The highlight of the afternoon is the Merit Rated 60 Handicap, and the 2,000-metre Breeders Champion Cup, which has attracted the course’s top horses – Captain’s Tiger, Madigan, Choisir, Plesant Valley, Mighty Shaa, Macchiato – as well as a few newcomers, Forty One, Copper Bay, Queen Rania, Rock The Bottom and Star Dance.
Three runners stand out in the field of 12 nominations and they are hard to separate. Former Tripple Crown winner Madigan should win the race ahead of Captain’s Tiger and the fast improving Macchiato from the stable of champion trainer Lisa Harris.
The day includes several big fields which should ensure big payouts, but the Merit Rated 60m Handicap has brought with it a battle of the trainers, and drawn one of the biggest nominations at Borrowdale.
With 21 nominations for the 1,800 metre race, punters will be presented with an interesting guessing game. The field could be reduced to the 18 permitted by the Borrowdale Course.
Three of the trainers , Corner Spies, Wayne Badenhors and Jannie Blignaut, are campaigning at Borrowdale for the first time this season and would want to have their presence felt.
Of the newcomers, Badenhors fields the highest number of horses, with Captain Grant, Jubilee Claim and Mnguni all making the trip from South Africa. Spies has Lane Geena and Sin Latigo while Blignaut fields only Charir’s Daughter, also from South Africa.
The other trainers to have made nominations for the race are Borrowdale regulars Lisa Harris, Kirk Swanson, Sebastien D’Aquino, Ghokan Terzi, and Alyson Wright.
Harris fields four of the Zimbabwean horses in the event – Bobby Soxer, Castle Hill, Paliamentarian and Picadillo. The 2013 champion trainer also lines up South African horse, Detective Casey, who has had several successes at Borrowdale.
Ghokan Terzi has five – Amanzi, Belo Horizonte, Just Bluffing, New York and Sido which was formerly under the guidance of the departed Kenyan trainer Nuno Nur.
Former champion trainer Kirk Swanson has favoured Zimbabwe’s Grey Desire which he partners with South African horses Chief Pigeon, and Downtown Twilight as he seeks the biggest chunk of the $7,500 on offer for the race.
Not to be outdone, Sebastien D’Aquino, winner of a number of top races, sends out Mr Indigo, while Alyson Wright has put her faith in one horse, Sol Invictus.
Post published in: Sport