All Systems Go for Dean’s Dingaans raid

There’s likely to be a new trainer in the saddling area at Turffontein on Summer Cup day – Dean Smith, all the way from Gqeberha.

Dean has taken over the yard of his father Gavin, the Eastern Cape legend who died recently, and one of the young man’s ambitious first moves has been to plot a raid on the Highveld from his coastal base.

Smith’s charge All Systems Go was among the 15 first entries for the Grade 2 Dingaans, the main supporting feature to the Betway Summer Cup in Joburg on 29 November.

And the minute he drew No 1 for the R800,000 1600m race, Smith accepted to run – while other trainers were still digesting the potential line-up with their morning coffee.

The Dingaans is an important, time-honoured race for precocious three-year horses as they gear-up for the Classics to come.

All Systems Go, a gelding by champion stallion Gimmethegreenlight out of a Dynasty mare, has run three times at Fairview for one win and two seconds.

The win, at the second time of asking, was a 4.75-length stroll at odds on, while the follow-up was behind budding star Golden Palm, who is headed for the upcoming Grade 1 Cape Filles Guineas.

All Systems Go might dodge that hotshot in the Dingaans but he’ll still face formidable opposition.

The entry list includes Grade 1 winner Jan Van Goyen and Grade 2 winners Tin Pan Alley, Zalatoris and Chronicle King, along with promising talents Shadowfax, One Eye On Vegas and Trust.

Several of these horses are also among early entries for the Grade 1 Cape Guineas at Kenilworth in a month’s time.

Declarations for the Dingaans are due next Wednesday, 19 November, at the same time as those for the Summer Cup. The final field for the Cup will be announced that day at a special televised event, when the draw will also be made.

Dingaans entries
(draw, name, age & sex, weight, MR, equipment, trainer)

10 Jan Van Goyen (3C) 60 118 A Mike / Mathew de Kock
8 Tin Pan Alley (3G) 60 116 A Sean Tarry
12 Chronicle King (3C) 60 114 A Candice Dawson
7 Zalatoris (3G) 60 105 A Paul Matchett
15 Shadowfax (3G) 60 104 A Sean Tarry
11 Tenjiku (3G) 60 104 BA Alec Laird
3 Whispering Death (3G) 60 104 AT Mike / Mathew de Kock
6 Echo Check (3G) 60 98 A Fabian Habib
13 One Eye On Vegas (3C) 60 97 A Mike / Mathew de Kock
9 Tommy Shelby (3C) 60 97 Ha Fabian Habib
1 All Systems Go (Accepted) (3G) 60 96 A Dean Smith
14 Got The Feeling (3C) 60 93 BA Fanie Bronkhorst
4 Trust (3C) 60 92 A Candice Dawson
2 Copper Eagle (3G) 60 91 A Robyn Klaasen
5 Singleton Sam (3C) 60 91 A Mike Azzie