(17 January 2017) The final fields for the inaguaral 2017 Sun Met celebrated with Mumm was announced at Grandwest Casino last night. The 126th edition of the prestigious event promises to be an event not to be missed with exilhilerating horseracing, glamour, style and South Africa’s hottest entertainment.
Frankie Dettori will be at Kenilworth for South Africa’s richest-ever race day on 28 January when the legendary jockey will ride Durban July winner The Conglomerate for trainer Joey Ramsden and owners Mayfair Speculators in the R5-million Sun Met celebrated with Mumm.
Dettori, famous for his flying dismounts, will also partner the highly regarded Table Bay for Ramsden in the Investec Cape Derby and Cape Fillies Guineas winner Just Sensual for the same trainer in the $500,000 CTS Mile as well as the Dennis Drier-trained Seventh Plain in the Betting World Cape Flying Championship.
Ramsden has come close in the Sun Met on more than one occasion and The Conglomerate has an obvious chance although he will have to really respond to Dettori’s brilliance if he is to topple warm favourite Legal Eagle who also carries the colours of Markus Jooste’s Mayfair Speculators.
Justin Snaith, who has also not won the Met, has the biggest hand with three runners – last year’s Investec Cape Derby winner It’s My Turn, Baritone and exceptionally high-class filly Bela-Bela. Other notable runners include heavily backed Whisky Baron and Marinaresco, who went so close in the Durban July.
The draws will be decided after the 15 runners gallop at Kenilworth on Thursday morning.
Gulf Storm will attempt to repeat last year’s win in the R1-mllion Betting World Cape Flying Championship but he will face spirited opposition from the much-travelled Red Ray, flying filly Carry On Alice and her stable companion, Trip To Heaven, who has won his last three starts. Former French champion Stephane Pasquier will also be in action and he has been booked for Talktothestars in this race.
Grade 1 sprint winner Real Princess steps up to 1600m for the Klawervlei Majorca Stakes in which the highest rated runner is Silver Mountain, a five length winner of last season’s Cape Fillies Guineas, but badly drawn here.
The Investec Cape Derby is the fourth Grade 1 on the card and Dettori’s mount, Table Bay, is expected to face tough competition from the constantly improving Horizon who set a South Africa record when bought for R5.2 million as a yearling.
Grade 1 winner Cloth Of Cloud, a brilliant but temperamental filly who has an alarming tendency to pull herself up as she reaches the line, has been kept all season for the CTS Sprint, one of two races carrying prize money of the Rand equivalent of $500,000. Cape Guineas winner William Longsword clashes with the fillies equivalent heroine Just Sensual in the other $500,000 race, the CTS Mile. Dettori, though, will face a stern test as his mount is drawn widest of all.
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NOTES FOR EDITORS
About The Sun Met
In 1883, a fleet-footed horse named Sir Hercules galloped into the history books by winning the first-ever Metropolitan Mile horserace in Cape Town. Since then, ‘The Met’ has grown in stature and size to become South Africa’s oldest horse race, and one of its most prestigious.
In September 2016 luxury hospitality, gaming and entertainment group Sun International was quick to take up the reins as the new title sponsor of the race. Sun International Chief Operating Officer Rob Collins says:
“Given the gaming and social history of The Met, the synergy between our two premium entertainment and hospitality brands was immediately clear. Sun International is therefore delighted and honoured to be associated with this prestigious event.”
For well over 30 years Sun International has provided South Africans with big, bold, slick, and efficiently organised entertainment events – such as the Nedbank Golf Challenge, Miss South Africa, and others. This expertise bodes well for The Sun Met, celebrated with Mumm as Sun International strives to further enhance the excitement of the event.
In line with this commitment the theme for the 2017 Sun Met is ‘Decades of Glamour’. The idea is to allow the public to pick their favourite fashion decade, source their outfits with their friends and create lasting memories on the day of the event. From vintage to modern, daring to classic the theme explores fashion trends dating back to the 1920’s.
There will be other fresh entertainment offerings such as the Guess Lifestyle Village and surprise on course activities. A public arena will host a variety of premium culinary experiences, bar facilities and music and entertainment by some of SA’s hottest acts. The Sun Met will also offer equestrian enthusiasts the opportunity to see South Africa’s finest thoroughbreds compete in 13 nail-biting races for an increased stake of R5 million in the main event.
