Entries Hollywood Gold Challenge

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Dave Scott wrote: You are too sensible for me Frodo, let's take the PLACE double 😉

I see Sovereign Spirit will run in the Challenge - for me it's the wrong call, but Dave you should be happy

Maybe one way of keeping the MR down

Hollywoodbets GOLD CHALLENGE (Grade 1)FINAL FIELD

1 1 Jet Dark 58.5 130 A Richard Fourie Justin Snaith
2 2 Seeking The Stars 58.5 121 BA Grant van Niekerk Vaughan Marshall
3 3 Rainbow Bridge 60 134 A Luke Ferraris Eric Sands
4 4 Chimichuri Run 60 125 TBA ............... Sean Tarry
5 5 Cirillo 60 120 T A ............... Sean Tarry
6 6 Trip To Africa 60 114 BA *Thabiso Gumede Duncan Howells
7 7 Belgarion 60 130 A S'manga Khumalo Justin Snaith
8 8 Sovereign Spirit 60 124 BA Keagan de Melo Candice Bass-Robinson
9 9 Catch Twentytwo 58.5 123 A Gavin Lerena Paul Peter

EAST COAST RADIO TIBOUCHINA STAKES (Grade 2)

1 1 Wylie Wench 60 99 A Chase Maujean M G Azzie/A A Azzie
2 2 Rio's Winter 60 105 T A S'manga Khumalo Stephen Moffatt
3 3 Caya Coco 58.5 102 A Muzi Yeni Glen Kotzen
4 4 Zimbaba 58.5 96 A ............... Sean Tarry
5 5 Wisteria Walk 60 110 T A Craig Zackey Lucky Houdalakis
6 6 Zarina 58.5 107 A Keagan de Melo Candice Bass-Robinson
7 7 Hugs Accepted 58.5 96 A Donovan Dillon Peter Muscutt
8 8 Point Of Sale 60 96 AM Gavin Lerena Glen Kotzen
9 9 Keep The Lights On 58.5 99 A Richard Fourie Justin Snaith
10 10 Freestate Star 58.5 108 A Warren Kennedy Dennis Drier
11 11 Favorita 58.5 101 A Grant van Niekerk Justin Snaith
12 12 Love Bomb 60 108 A Luke Ferraris Frank Robinson
13 13 Mount Laurel 60 109 A Stuart Randolph Wendy Whitehead
14 14 In The Dance 60 99 T A ............... Sean Tarry
15 0 All Of Me 60 93 A Reserve 1 Corne Spies
16 0 Flashy Kaitrina 60 80 BA Reserve 2 Kumaran Naidoo

Rainbow Bridge will defend his title in the 50th renewal of the R1 million Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday and will be out to turn the tables on Gr1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate winner Jet Dark.

South Africa’s joint second richest race is the final Vodacom Durban July ‘golden ticket’ event and promises to be a thriller with five big race entries lining up.

Although only nine runners are due to face starter Solly Ngcobo, there is plenty of intrigue with runners like Rainbow Bridge and Belgarion warming up for the VDJ against star miler’s whose main target will have been this race.

The Eric Sands-trained Rainbow Bridge could not have been more impressive when winning the Gr2 Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m beating Catch Twentytwo and the pair will face up again come Saturday.

Rainbow Bridge will renew his partnership with jockey Luke Ferraris who has landed a six-month contract to ride in Hong Kong from mid-September.

Jet Dark, the highest rated three-year-old in the country after his defeat of Rainbow Bridge in the Queen’s Plate, has not had an outing since that victory which may be a worry for some. Stable first-call Richard Fourie rides with Grant van Niekerk switching to Seeking The Stars.

Justin Snaith scratched Jet Dark from the original July entry but the colt is sure to be primed come Saturday.
Vaughan Marshall has had a stellar Champions Season to date and will saddle Seeking The Stars who set a solid gallop for stable companion Linebacker in the WSB KZN Guineas. He stayed on well enough for second which will make him a factor on Saturday.

Snaith also saddles last year’s VDJ winner Belgarion who missed his intended warm-up race in the Drill Hall with an abnormal blood picture. He is already assured of a place in the VDJ but this will be a testing warm-up. S’Manga Khumalo rides what will probably be his VDJ mount.

Sovereign Spirit and Cirillo are assured of a July gate while Trip To Africa is 18th on the latest VDJ log and a top showing here will push him further up the table.

New Merit ratings
RB Stays at 134
Catch22 goes from 123 to 126
Chimi stays at 125
Seeking the stars stays 121
Belgarions stays 130
Jet Dark stays 130
Sover spirit down from 123 to 122
cirillo stays 120 ???

Crown towers up from 115 to 117
Tristful up from 112 to 113
Nexus stays 117
Tree Tumbo stays 109
Azores down from 107 to 104
African Night sky down from 107 to 105????

Caya Coco up from 102 to 110
Zimbaba up from 96 to 106
Hugs Accepted up from 96 to 105

Some interesting moves - I don't understand how they could drop Sovereign Spirit (and I think he was at 124) 2 points - if Catch Twenty Two runs to 126, then SS runs to around 115 - so either leave him as is, or drop him to 115 - a 2 point drop to me is neither here nor there; I can understand Cirillo not being dropped - as he does seem better with no blinkers, so a run to be ignored imo