Highveld trainer Weiho Marwing will bid to win the unofficial “stayers triple crown” when he saddles his four-year-old Ideal World gelding Hermoso Mundo for the R1.25-million, eLan Gold Cup over 3 200m at Greyville in Durban on Sunday, July 30.

The gelding has won the 3 200m Gold Bowl at Turffontein and the Grade 3 SABC Gold Vase over 3 000m at Greyville in his last two starts and will confirm his status as the country’s champion stayer if he can lift the ultimate marathon challenge title on the second day of the Gold Cup Festival of Racing Weekend at the Theatre of Champions at the end of the month.

Weiho Marwing (Nkosi Hlophe)

Marwing has proved time and again that he is one of the best conditioners of long distance runners and with brother Weichong in the saddle for this important encounter, Hermoso Mundo has a good chance of completing the treble. The record shows that the further they go the more he loves it and in winning the Gold Bowl he humiliated his opposition in winning by 5.25 lengths.

Completing the treble may not be that easy in the eLAN Gold Cup where he will meet, among other top stayers, the four-year-old Captain Al gelding from the Justin Snaith stable, Captain Splendid, that beat Hermoso Mundo by about a head only to be denied victory in the steward’s boardroom after an objection in the SABC Gold Vase. Piere Strydom, a master at judging pace, retains the ride on Captain Splendid and this time his mount will be 2kg better off in the weights with the Marwing runner.

Hermoso Mundo received a six-point penalty for his win in the SABC Gold Vase while Captain Splendid escaped a penalty and the difference could well have its effect over the extra 200m of this race.

But both could be upstaged by the Mike de Kock-trained Australian-bred gelding Kinaan, the four-year-old son of one of the world’s leading sires Galileo, that finished third in the SABC Gold Vase just 1.55 lengths behind the other two. He is again set to carry the low weight of 52.5kg which will be in his favour over this longer trip with top rider Callan Murray, back from a stint in Hong Kong, in the irons.

Others that could feature in the finish are Krambambuli, Mr Winsome, Trophy Wife, Banner Hill and Zante but it is the top three finishers in the SABC Gold Vase that could hold the aces in what should be a great race to bring the curtain down on South Africa’s Champions Season 2017.

By Richard McMillan