The 2014 Vodacom Durban July and recent Rising Sun Gold Challenge winner Legislate is taking on some of the country’s top sprinters in South Africa’s premier speed event, the R750 000, Grade 1 Mercury Sprint over 1 200m at Greyville on Saturday.

For whatever reason, Cape trainer Justin Snaith is pitting the reigning Horse Of The Year against winner of the Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint winner Captain Of All from the Dennis Drier stable at level weights over the tight Greyville track adding an unexpected element to the famous sprinting event that will be run at the central Durban venue for the first time since the closure of Clairwood.

The field for the country’s top weight-for-age sprint has trimmed down to a fascinating mix of speed and stamina with the versatile sprinter-miler Willow Magic from the Sean Tarry stable included among the 11 runners.

Legislate is a miler with plenty of toe as he showed when smashing the Kenilworth 1 600m record when winning the Green Point Stakes and Snaith’s decision not to run him in the Vodacom Durban July which he won last year but put him up against the speed horses in this 1 200m race is an interesting development. Snaith is reported as saying that if he comes out of this race without a problem, he will run him in the Champions Cup at Greyville over 1 800m the following week.

Captain Of All won the Grade 1 Tsogo Sprint at Scottsville in fine style stamping himself as a contender for the EQUUS Sprinter Of The Year award and a win in Saturday’s race could well give him an edge over Alboran Sea that beat him in both his “away” races, the Betting World Cape Flying Championship at Kenilworth and the Computaform Sprint at Turffontein.

Saturday’s field for the country’s top weight-for-age sprint also includes the first and second past the post in the Post Merchants, Daring Dave and Moofeed, the winner of the City Of Pietermaritzburg Fillies Sprint Carry On Alice and the versatile sprinter-miler Willow Magic that finished second in the Rising Sun Gold Challenge and third in the Post Merchants.

It is an interesting and exciting field that heads an entertaining meeting where racegoers can win a share of R32 000 in Race and Win prizes including a stay at the Cascades Sun City and Spar grocery vouchers.