National Currency Sprint (G3) at Turffontein Preview
By Mark van Deventer
The feature race focus for this weekend is the
National Currency Sprint (G3) over 1100m at Turffontein.
Off time on Saturday is 15h40 – it’s carded as Race 7.
1. CHARMING CHEETAH – s/s 99: dropping back to sprints seems the right move for this 3YO who is set to carry top weight of 60kg.
2. CHAPBOOK – s/s 92: high percentage rider, Gavin Lerena sticks solid after they romped at the Vaal first time tongue tie. Falls a bit short on the figures but is respected, nevertheless.
3. ZALATORIS – s/s 97 +: deserted by Lerena after just missing last time at odds on when caught in traffic. Consistent and adaptable. Rates close to Charming Cheetah on juvenile form.
4. WILD JUSTICE – s/s 97 +: has won four of five starts in KZN when pressing the pace and now raids the Highveld for trainer, Gareth van Zyl who has enjoyed success trucking his horses to Jozi.
5. THE LAST DUKE – s/s 98: somewhat unusually, is a
Duke of Marmalade that sprints well. He fought off Zalatoris in mid-January and is right in contention.
6. ELEGANTRIX s/s 97: mixes her form due to respiratory and soundness problems. Will be a pace factor. Is officially best weighted.
7. ONE FINE WINTER s/s 93 +: that figure was earned back in May 2025 in the Alan Robertson and there were positive signs when beating
Yippee Kiyay (s/s 98) that Sean Tarry’s filly has trained on. She can step up her performance level third run after a rest with jockey, de Melo striking at 27% win and 57% place rate on Tarry’s entries.
8. MIAMI MOUNTAIN s/s 95: fast finish to beat
One Eye On Vegas in December, then again rushed home behind Mover and Shaker at most recent sprint. Must, at least, be used underneath in single race exotics.
9. POP CHART s/s 88 +: this speed number was clocked in September when making only his second career start. Should be able to better that now with added maturity. An interesting Eastern Cape raider trained by Dean Smith.
10. UMZINGELI WENYATHI s/s 96: natural speed aplenty, a light weight together with powerful assistance from Muzi Yeni and proximity to the outside rail are all positives.
11. BLAZING FURY s/s 89 +: strong closing bid behind older rival
Smorgasbord at Greyville a month ago. Carries just 51kg. That figure will need boosting, however, to compete in this field.
12. VANAKKAM s/s 97 +: Three wins from last four starts since resuming in October. Career best last time despite a slipped saddle. Low mass. Shortlisted.
With a wide spread of form from Joburg, KZN and the Eastern Cape, together with speed figures clustered in the high 90’s for most of these entrants, the
National Currency is a contentious heat.
As an aside, the race is named in honor of one of the sprinting greats of the SA turf – trained by Michael Azzie, his career top figure was an exceptional 117!
Grades for the 2026 event follow, but it is not easy distinguishing claims, and exotic bettors may need to cast a wide net to survive the Picks.
Fixed odds punters will need to monitor Interbet’s Exchange before choosing a genuine contender they like best, representing good value…
GRADES:
A = 4 5 B = 1 2 3 7 8 12.
Bio: Mark van Deventer has been refining his speed figures for thoroughbred racehorses over three decades. A full-time racing journalist since 2013, he’s known for his integrity and imaginative handicapping, adapting the principles of Andrew Beyer’s figures to South African racecourses.
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