Gr 2 Emerald Cup This Weekend Africa's richest race on sand, the Emerald Cup Gr 2, takes place this weekend at the Vaal sand track over 1450m for a stake of R600 000. KZN-breds in the past have always dominated the Emerald Cup in the last seven years of it's running, the four being National Spirit (bred by Almiray), Alimony (Graystone Stud), Phunyuka (Summerhill Stud) and The Mouseketeer (Bush Hill Stud) taking the title home. Bush Hill-bred son of Kahal, The Mouseketeer, will be making a return this year in an attempt to bring home a double after winning the Emerald Cup last year by almost two lengths. He ran a third to Knock On Wood in the inaugural KZN Breeders Million Mile at Greyville in July. His dam Look Sharp (by Northern Guest) is due to foal to Kahal again this year, and has a Mullin's Bay (by Machiavellian like Kahal) yearling. Now a six-time winner, he has placed four times. The Mouseketeer is the winner of the last KZN Breeders 1600 at Clairwood in 2011, he went on to win the Grade 3 August Stakes, his first start on sand. His next start he took home the Gr 2 Emerald Cup. Now a five year old, this gelding is trained by Sean Tarry and owned by Supersport personality Neil Andrews and Mr Diedrechsen. A R200 000 Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale Graduate of 2009, he has earned almost R1 million in stakes. Drawn seventh, he will be carrying 56kgs, ridden by Pierre Strydom. The Mouseketeer is a half-brother to Lt Jerry Mouse, a five-time winner including the Listed East Cape Nursery. The Mouseketeer's dam-line includes Jessamine, the dam of The Sheik and Al Nitak, and includes the likes of Shoe Express and Top Seller. The next two KZN-breds taking part in the field are both by Mogok and bred by Scott Bros. Prime Mover, a R65 000 Sibaya KZN Yearling Sale graduate, is out of the mare Take The Lead by Al Mufti, has had seven wins and 20 places, earning over R600 000 in stakes. He has placed twice in the Gr 3 August Stakes on sand. A very strong pedigree from Highdown Stud, the dam Take The Lead has Foveros as her maternal grandsire, and a descendant of the great Devon Air, a Durban July winner. Owned by Mr G Barker and trained by Leon Erasmus, he is drawn to stall 1 and will be ridden by Sherman Brown carrying 58kgs. In his last five starts, he has won twice and placed three times, his last start placing in a Gr 3 event on sand over 1200m. Meadow Magic jumps from stall two under Anthony Delpech, carrying 57.5kgs and trained by Mike De Kock. He is out of Meadow Rhumba by Shoe Danzig, owned by Messrs Nestadt, Blank, Finlay, Georgas and Nathan. A five year old, Meadow Magic has won and placed in his last four starts, including placing to Eton Square in the Gr 3 Jubilee Handicap. Now a five-time winner with six places (five of those places being Stakes races) from 14 starts, he has earned R370 000. A descendant of the broodmare Corn, this dam-line includes Flaming Corn, Equus Champion Irish Flame and Vertical Takeoff, as well as Lion's Blood. Beacon Flare is sired by Yellow Star Stud's Spectrum, out of Perfectly Placed by Rakeen. Trained by Weiho Marwing, this four year old gelding is owned by Mr Lazarides and Mrs Lazarides and Nofal. To be ridden by Sean Veale, he carries 53kgs and jumps from stall 6. A R10 000 graduate of the National Two Year Old sale, he has earned almost R300 000 in stakes, with three wins and five places - including a second in the Gr 1 Premier's Champion Stakes. He recently finished second to Mr Tobin over 1450m at the Vaal sand track. The reserve runner is bred by Orangewood Stud, Caryl's Law, by Newton out of Caryl's Pride by Dancing Duel. Trained by Kom Naidoo, the four year old gelding is owned by Messrs Morgan Pillay, Mayesh Chetty, Gona Pillay, Manie Pillay and N Singh. Caryl's Law has won twice and placed in his last four starts - one of which was at the Vaal on sand over 1600m. Caryl's Law has had three wins and two places, earning over R240 000. The field in order of number, draw, horse, trainer, jockey, weight and merit rating: 1 – 10 MR TOBIN (S G Tarry) G Lerena 60.5 – 76 2 – 1 PRIME MOVER (L J Erasmus) S Brown 58.0 – 79 3 – 2 MEADOW MAGIC (M F De Kock) A Delpech 57.5 – 99 4 – 15 IN A RUSH (J Ramsden) A Marcus 56.5 – 104 5 – 9 BOB ‘N WEAVE (B/D Steenkamp_Sham) F Herholdt 56.5 – 103 6 – 16 RIGHT BEAUTY (M F De Kock) R Danielson 56.0 – 94 7 – 3 CAPTAIN’S SECRET (M W Bass) K Neisius 56.0 – 102 8 – 7 THE MOUSEKETEER (S G Tarry) P Strydom 56.0 – 102 9 – 5 ACROSS THE ICE (S G Tarry) R Fradd 55.5 – 96 10 – 14 FOLLOW THE PIPER (S G Tarry) …………… 55.5 – 86 11 – 8 CALANISH (S T Pettigrew) M V’Rensburg 55.0 – 61 12 – 12 EASTERN COBBLER (R R Magner) J P v’d Merwe 55.0 – 79 13 – 11 ASTRO NEWS (B O Wiid) J Sampson 54.0 – 99 14 – 6 BEACON FLARE (W H Marwing) S Veale 53.0 – 92 Reserve Runners 15 – 13 CARYL’S LAW (K Naidoo) Reserve 1 52.0 – 65 16 – 4 KISS AGAIN (M W Bass) Reserve 2 54.0 – 98 Same Trainer: (1, 8, 9, 10); (3, 6); (7, 16). *Bold denotes horses that are KZN-bred or associated with KZN resident sires. Information source courtesy of www.tabonline.co.za