Erik primed for the Challenge

Jack Milner

Racing fans are in for a treat at Turffontein on Saturday with the running of two Grade 2 events, the Betway Joburg Spring Challenge and the Betway Joburg Spring F&M Challenge, both over 1450m on the Inside track.

It is a race which has been dominated by three-year-olds in recent years and that is because of the race conditions which sees them coming in with light weights.

But it is also worth noting that this race has produced some high-class winners who have gone on to better things within the same season.

All of 2021 winner MK’s Pride, 2023 champion Main Defender and last year’s victor, Tin Pan Alley, have gone on to win the Grade 1 Wilgerbosdrift HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes, while William Robertson, who won it in 2022, has gone on to win a number of features, including the Grade 1 Computaform Sprint.

Heading up the R550,000 race this year is defending champion Tin Pan Alley, who will be having his comeback run after finishing unplaced in the Grade 1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge over 1600m at HWB Greyville in June, a race in which he suffered massive interference.

He will be carrying 10kg more this time and will have to deal with a wide draw, but he will have Keagan de Melo up and whatever the outcome of this race, we are sure to be hearing a lot more about Sean Tarry’s charge as the season progresses.

Three-year-olds have a good record in this race but there is only one this year and that is Louis Goosen-trained Erik Dubois, who already has a Grade 1 victory under his belt, the Premiers Champion Stakes over 1600m at Hollywoodbets Greyville in July.

The Erik The Red gelding looks well weighted with just 52.5kg on his back and he will have Muzi Yeni in the irons.

Interestingly, Goosen will be using this race as a stepping-stone to bigger things with some three-year-old features being lined up for this talented youngster

“The Spring Challenge was not originally in programme,” Goosen said yesterday. “His main mission is the Dingaans later in the season.

“The feeling is that 1600m on the Standside track at Turffontein should be ideal for him and this race is part of the plan to have him fully acclimatised.

“After that we might consider taking him to the Cape for the Guineas but the two races are only 19 days apart.”

Nevertheless, Goosen still believes his charge could win tomorrow. “He has a proper turn of foot and there is still so much more to come from him.”

Erik Dubois gave Goosen his first Grade 1 success and he has nothing but praise for his charge. “He is by far the best horse I’ve ever touched. He was a late foal and in fact, he only turns three in November. He is a massive horse and he’s going through a second growing spurt, so he is only going to get better.

“I only hope he fits into the starting gates,” he quipped

Yeni has come to work his mount and readers of his column on Page 8 of this edition will note that he makes Erik Dubois his best bet on the card, so this fellow must have shown him quite a lot.

He carries just 52.5kg and once one looks past him it becomes a very open race. One runner that could provide some decent each-way value is Choisaanada, who ran fourth in this race last year, beaten one length by Tin Pan Alley. However, this time Erico Verdonese’s charge will be 9kg better off and could run a big race.

The race for fillies and mares also looks to be dominated by the three-year-olds as Mike and Mathew de Kock-trained Flower Island and Sean Tarry’s Get Up will meet again. On strict form, Get up has the beating on their last run in the Grade 2 Allan Robertson Championship at Hollywoodbets Scottsville but Flower Island is better drawn which could well be a factor and it could come down to which of the two are fitter on the day.