Defending Gold Cup champion Nebraas topped the weights for South African horse racing’s most prestigious staying occasion when first entries had been revealed on Monday.

Trainer Sean Tarry’s cost, an unraced reserve for the current Durban July, has been allotted 60kg by the handicappers and drew stall gate No 7 for the three,200m marathon at Greyville on 30 July.

Tarry was very disillusioned that Nebraas didn’t crack the July nod as he felt his five-year-old was in good nick coming off three wins in 5 races since his final relaxation spell. The son of sizzling sire Vercingetorix was a well-backed favorite within the 2021 Gold Cup when he obtained dwelling by a quarter of a size underneath champion jockey Lyle Hewitson.

A complete of 33 horses have been entered for the 2022 Gold Cup, which is sponsored by Marshalls World Of Sport. A most area of 15 will go to put up, with three reserves carded.

Nebraas has a advantage ranking of 118, the identical as Mike de Kock-trained SA Derby victor Aragosta, who’s down to hold 57.5kg as he’s nonetheless a three-year-old. Aragosta was quietly fancied by many pundits for the July, however completed in midfield after the slow-run 2200m contest. The further distance of the Gold Cup will swimsuit him.

Gold Cup runners

The second high weight, 59kg, goes to Shangani, from the steady of main coach Paul Peter. Shangani has an MR of 116 and is a winner of six of 11 begins, together with the Java Stakes and the Aquanaut Handicap at Turffontein. He lately obtained the higher of Nebraas in a 2400m Pinnacle Stakes on the identical course.

Also on 57.5kg are Justin Snaith’s One Way Traffic, a very spectacular winner of the 2200m “Consolation July” on July day, and one other of Tarry’s three entries, Shango. In late-May, the latter gained the 2400m Lonsdale Stirrup Cup at Greyville, a conventional Gold Cup pointer.

Tarry’s third hopeful is Black Thorn, one other July day winner – of the 3000m DStv Gold Vase, maybe a very powerful prep race for the big one.

ENTRIES

Marshalls World Of Sport Gold Cup (Grade 3) 3,200m R750,000:

(draw, title, weight, MR, coach)

1        Smoking Hot       54     100   Candice Dawson                    

2       Follow The Star   54     93     Glen Kotzen                           

3       PayBackTheCash       54     90     Nathan Kotzen                      

4       Chewbaca             54     96     Andre Nel                     

5        Monashada          54     100   Kumaran Naidoo                   

6       Spring Fling         54     96     Glen Kotzen

7        Nebraas               60      118    Sean Tarry                   

8       Electric Surge     54     72     Robbie Hill

9       Black Thorn        54     100   Sean Tarry

10      Crimson King      56.5  108   Glen Kotzen                 

11      Space News         54     64     Carl Hewitson    

12      Aragosta               57.5  118    Mike de Kock               

13      Chollima               54     102   Glen Kotzen

14      Shango                  57.5  111     Sean Tarry

15      Imperial Ruby     55.5   104   Corne Spies

16      Lamborghreeni   54     74     Paul Peter

17      Decorated             54     100   Frank Robinson           

18      Flying First Class 54    78     David Nieuwenhuizen

19      Shangani               59     116    Paul Peter           

20     Out Of Your League     54.5  102   Fabian Habib

21      Salvator Mundi   54     100   Justin Snaith      

22     One Way Traffic  57.5   111     Justin Snaith

23     Silver Maria         54     95     Dean Kannemeyer

24     Rex Union             54     86     Dean Kannemeyer

EARLY BETTING

18-10 Nebraas, One Way Traffic

11-2 Black Thorn

6-1 Shangani, Aragosta

14-1 and upwards the others