Mac de Lago is back in training and is being aimed at the Gr1 Charity Mile to be run at Turffontein at the end of the month. Weiho Marwing said the Gr1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge winner had been given a month off on the farm after finishing third in the Vodacom Durban July where according to Marwing he had pulled up “with a bit of a joint.”

“He had a month of on Hassen’s (Adams) farm and he’s back in training at Turffontein,” said Marwing. But he won’t have a race before the Charity Mile. “There isn’t enough time to give him a race before the Mile so he will go straight into it.”

Two season’s back Marwing sent Wylie Hall into the Vodacom Durban July without a preparation race and the colt was arguably unlucky to be demoted to second in the boardroom.

Current plans are to miss the Gr1 Sansui Summer Cup and head to Cape Town for the Gr1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and the Gr1 Sun Met which now boasts a stake of R5 million.

Gr1 Premier’s Champions Stakes winner Gunner makes his seasonal debut in the second of the KZN 3YO Series races over 1400m at Scottsville on Sunday. Paul Gadsby is aiming him at the $500 000 CTS Mile to be run at Kenilworth in January.

“He’s got to start somewhere and I don’t want to send him down to Cape Town a fat little butterball. I’m just hoping for a good race on Sunday,” he said yesterday.

After this race he will be sent to Cape Town where he will be under the care of Daryl Hodgson.

Sunday’s series race has attracted a smart field that contains a number of unknowns outside of Gunner and Palladium who are both relatively exposed. Scent Of The Tiger, Roy’s Magic, Marshall That, Great Value and Sarah’s Secret are recent maiden winners but all on the up and get a hefty 6kg from Gunner and 2kg from Palladium which should make for an interesting contest.

Andrew Harrison