Countrywide entries for Betway Summer Cup
Jack Milner
There were 43 runners nominated to run in the R6-million Betway Summer Cup and they include entries from all over the country.
The Grade 1 race over 2000m will be run on the Turffontein Standside track on Saturday 28 November.
Included in the entries is last year’s winner, Frank Robinson-trained Mocha Blend, but she will face a tricky defence of her title against potentially strong opposition.
The Mike and Mathew de Kock stable lead the pack with seven nominations, which include last year’s Grade 1 Cape Guineas winner Jan Van Goyen and a host of top-class fillies in Curious Girl, Drumnadrochit and Reet Petite. Their other entries are Aladdin’s Lamp, Wild Intent and Immediate Edge, who has not raced since the 2025 Hollywoodbets Durban July.
Sean Tarry has four nominations and among them is last season’s Grade 1 SA Classic champion Grand Empire, as well as Tintin, Legend Of Arthur and Master Spy.
Champion trainer Just Snaith has entered Native Ruler, sixth in this year’s HWB Durban July, as well as five-time winner Magic Verse.
Gladatorian showed his class again when winning the Grade 2 Betway Spring Challenge over 1450m on the Inside Turffontein track last Saturday and trainer Stuart Ferrie is clearly keen to bring him back for this event.
King Pelles did not have the best of fortune in last year’s race but he showed his class when finishing third in the Durban July, and trainer Gareth van Zyl will be taking another run at this Betway Summer Cup.
Another runner who could be back for a second try is James Crawford’s Otto Luykin, who probably did not enjoy the wet conditions last year.
Gold Cup winner Holding Thumbs from the Glen Kotzen yard has been entered while brother Nathan Kotzen has thrown Field Marshal and Madison Valley into the mix.
Alec Laird-trained Fire Attack missed last year’s race with his mission focused on the Western Cape, but he loves this track and trip and is always a force in race of this nature.
There are also some new entries this year, among them Joe Soma’s highly rated Errol Flynn, and two top-class fillies in Hazy Dazy, trained by Corne and Xander Spies, and Tyrone Zackey’s Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks winner LIttlemissmillion.
The maximum field size is 20 runners and the weight spread is just 6kg, with the maximum set at 60kg and the minimum at 54kg. Weights may change up to the time of declarations, but there will be no change after the final field has been issued.
Second entries close at 11:00 on Tuesday 3 November 2026, final entries at 09:00 on Monday 16 November 2026 after which the weights will be published.
Declarations must be in by 11:00 on Tuesday 17 November.
First entries for the R6-million Betway Summer Cup (Grade 1) over 2000m at Turffontein on Saturday 28 November.
ALADDIN’S LAMP (M/M de Kock)
BUSSTOPINHOUNSLOW (G J Maroun)
CALLA LAGOON (S T Pettigrew)
CHOISAANADA (E Verdonese)
CHRONICLE KING (C/T Dawson)
CURIOUS GIRL (M/M de Kock)
DRUMNADROCHIT (M/M de Kock)
ERROL FLYNN (J A Soma)
FIELD MARSHAL (N Kotzen)
FIRE ATTACK (A G Laird)
FIRST WISH (C/T Dawson)
GLADATORIAN (S H Ferrie)
GO GRAYSON GO (F Greyling)
GRAND EMPIRE (S G Tarry)
HAZY DAZY (X/C Spies)
HOLDING THUMBS (G S Kotzen)
I SALUTE YOU (P B Muscutt)
IMMEDIATE EDGE (M/M de Kock)
INDIAN OCEAN (M Pandaram)
ISIVIVANE (P B Muscutt)
JAN VAN GOYEN (M/M de Kock)
JAZZ CAFE (R A Hill)
JIMMY DON (J A Soma)
KING PELLES (G van Zyl (Jnr))
LEGEND OF ARTHUR (S G Tarry)
LITTLEMISSMILLION (T Zackey)
MADISON VALLEY (N Kotzen)
MAGIC VERSE (J S Snaith)
MASTER SPY (S G Tarry)
MISSION TO MARS (S T Pettigrew)
MOCHA BLEND (F Robinson)
NATIVE RULER (J S Snaith)
OLIVIA’S WAY (R R Magner)
OTTO LUYKEN (J Crawford)
PALACE PRINCE (S J Gray)
PARISIAN WALKWAY (A G Laird)
REET PETITE (M/M de Kock)
RULE BY FORCE (J A Soma)
SOLAR SAIL (P F Matchett)
THE ULTIMATE KING (A P Peter)
TINTIN (S G Tarry)
TOMYRIS (A P Peter)
WILD INTENT (M/M de Kock)
For event details visit www.summercup.co.za. For ticket sales, visit Summer Cup tickets on Howler.