Champions Day opening betting

OPEN: PRICES INDICATE COMPETITIVE RACING IN THE FOUR GRADE 1 RACES

- Jack Milner

The final fields for Champions Day will be announced on Wednesday, but betting has already been opened for the four Grade 1 races on the card.

The TAB Champions Challenge is one of four Grade 1 races to be run on Day 3 of the Championship; the others being the SA Derby over 2450m, the TAB Computaform Sprint over 1000m, and the TAB Empress Club Stakes for fillies and mares over 1600m.

Also on the card are four Grade 2 races—the Wilgerbosdrift Bridget Oppenheimer SA Oaks for three-year-old fillies over 2450m, the Hawaii Stakes over 1400m, as well as the SA Nursery and SA Fillies Nursery, both over 1160m.

The meeting is also a Hong Kong World Pool event which will allow South African punters to bet into massive TAB pools.

The R2-million Premier's Champions Challenge is likely to see another clash between last year's champion Royal Victory and Betway Summer Cup winner Atticus Finch.

Nathan Kotzen-trained Royal Victory did not have the clearest of passages in the Summer Cup and finished three lengths behind the winner. However, he will meet Atticus Finch on 3kg better terms, so that must bring him into the race.