Final Field for Emerald Cup.

PHUMELELA MEDIA RELEASE

SUBJECT: Final field for Emerald Cup

DATE: Thursday 15 September 2010

RELEASED BY: Phumelela Gaming and Leisure Limited

Early favourite for the R600,000 Emerald Cup, Storm Crossing, drew widest of all at No 16 when the barrier positions were made known last night.
The Grade 2 event is the richest race on sand on the African continent and will form part of a weekend festival of racing.
Storm Crossing will be aiming to repeat Phunyuka's double of last year of winning the August Stakes over 1200m and the Emerald Cup. Mike de Kock's runner captured the Listed event by 6.25 lengths last month and as a result has been priced up 3-1 favourite for the Grade 2 race by Betting World.
When he won the August Stakes Storm Crossing was also drawn wide and that allowed apprentice Tshwaro Appie to keep him wide and out of all the kick back as many of the runners went at lightning speed out front. This time Anthony Delpech will be aboard Storm Crossing.
Speaking about the chances of his runner De Kock said: ``He was very well favoured at the ratings last time but the Emerald Cup is about sand specialists and he is one of them. I would believe 1450m will be better for him than 1200m and he needs to be taken seriously.''
There is little doubt that trainer Roy Magner will be delighted that his top-class filly, Cinnamon Sugar, will jump from barrier No 2 while Phunyuka is well positioned at draw No 5. However, Eastern Cobbler is poorly positioned at No 14.
Sean Tarry has two runners – Sayadaw and Incomodo – and the latter, to be ridden by Felix Coetzee, drew at pole position while Sayadaw and Andrew Fortune are at No 8.
Owner Bridget Oppenheimer did not have much luck either as Queen’s Bay, unbeaten on the sand, and Iron Curtain drew at Nos 11 and 12 respectively. Mike Azzie, who trains Queen’s Bay, quipped: ``She's a filly. Let's hope the boys will be polite and give her the right of way.’’
Another interesting runner is KwaZulu-Natal raider Sharks Bay. Denis Drier’s runner is an unknown quantity as he has never raced on the sand. However, he has won a Grade 2 race at Greyville and also finished second to Our Giant in the Grade 1 Merchants at Clairwood. He has bounced back to form recently but will need to contend with a No 10 draw.
The double feature begins on Friday 24 September with two Listed races – the Hampton Handicap and the Banyana Handicap for fillies and mares, both over 1000m.
The Emerald Cup will be raced on the Saturday, along with four other feature races. They are the R150,000 Emerald Fillies handicap, also over 1450m, the Vaal River Handicap over 1800m, The Sophomore 1000 and the Sophomore Fillies 1000. The last three mentioned each carry prize money of R125,000.
The festival is preceded on Thursday 23 September by a Racing Association golf day, as well as a World Series of Poker Africa Celebrity Poker Tournament for charity at the Emerald Resort & Casino who are the hosts of the event.
Apart from the thrilling racing action, spectators will be treated to live music, a children’s entertainment area, guest artists and celebrities, on-course competitions with great prizes, glamorous fashion shows, the popular Mr and Miss Emerald Cup pageant, picnic sites and a beer garden, among other attractions.

Final field for the R600,000 Emerald Cup (G2) to be run over 1450m at the Vaal sand track on Saturday 25 November
1 - 5 PHUNYUKA (R R Magner) G Figueroa 60.0 - 106
2 - 8 SAYADAW (S G Tarry) A Fortune 59.5 - 105
3 - 11 QUEEN'S BAY (M G Azzie) J P v'd Merwe 58.0 - 102
4 - 12 IRON CURTAIN (R R Sage) G Wrogemann 57.5 - 101
5 - 10 SHARKS BAY (D R Drier) S Randolph 57.5 - 101
6 - 2 CINNAMON SUGAR (R R Magner) D David 56.5 - 100
7 - 9 CLUB VICTOR (T Lowe) P Strydom 56.5 - 100
8 - 15 BOY OH BOY (J S Roux) P Whitmore 56.0 - 99
9 - 16 STORM CROSSING (M F De Kock) A Delpech 56.0 - 99
10 - 14 EASTERN COBBLER (R R Magner) G Lerena 55.5 - 98
11 - 4 ALIMONY (S J Gray) ............... 55.5 - 97
12 - 7 DEEP WATER (C Laird) A Marcus 55.5 - 97
13 - 6 LOCHLORIEN (M G Azzie) T Appie 54.5 - 96
14 - 1 INCOMODO (S G Tarry) F Coetzee 54.5 - 95
Reserve Runners
15 - 3 RAGA MUFFIN (B D Botes) Reserve 1 54.0 - 95
16 - 13 DON'T TELL TITCH (G V Woodruff) Reserve 2 55.0 - 96
Same Trainer: (1,6,10) (2,14) (3,13)

SAYADAW

Got it down to six but can`t choose between them...

Queens Bay,Storm Crossing,Incomodo,Cinnamin Sugar,Eastern Cobbler and Sayadaw

wide open should be 6/1 the field...

Storm Crossing may be well handicapped but the way Sayadaw quickens (shades of Alimony in his heyday) is impressive and he must have a chance. I agree it's a tough choice - as a R600k handicap should be.()

Everyone seems to be ignoring the old man, Alimony; except for one moderate run behind Iron Curtain last time on this surface, there is form to suggest that he can hold his own at these weights - I don't know if he still is the same horse he was a couple of months ago, but if so I think he is geat value at a big price - will be interesting to see who gets the ride (Striker still without a ride?)

I think the obvious contenders are Storm Crossing (there is talk that a wide draw is not a kiss of death for him, but I think it is still a disadvantage), Sayadaw and Iron Curtain (also drawn wide). I may end up with egg all over my face, but I can't see the fillies matching the colts at these weights.

The unknown quantity is of course Sharks Bay - I still can't agree with him getting a run before Raga Muffin and Don't Tell Titch - who both have had good sand runs, and the conditions of entry for this race states:

Phumelela Gaming & Leisure reserves the right to determine
the Final Field taking into consideration factors such as current
Merit Rating, current Sand form & competitiveness in Graded
& Listed Stakes races

"Reserve the right" are the key words, Frodo. They are not obliged to consider sand form, they merely are entitled to use it as a factor if they see fit. Sharks Bay is a class horse and a Gr 2 winner who has been Gr 1 placed, so it would have been hard to leave him out of a field like that despite his complete lack of sand form.

I know Magic, but - using the argument that Sharks Bay qualify on the grounds that he is a Gr 2 winner could then be extended to say that the winner of this race should run in the Summer Cup - even if it is a sand specialist like Cinnamon Sugar.

Anyway, that's the field and that's it - I still wouldl have been a bit aggrieved if I were the owners of the 2 reserves.

surely phum could have done a bit of a better show with the live draw last night ...it was ameteur to say the very least and basically summed up THE gauteng racing season.....MUCK

.....it was hysterical..... the best local comedy I have ever witnessed.....at least no one can point any fingers and say that the draw was rigged......even MDK got his wish as he did not need to get a good draw.....I think that the fairer sex even without allowances will be very competitive......

Is that what MDK said? A draw like that is justice then...

Bettingworld going 3/1 Storm Crossing from that draw? what price would they have went from a decent draw?

This race is wide open,6/1 the field,you would have to be mad to take 3/1 Storm Crossing antepost

cinnamon sugar for me;)