MEDIA RELEASE.

MEDIA RELEASE – 6 AUGUST 2008



Trainer Basil Marcus and jockey Greg Cheyne were the toast of Greyville on Saturday when they teamed up with Desert Links and secured victory in the first Gr. 1 race of the new racing season, the Canon Gold Cup.



Desert Links, a five-year-old son of Kahal out of the Home Guard mare Selborne Park, ran out a convincing winner of the Canon Gold Cup and in so doing gave ‘JMFJ’ the lead in the inaugural Charity Turf Challenge.



‘JMFJ’ had not led the competition at any stage but after the running of the ninth leg of the competition, All Stars Day, moved within striking distance of ‘African Lion’. While ‘African Lion’s’ hopes were pinned on Bill OF Rights who only needed to run a place to secure victory for him, ‘JMFJ’s’ sole entry in the Canon Gold Cup was Desert Links and third-placed Okkie Brits had Prince Asad and River Jetez on duty for him.



However, it was the Marcus-trained Desert Links that beat the Argentinean-bred Membrado with Omaha Beach running on late for third and Magical Ballad a game fourth, securing the win for ‘JMFJ’ and relegating ‘African Lion’ to second.



The last race of the inaugural Charity Turf Challenge was the Gold Bracelet, but with the three potential winners of the competition not having any representation in that race, the title was already decided and ‘JMFJ’ reigned supreme! The latter’s prize worth R50 000 was made up of R30 000 in cash, R5 000 Betting World and TABGold betting vouchers, a year’s subscription to the Sporting Post and various Canon products including a Digital Camera, a Multifunctional Business Machine and a Selphy Photo Printer. Canon also gave away numerous spot prizes during the Challenge as did Shirley Kruger Racing who sponsored two R500 betting vouchers. The generosity of the sponsors is greatly appreciated.



From the entries received for the Challenge the African Horse Sickness Trust, this year’s Charity beneficiary, received R10 000 towards their work in combating the effects of AHS. Racing South Africa CEO, Peter Gibson, was confident that the Charity Turf Challenge was here to stay and predicted that next year’s entries would exceed R250 000.



The Canon Gold Cup raceday was also the third and final day of the Racing South Africa Thoroughbred Expo 2008 which took place at Greyville racecourse. Over 30 stall holders representing the major sectors of the racing industry and other service providers exhibited their wares in the converted underground parking area of the Grandstand.



During the Expo, over 1000 school children attended the Live Exhibition component gaining first hand experience of the sport of horse racing. Popular with all who participated at the various stations, it was a major hit with the school kids and their teachers.



Another first for the Expo was the recording of the Tellytrack show ‘You Be The Judge’ in front of a live studio audience in the Champagne Lounge. Converted into a studio for the recording, Neil Andrews, hosted the show which debated the pros and cons of the export of South Africa’s top racehorses. The debate between Mike de Kock, Robin Bruss, Charles Faull and Andrew Harrison was lively and the audience participation added a new dimension to the show. The show will be broadcast on Monday 11 August.



An innovation of the Racing Association at the Expo was the hosting of a commentator’s competition in which the winner, as decided by an independent panel, won R2 500 for being the best caller. That honour went to young Allistor Cohen who showed his prowess with some astute and talented calling.



Whilst disappointed with the overall attendance on the Saturday, Peter Gibson believed that the Expo had achieved much in establishing a marketing platform which could be developed and also extended to other parts of the country. He commended the Exhibitors for the professional manner in which they had presented their stalls and thanked them for their support. The exhibitors were: Faculty of Vet Science Onderstepoort, Kenilworth Quarantine Station, African Horse Sickness Trust, OBP Ltd, Hobday International Transport, The Thoroughbred Breeders Association, KZN Breeders, Summerhill Stud, Gold Circle, TabGold, National Racing Bureau, National Horseracing Authority, National Responsible Gambling, SA Jockey Academy, CAEP, THETA, Plett Equestrian Academy, Capstone & Equifeeds, Tellytrack, The Racing Association, Odds on Colours, Natal Bookmakers Society, Sporting Post/Winning Form and Harness Racing South Africa.



The final top 20 leader board of the inaugural Charity Turf Challenge is:



1. “JMFJ” 302

2. “African Lion” 297

3. Okkie Brits 285

4. “African Lion” 282

5. “Honey” 280

6. “S M Koster” 277

African Lion 277

8. Johan Oosthuizen 275

9. Neil Andrews 270

Jacques Strydom 270

11. “69” 265

Neil Andrews 265

Snaith Racing 265

Chalk Stream 265

Tejalisa 265

Deez Dayanand 265

N Roopnund 265

Neil Andrews 265

19. S M Koster 262

Rodney Dunn 262

Craig Strydom 262



Ends



Gill Simpkins
P R Manager