), as well as the reigning Highveld Horse of the Season, Fire Attack, are also in the fray.

In an interesting move, three-year-old Tin Pan Alley, who ran sixth in the first leg of the SA Triple Crown for three-year-olds, the Grade 2 Gauteng Guineas (1,600m), will take his place in this field as opposed to the SA Classic.

Sean Tarry’s charge is probably better suited to this 1,600m and gets a 3kg weight-for-age allowance. Keagan de Melo is booked to ride the The United States gelding.

Richard Fourie will be aboard See It Again, Craig Zackey will ride The Real Prince, Gavin Lerena pilots Main Defender while Calvin Habib is on Fire Attack.

Speaking about See It Again, trainer Justin Snaith’s brother Jonathan said: “See It Again will travel up from Summerveld to Johannesburg on March 6. The move to altitude always brings a touch of the unknown – some horses thrive on it while others take time – but his preparation has been flawless.

“He is in identical shape to when he won the Grade 1 WSB Met and could not be coming to the Highveld in better order.”

As expected, horses from the Mike and Mathew de Kock yard dominate the field for the 1.5 million rand SA Classic (1,800m), the second leg of the SA Triple Crown, with four runners, headed up by Jan Van Goyen with Callan Murray in the irons.

The Grade 1 Cape Guineas (1,600m) winner gave the first leg, the Gauteng Guineas, a miss after his Cape campaign, but will try and beat stablemate and Gauteng Guineas winner Splittheeights.

The latter will have Raymond Danielson back on board, while One Eye On Vegas and Yippee Kiyay round up the de Kock squad.

Tarry runs Gauteng Guineas runner-up Grand Empire, Candice and Tammy Dawson send out Guineas third and Grade 2 Dingaans winner Trust, while Joe Soma will saddle exciting gelding Errol Flynn.

In the 1.25 million rand SA Fillies Classic (1,800m), the Corne Spies-trained Hazy Dazy will continue her quest to become a Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara champion and claim the 1 million rand bonus.

Once again there are a number of challengers, including the four fillies who finished behind her in the Gauteng Fillies Guineas – Charge It, Alan Greeff’s reigning Equus Champion 2yo Filly Golden Palm, Lowveld Lily and Littlemissmillion respectively. 4RACING