Three Gauteng three-year-olds set to dominate their age group

While Cape-based Charles Dickens hogged the racing headlines last season, it is Gauteng which is housing a trio of three-year-olds who look set to dominate their age group over the next nine months of the 2023/24 campaign.

In alphabetical order, Main Defender (Tony Peter), Sandringham Summit (David Nieuwenhuizen) and Tail Of The Comet (Sean Tarry) are all poised to plunder big races for their connections.

Main Defender and Sandringham Summit are due to clash in next Saturday’s Graham Beck Stakes at Turffontein and the race forms part of a meeting which is a must for any racing connoisseur.

In the early market, Sandringham Summit is the narrow favourite at 16-10 with Main Defender on offer at 17-10.

This is a fair enough assessment by bookmakers as — though he’s making his seasonal bow — Sandringham Summit wove his way through traffic to beat Main Defender by two and a half lengths in the Premiers Champion Stakes at Greyville at the end of July.

It was a good result for Business Day readers as this column was sweet on the colt’s chances and he started at the attractive odds of 7-1.

Main Defender reappeared in the recent Joburg Spring Handicap and put his rivals to the sword with a six lengths win. It was a costly race for bookies with the Tony Peter inmate being heavily backed to start at 15-10.

Clearly, those racing fans in the Peter camp will argue that the colt may have the edge on fitness over Sandringham Summit in the Graham Beck. That is why it’s vital the view of David Nieuwenhizen is so important — if he feels his charge may need the run then Main Defender will start favourite.

Mike de Kock will be quick to point out that his three-year-old, Gimmeanotherchance, 7-2 third favourite for the Graham Beck, has to come into the equation as — starting as the 9-4 favourite — his colt was beaten only half a length by Sandringham Summit in the Greyville race.

The third ace in Gauteng’s top three-year-old pack is Tail Of The Comet who put his hand up for the Cape Guineas with a commanding performance in last Saturday’s R600,000 Ready-To-Run Stakes at Durbanville.

Former business mogul, Hassen Adams, will be over the moon to have bred the winner at his Nadeson Park Stud and he may feel the colt’s owners actually got a bargain when securing the horse for R425,000 at the 2022 Cape Ready-To-Run Sale.

Winning jockey Richard Fourie — the William Buick of SA racing — said: “I thought I went too soon on him but his turn of foot is phenomenal. I’m learning about him still — he’s an interesting horse for me.”

Full marks to trainer Candice Dawson for trucking down her talented filly, Just Be Lekker, for the Durbanville race. Ralphs Racing were rewarded with the runner-up cheque of R132,000.

It’s always fascinating to speculate on future clashes — is it possible that Main Defender, Sandringham Summit and Tail Of The Comet (and possibly Gimmeanotherchance) could clash in the Daily News 2000 in the 2024 KZN season?

• In possibly his last appearance at Ascot, Frankie Dettori delighted his legion of fans with a last to first victory on 3-1 chance, King Of Steel, in last Saturday’s grade 1 Champion Stakes at the Berkshire track.

“A fairy-tale ending, Ascot is home,” the Italian told reporters. “My emotions are all over the place. The crowd got the horse over the line.” Asked whether he might ride King Of Steel in 2024, Dettori replied: “At the moment, I’m focusing on my American adventure. I have no plans to come back to England.”