The spotlight will be on the fillies and mares at the Fairview racetrack in Greenbushes on Friday.
The main race on the card, race seven of eight, is the R150 000 Jockey Club Stakes over the tricky distance of 2 000m.
This distance has caught out some good sorts over the years because you need a runner with stamina and speed to seal the deal.
Some classy individuals will contest this event, which is the third and last leg of the East Cape Challenge for fillies and mares.
The local stables are eager to win this race after the first two legs were won by the visiting Cape Town horses, Pineapplemintgreen and Rainbow Lorikeet.
This past Friday we saw another Cape Town visitor winning a feature race at Fairview, King Regent.
King Regent was an easy winner of the first leg of the Nelson Mandela Bay Poly Challenge. We are used to nail-biting finishes in this Challenge, but this was not one of them.
The fast pace in the race suited King Regent and he won easily over 1 200m.
His connections are still deciding whether King Regent will tackle the other two legs of the Challenge, to try to secure the bonus of R250 000 for winning all three legs.
The bonus has never been won before, but King Regent looks capable of pulling it off.
The R175 000 second leg is over 1 400m and will be run on September 27.
The third and final leg is over 1 600m on October 18.
There is also a consolation bonus of R50 000 for the best-performing horse in the Challenge to aim for if King Regent doesn’t win all three legs.
The locals have some work to do but will be keen to strike back in the second leg.
Friday’s meeting will end a hectic first month of the season at Fairview but stay tuned for a humdinger in the first week of September.
It will start with a meeting on Monday the 2nd, followed by the Speeders Stakes on Friday the 6th.
That is also the day the East Cape Horse of the Year will be announced at the awards evening to honour all the winners of last season.
Some winners are already known. One man who will get an award is Gqeberha-based jockey, Kendall Minnie.
He will officially be crowned as the local East Cape Champion jockey.
“I started the season with the mindset that I wanted to be the local champion. The title race was tight, but I feel I’ve done well,” said Minnie.
There is always pressure on any champion and Minnie would welcome a sponsor to help him defend his title.
Interested parties can contact him via email at kminniejockey@gmail.com.
