Charity to win big at MWOS Gold Cup

Graeme Hawkins

The Charity Marquees are back for the 2022 Marshalls World Of Sport (MWOS) Gold Cup race day on Saturday 30 July! After a Covid enforced two year hiatus, Gold Circle has made the decision to welcome back seven different Charities to this year’s event now that Covid related restrictions have been completely lifted.
Corporate Services Executive Veronica Jack explains, “Gold Circle is actively involved in various Corporate social initiatives and always seeks opportunities to give back to those less fortunate, especially to those from communities where we operate our business. We are delighted to be in a position to welcome back the Charity element to one of our most prestigious race days. We started this Gold Cup initiative back in 2003 and since then Millions of Rands have been raised for the benefit of many different charity organisations.”
Obviously the Charities themselves depend on the community for support in filling their respective marquees to maximum capacity. This is a wonderful way of enjoying a special day at the races while at the same time contributing to very worthy causes. A full list of the Charities, together with contact details for tickets, can be found elsewhere on this page.
The MWOS Gold Cup over 3200m is South Africa’s premier long distance event and is one of ten feature races on the day. Apart from the MWOS Gold Cup itself, the programme boasts no fewer than four Grade 1 races including the Champions Cup over 1800m and the Mercury Sprint over 1200m, both of which are run at weight-for-age terms.
Trainer Sean Tarry won the MWOS Gold Cup last year with the Champion stayer Nebraas who has been set to carry 60kgs in this year’s race – 7,5kgs more than he carried to victory in 2021. That said, Nebraas has continued to improve, is holding form well and he seems well on track to record a rare back-to-back success in the Gold Cup. Tarry has very a useful back up runner in the form of Black Thorn who emerged as the winner of the DSTV Gold Vase over 3000m earlier this month on Hollywoodbets Durban July day.
The Champions Cup is proudly sponsored by the Hong Kong Jockey Club and as a committed “World Pool” racing event, the bets are widely commingled across the globe resulting in massive tote pools throughout the day. It seems likely that racegoers can look forward to last year’s winner Jet Dark going head-to-head with Kommetdieding and Linebacker – the first three home in the WSB Cape Town Met at Kenilworth earlier this year.
For more than two decades the Mercury newspaper has been the title sponsor of the Mercury Sprint. Over the years, the Mercury Sprint has grown in stature and is now recognised as one of the country’s premier sprinting events with a reputation of producing champions that have gone on to make their mark on the International stage. The most famous of these is probably JJ The Jet Plane, a multiple winner of the Mercury Sprint, who went on to land top honours in a major International sprint race at Shatin race course in Hong Kong a few years back.
The other two Grade 1 races are for two year olds. The Thekwini Stakes over 1600m is for 2yo fillies and few will forget Rain In Holland’s spectacular last-gasp victory in last year’s renewal. Rain In Holland went on to capture the Triple Tiara on the Highveld this season and is well on her way to being voted Equus Champion 3yo filly. The Grade 1 Premiers Champion Stakes is open to colts, geldings and fillies and South Africa’s young rising stars will be all-out to stake their claim for Championship honours. Cousin Casey has won both the Listed Cell C Sharks Gatecrasher Stakes and the Grade 2 Durban Golden Horseshoe coming into this race and if he stands his ground from a widish draw, the title of South African Champion 2yo colt will be on the line for the son of Vercingetorix.
The first of ten races will be run at 12:20 at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday 30 July with the last race going off under the lights at 18:00. Whatever the outcome of the various high quality races may be, there is no doubt that Charity will be the big winner on the day!

Excellent 👏