Cape trainer Mike Bass will bid to win the race named in his honour, the R1-million, Grade 1 Mike & Carol Bass Champions Cup at Greyville Racecourse on Super Saturday with his smart three-year-old Silvano gelding Marinaresco that came close to winning Africa’s Greatest Horseracing Event, the Vodacom Durban July, three weeks ago.

Bass, whose mobility has been compromised as a result of illness, will head his famous Mike Bass Racing stable for the last time at the meeting on July 30 before handing over the reins to his daughter Candice.

Marinaresco won both the Winter Guineas and Winter Classic in the Cape before being shipped to Durban for the Vodacom Durban July where he was one of the fancied runners and ran a fantastic race to take second place behind The Conglomerate.

He will be one of the favourites to win the 1 800m race under stable jockey Grant van Niekerk but has some formidable opposition to contend with including the Joey Ramsden-trained Silvano gelding St Tropez that finished second to Solid Speed in the Betting World 1900. The four-year-old, along with other runners, found problems in the July and his near last finish is best ignored.

Saratoga Dancer, that surprised racing experts with his fifth place in the July, will be out to improve on that performance and his third place in the Cup Trial and Punta Arenas from the Dennis Drier yard will have his followers after his gutsy win in the Delta Air Lines 2200 at Greyville on July day.

Rocketball from the Gavin van Zyl stable will be fancied on his near defeat of Abashiri in the SA Derby and fourth place in the Daily News 2000 and Charles Laird will be looking for another top run from Exit Here that won the Cup Trial.

Sean Tarry has not declared jockeys for his two runners, Gold Onyx and Malak El Moolook, stable jockey S’manga Khumalo will be waiting for his boss’ decision of which, if either, he will ride.