De Kocks’ Cup entry No 8 gets No 9 slot in Top 20
Second log of likely big race runners published by 4Racing.
Splittheeights, a late entry into the Betway Summer Cup, has been placed in the 9th position on the latest Top 20 Log for the prestigious Johannesburg horse race. The formidable stable of Mike & Mathew de Kock assessed the horse's fifth-place finish in the Allied Steelrode Charity Mile and decided to invest R13,800 in the supplementary fee to secure its entry into the R6-million Grade 1 showpiece.
The race is set to take place on 28 November at Turffontein. Earlier this year, Splitheeights had won the first leg of the Triple Crown (Gauteng Guineas) and finished third in the second leg (SA Classic), placing it among the top tier of its three-year-old generation. The savvy fathers and sons opted to give the young colt a seven-month break to mature and strengthen before competing in one of South Africa's "Big 3" races.
This decision, coupled with its opening price of 12.50, has made Splittheeights the De Kocks' leading contender among their eight candidates in the 38 remaining entries. Other De Kock hopefuls include Jan Van Goyen, Curious Girl, Immediate Edge, Wild Intent, Drumnadrochit, Aladdin’s Lamp, and Reet Petite. There is no indication that Charity Mile victor Zeitz will be supplemented into the Summer Cup, as trainer Andre Nel believes his smart galloper is outside the 2000m range of the big race.
Final declarations are due on Tuesday, 17 November, while final declarations for the final field are expected to be announced on the same day by the National Horse Racing Authority in consultation with 4Racing.
Written by urgent.news from The Citizen's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
