The Gold Challenge is one of the championship events of the year as it is run on weight for age terms and attracts the best milers from all corners of the country.

Beach Beauty is probably the best female miler in the country at present and will face the likely best male racehorse in the land, the Geoff Woodruff-trained Yorker, a giant of a horse, who was awesome when winning the Gr 1 President’s Champion Challenge over 2 000m at Turffontein last time out.

The Dean Kannemeyer-trained Capetown Noir was unlucky to be beaten by Yorker in the Gr 1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes over 1 600m at Turffontein on March 29 and should also be a big player.

He was beaten 2,5 lengths by Beach Beauty in the Drill Hall Stakes over 1 400m on Saturday at weight for age terms, but was cleverly kept in a pocket by Sean Cormack, which forced him to run through traffic down the inside in the straight. He would never have beaten the little “pocket rocket”, but might have got a bit closer and he will also relish the return to a course with a left-hand turn and a longer straight.

Drier was intending to run his leading two-year-olds, the colt Guiness and the filly Balkan, over 1 100m at Clairwood on Sunday and decide from there whether they would run at the Festival Of Speed meeting. However, only three runners stood their ground in the race that Guiness was entered for and it has been scrapped.

Drier has won two out of the last three runnings of the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Medallion over 1 200m. Guiness will give him a chance of repeating his Medallion win last year with Captain Of All, as he was impressive when winning his debut over 1 000m at Clairwood by a comfortable two lengths with the rest of the field strung out like the washing.

Guiness’ sire Seventh Rock won the Medallion in 2007, beating the subsequent two-time Gr 1 winner Argonaut, who was also accepted into the breeding shed. Guiness’ dam, Tinder Box, by Strike Smartly has also produced the useful Justin Snaith-trained eight-time winning sprinter November Rain.

Drier’s Horse Chestnut filly Balkan was beaten 0,75 lengths by the promising Glen Kotzen-trained Garden Treasure on debut over 1 000m at Scottsville, before winning second time out over 1 200m at Clairwood by six lengths. The runner up in the latter race, Tapaway, franked the form to some extent by finishing a narrow second to the well-bred and well-backed Mike de Kock-trained first timer Alborean Sea next time out. Balkan faces six other promising sorts in a Maiden Juvenile Plate for Fillies over 1 100m on Sunday, including Garden Treasure.

Captain Of All has also been doing well and will be heading for the Gr 1 Golden Horse Casino Sprint over 1 200m at the Festival Of Speed meeting. His last run was a win in a Graduation Plate over 1 200m at Kenilworth on November 6 last year, but he was subsequently laid off with a joint sprain.

The consistent sprinter Barbosa will also be heading for the Golden Horse Casino Sprint. He finished second over 1 100m last time out in the Listed In Full Flight Handicap, beaten only 0,75 lengths by the Clairwood specialist Normanz.

Barbosa was raised four points to 102 for that race, which should allow him to qualify for the Golden Horse and he should come in with a nice galloping weight. Chave De Oura, who was last seen in the Gr 1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate, will not be ready in time for the Golden Horse.

The yard’s smart Var filly Schiffer is on track for the Gr 1 SA Fillies Sprint. She played up behind the pens in the Computaform Sprint and was also squeezed in the running. She is better than her unplaced run there and will be a threat if she bounces back. Drier won the SA Fillies Sprint in 2011 with the brilliant Val De Ra.

The yard’s four-year-old Jet Master filly Jet Aglow, who was a touch unlucky when tie third in the Gr 1 Laurie Jaffe Empress Club Stakes after being forced into going for home a bit early, will likely go for the Gr 2 Tibouchina Stakes over 1450 on June 7, a course and distance that will suit her well.

Captain On The Run will attempt to make it a hat-trick at Scottsville next Wednesday, but there are no big plans for him yet.

Neither are their big plans for the yard’s promising three-year-old sprinter Darkness, who has won three out of four.

Two to watch from the yard are the quick three-year-old Argonaut filly Clear Sailing, for whom they are looking for a suitable 1 000m event, and the promising three-year-old Act One gelding Crescendo, who should be just about ideally suited to the 1 300m trip of the Graduation Plate he is entered in at Greyville next Friday.

Meanwhile, Eventual Angel, who had to be scratched from the KRA Fillies Guineas last week after injuring herself in her box, will “be okay”, but is unlikely to run again in the Champions Season.[/expand]