Race goers can rub shoulders with the who’s who of the horse racing, media, fashion and entertainment industries.
The cognoscenti of South African style will all be in attendance elevating the glamour theme to the stratosphere.
About Sun International
The Sun International brand has a proud legacy in the gaming, hospitality and entertainment sector. Its superior hotels and resorts portfolio makes it a recognized premium brand. The Sun International Group has a diverse portfolio of assets including world class five star hotels, modern and well located casinos, and some of the world’s premier resorts. Our destinations offer experiential luxury, enduring quality and incredible adventure, supported by an authentic dedication to personal service.
Today, Sun International is Africa’s largest tourism, leisure and gaming group and operates or has an interest in a total of 18 resorts, luxury hotels and casinos. Our entry into Latin America began in Chile in 2008 and has been a success story for the Group, giving us the track record and confidence to look for more opportunities that offer gaming opportunities in the region. Sun International’s Latin American portfolio (Monticello Grand Casino in Chile, the Ocean Club Casino in Panama and the Sun Nao Casino in Colombia) has now been merged with the casino and hotel portfolio of Chile-based leader in the gaming and entertainment industry, Dreams SA, making it the largest gaming company in Latin America with operations in Chile, Peru, Colombia and Panama.
Our real competitive advantage stems from the fact that we have a compelling and global competence in both the development and operation of casinos, hotels and resorts – and at the same time we are extremely comfortable operating in emerging markets.
Our approach has been to differentiate our hotels, resorts and casinos in architecture, service, experience, location and the mix of entertainment and activities. Creating lasting memories for our guests and customers is a core part of our DNA. We’ve created some the world’s most iconic hotels ranging from The Palace of the Lost City at Sun City to The Table Bay Hotel in Cape Town. The creative architecture of these properties and the blending of their designs with their local environment make each property unique.
Sun International was the pioneer of gaming in southern Africa, having brought casinos to this part of the world in the late 1970s. The opening of Sun City set the standard for large-scale international events in South Africa, which continues today. Sun City is also home to the Nedbank Golf Challenge which has attracted the world’s best golfers for over two decades. From the hosting of Miss South Africa to World Heavyweight title fights, the Sun City Superbowl remains the preferred venue for international events and entertainment.
We place a strong emphasis on being responsible corporate citizens through our contributions and commitment to the economy, communities and the environment.
We are committed to the development of all our employees and we make sure that equal opportunities and economic empowerment form the backbone of our human resource practices.
About Maison Mumm
Mumm is part of Martell Mumm Perrier-Jouët, the prestigious cognac and champagne business of Pernod Ricard, world’s co-leader in Spirits & Wines. With its distinguished heritage dating back to 1827, Mumm is the leading international champagne House in France and third worldwide*. Mumm Cordon Rouge, recognizable by its red ribbon — a symbol of excellence—is the perfect embodiment of the spirit of the House: it stands out through the freshness and intensity of its style, which successive generations of cellar masters have successfully maintained and handed down.
The local partnership sees Mumm bring a third major horseracing event to its global stable as the champagne brand has already a long track record of being the official champagne partner to the iconic races of the Melbourne Cup in Australia and the Kentucky Derby in the USA.
About Phumelela
Phumelela Gaming and Leisure Limited is a JSE-listed, level 2 B-BBEE business, which is licensed to operate horseracing and totalisator betting in seven of South Africa’s nine provinces.
Horseracing in Gauteng was corporatised and totally restructured in 1997. Phumelela was formed that year and later listed on the JSE in June 2002 in order to facilitate the “corporatisation” of horseracing in Gauteng.
“Corporatisation” came about at the behest of the Gauteng Provincial Government in order for the sport to remain competitive within a burgeoning gambling market that was about to legalise casinos and a national lottery in South Africa.
A critical element of the restructuring was a commitment to rationalise the horseracing infrastructure in order to, inter alia, “facilitate transformation, transparency, accountability and create a sustainable business model”.
The three racing clubs that had run racing in the region until then transferred their assets to the new company, Phumelela, which took over the management of the sport in the province.