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Takudzwa Chitsiga
Sports Reporter
THE Bridget Stidolph stable will fancy their chances to win the 2021 OK Grand Challenge horse race at Borrowdale Park on Saturday.
They have three runners in the big race.
The yard have had a rich history, in the past four years, and could strike gold once again.
Stidolph yard will saddle Peggson, Wantage and Only Him and possibly Fortuna Doro and Christofle.
The last two will only get a run, if there are some late scratchings.
Fortuna Doro and Christofle are listed as the first and second reserve runners.
The stable have been dominant, in this race, in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.
Duffy’s Call, from their yard, won the 1800 meters race, and so did Royal Honour and Simona, who has since migrated to South Africa.
Saturday’s race will see Stidolph stable bringing to the starting stalls Peggson, a six-year-old gelding, who has won nine races from 1 200m to 2 000m.
The most notable victory was the 1600m Ipi Tombe Stakes and the 2 000m Castle Tankard (Gr1), in 2019.
Although Peggson has not won the OK Grand Challenge, he ran second to his stable companion, Simona in 2018 and 2019.
The runner has proved he can carry weight, and win, and has a good draw for Saturday, providing he gets off to a good start, and doesn’t lose his position.
His last outing was in the Independence Trophy on May 2.
Wantage has seven wins to his credit, which includes Zimbabwe 2000, second leg of the Triple Crown.
He was second to Lily Blue, in the other two legs of the Triple Crown, the Zimbabwe Guineas and the Zimbabwe Derby.
As a four-year-old, Wantage has lived up to that early promise.
He won the 1 600m Ipi Tombe Stakes in March, beating Saturday’s runners Mr Greenlight, Three To Tango, Yarraman, Bugatti Blue, Fareeq and Peggson, at level weights.
His next victory was in the 2000m Breeders Champions Cup (L) and Mr Greenlight, Yarraman and Three To Tango followed him across the line.
The third runner, Only Him, will be making his second appearance at Borrowdale Park.
Only Him, made a name for himself when he held on to narrowly beat the fancied Diesel And Dust, in the 2 400m Zimbabwe Derby, on May 16.
Prior to that this lightly-raced three-year-old had won, over 1 400m, at the Vaal.
Reserve runners, who may make the final field, Fortuna Doro and Christofle, have good records.
The former won the 1 100m Hachiman Sprint in 2020 and seven of his other eight wins have all been in sprints.
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