Best Bets for the 2024 Betway Summer Cup
Betway Summer Cup 2024: Tips and Race Analysis
The Grade 1 Summer Cup is just days away and the excitement is building as we prepare to see 20 of South Africa’s best thoroughbred horses battle for the R6 million prize pot that goes to the winner. The Pick 6 on the day is boosted by a R2 million carryover and is estimated to reach a whopping R7 million pool, while the place accumulator and two jackpots on the day are sure to breach the R1 million mark.
1 SEE IT AGAIN - Jockey: Piere Strydom
The out-and-out favourite leading up to the 2024 Summer Cup is none other than the Michael Roberts-trained See It Again, who comes into the race off the back of a victory at the Wakefields Estate Agents Pinnacle Stakes down in Durban on November 3. The undisputed class-horse in the race, See It Again has a 131 merit rating and a lifetime record of seven wins and nine places in 19 runs. With ‘Striker Strydom' aboard, this is a big runner on the day and should not be left out of any of the exotics, priced at a very attractive 4.00 with Betway to win the race.
The concern for See It Again, though, is obviously the 60kg that he is carrying due to his merit rating and drawn into barrier one, Strydom will need to position him well around the bend or he could find himself penned in at the rail with 20 runners on the outside which will be tough to navigate in the closing stages.
4 ROYAL VICTORY - Jockey: Gavin Lerena
Nathan Kotzen holds a very strong hand for the Summer Cup in the form of the five-year-old defending champion Royal Victory, who ran as the runner-up to See It Again at the Pinnacle Stakes and was evidently finishing the race as the better of the two. With an additional 400 meters in this race, Gavin Lerena will have plenty of time to get this horse to settle and he certainly showed that he has the turn of foot to hunt down those ahead of him in the closing stages.
Notably, Royal Victory will receive a three-kilogram weight advantage over See It Again in this race owing to his 125 merit rating, and he has won twice on this track already. Strydom himself admitted that the weight turnaround could be a huge factor here, while also making a bold claim, expecting Royal Victory to finish ahead of See It Again in the Summer Cup as he did at the Durban July earlier in the year. We make this a big runner in this race at 9.00!
2 MAIN DEFENDER - Jockey: Aldo Domeyer
Main Defender comes into the Summer Cup off a cracking run last time out where he finished half-a-length behind Greeting My Master on November 11. This horse has had probably the best preparation of any runner for this race and with a record of seven wins and four places in 13 runs, it’s hard to overlook him as one to watch on Saturday.
However, the popular consensus seems to be that Main Defender has not really beaten horses that have gone on to do great things and his merit rating of 130 may be slightly overestimated. Additionally, he has never gone this distance previously and has done his best at 1400, so it will be interesting to see if he can stay the longer distance. Odds of 2.70 are available for Main Defender to finish in the top four.
5 PURPLE PITCHER - Jockey: Kabelo Matsunyane
One horse that has been talked up over recent weeks is the four-year-old Purple Pitcher from the Robyn Klaasen yard, who is carrying just 55.5kg and a merit rating of 123. This runner has also had excellent preparation for this race and is a former Grade 1 winner, so he knows how to win on the big stage.
Currently priced at 19.00, this could be a great option for the back end of trifectas and quartets for the main race, while 4.15 for a top-four finish could represent tremendous value for his followers.
9 FRANCES ETHEL - Jockey: Oisin Murphy
Widely regarded as the best filly in this year’s Summer Cup, Frances Ethel gets the services of a top overseas jockey in Oisin Murphy, who will bring all of his international experience to Tuffontein and will be trying to get the Brett Crawford's runner into the winner’s enclosure.
Frances Ethel has won over course and distance previously and is currently showing up at a tantalising 9.00 to win the Summer Cup, while odds of 2.20 are available for a top-four finish.
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Bet on the Summer CupSummer Cup 2024 Field and Odds
Here is the full field and odds for the 2024 Betway Summer Cup:
| Draw | Horse | Jockey | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | See It Again | Piere Strydom | 4.00 |
| 2 | Main Defender | Aldo Domeyer | 12.00 |
| 3 | Winchester Mansion | Marco V'Rensburg | 13.00 |
| 4 | Royal Victory | Gavin Lerena | 9.00 |
| 5 | Purple Pitcher | Kabelo Matsunyane | 19.00 |
| 6 | Barbaresco | Raymond Danielson | 11.00 |
| 7 | Puerto Manzano | Athandiwe Mgudlwa | 71.00 |
| 8 | Pure Predator | Chase Maujean | 29.00 |
| 9 | Frances Ethel | Oisin Murphy | 9.00 |
| 10 | Future Pearl | Richard Fourie | 41.00 |
| 11 | Zeus | Rachel Venniker | 36.00 |
| 12 | Beating Wings | Diego De Gouveia | 26.00 |
| 13 | Silver Sanctuary | JP v'd Merwe | 11.00 |
| 14 | Hotarubi | JP v'd Merwe | 41.00 |
| 15 | Litigation | Dennis Schwarz | 56.00 |
| 16 | Atticus Finch | Calvin Habib | 21.00 |
| 17 | Rule By Force | Tristan Godden | 86.00 |
| 18 | Cape Eagle | Serino Moodley | 126.00 |
| 19 | Madison Valley | Sean Veale | 41.00 |
| 20 | My Soul Mate | Philasande Mxoli | 86.00 |
Betway are pulling out all the stops for this event and punters can look forward to winning a share of R500,000 on the “4 to Win | Betway Summer Cup Promotion!” To enter, you simply need to sign up with Betway and choose the winners across races 5, 6, 7, and 8 on the day!
