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Takudzwa Chitsiga Sports Reporter
AFTER getting omitted at the last minute for the recent Castle Tankard where she was meant to defend her title, True Beauty returns to the starting stalls for Saturday’s OK Grand Challenge (GR1) race at Borrowdale Park.
The daughter of Skitt Skizzle carried 55.5kg when she won the 2022 Tankard but will shoulder 60kgs in this OK Grand Challenge race, as will Mr Greenlight and Only Him.
True Beauty of the Thomas Mason will be giving her old rival Dindingwe 3kgs, which is a tough task given their performance in the three-year-old Classics at level weights.
True Beauty will have 48-year-old South African jockey Francois Herholdt as the pilot.
Having run the closest of seconds to Seven Seas in the race last year, True Beauty will also be in the race that has several female stars.
Dindingwe, who has raced with True Beauty several times, will be joined by the exciting duo of Lily Blue, and Jacky Sparrow in the competition for top honours.
From the Debra Swanson yard, Dindingwe ran second to Ideal View at the 2023 Tankard when she went down by a quarter of a length.
Ideal View’s 2023 Tankard victory was impressive but his stablemate Down To Business (also on 52kg) was only 0.35 lengths back, while Raining Again (54kg) was 1.60 lengths behind.
Raining Again has beaten both Down To Business and Jacky Sparrow before and will meet both Ideal View and Down To Business on better terms here.
Jacky Sparrow of the Debra Swanson stable headed the OK Grand Challenge opening betting, after she won the Fillies Classic.
The filly Jacky Sparrow has won five of her six starts and it was not her fault that she has lacked opportunities to shine and OK Grand Challenge will be no exception.
Also in the race is Lily Blue, who will have trusted lieutenant Wes Mason on the irons.
The six-year-old mare is in good form carrying 56.5kgs. Lily Blue was 3.60 lengths behind the 2023 Tankard winner.
Online Reporter