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Johannesburg, South Africa — The 11th renewal of the Nelson Mandela Bay Racing Poly Challenge gets underway at Fairview Racecourse on Friday, 21 August 2026, with another competitive three-leg series dedicated to the country's Polytrack specialists.
Mr and Mrs Peter J Moor's MERCANTOUR (Var – Winter Wood), trained by Alan Greeff, returns as the defending champion and will attempt to retain his title as the “King of the Poly” at the age of seven.
MERCANTOUR became only the second horse to sweep the series when he won all three legs in 2025, following in the footsteps of Miss Gisela Burg & Mr Martin Wickens' KING REGENT (Dynasty – Cup Of Rubies), trained by Glen Kotzen, who achieved the feat in 2024.
MERCANTOUR's path to the R250,000 bonus last year was particularly impressive. He beat stablemate FAIRY KNIGHT by 0.1 lengths in Leg 1 and stablemate GUY GIBSON by 0.75 lengths in Leg 2, before besting Mr & Mrs C R Stonebridge's grand old campaigner BINGWA by 0.5 lengths in the final leg.
Alan Greeff
Greeff says MERCANTOUR has been specifically prepared for another tilt at the series.
“It was always part of the plan,” says Greeff. “He does face stiff competition in the first leg, so we will have to wait and see.”
Four of the seven contestants from last year's opening leg return on Friday, including the first three past the post – MERCANTOUR, FAIRY KNIGHT and GOLDEN PAVILION. FAIRY KNIGHT is also from Greeff's Halo Stables, while GOLDEN PAVILION is trained by Dean Smith.
MERCANTOUR comes into Friday's opening leg on the back of two excellent Polytrack victories over 1200m and 1400m respectively, making him hard to oppose.
Greeff is hoping his charge can maintain that momentum, saying: “I just hope he carries on in hot form.” The trainer will unfortunately not be at Fairview to watch MERCANTOUR's bid for a successful title defence, as he will be in Johannesburg for the sales.
MERCANTOUR's victory in last year's final leg over 1600m was the only time he has won over the distance, which raises the question of whether he could face a sterner test this time around.
The Greeff stable has several potential threats in the series
The Greeff stable has several potential threats in the series, particularly KLEINZEE and ZINOVI.
KLEINZEE, a five-year-old mare, is unbeaten in six starts since relocating to the Eastern Cape, with two of those victories coming over 1400m and four over 1600m – all on the Polytrack.
ZINOVI is also unbeaten in his last five races at Fairview, with three of those victories coming over 1600m on the Polytrack.
Greeff acknowledges that the strength of his stable could present him with a welcome dilemma as the series progresses.
“It’s a nice problem to have, as some would say, but listen, we will have to cross that bridge when we get to it.”
About The Nelson Mandela Bay Racing Poly Challenge
Introduced following the installation of Fairview's Polytrack in 2013, the Nelson Mandela Bay Racing Poly Challenge has become one of the Eastern Cape's most popular racing events.
The inaugural running in 2016 produced one of the series' most memorable stories when GOGETTHESHERIFF, trained by Jacques Strydom, won the opening two legs before being denied a clean sweep by just half a length in the final.
However, the son of Go Deputy cemented his reputation as one of Fairview's standout Polytrack performers and helped establish the Challenge as a popular feature on the East Cape racing calendar.
Open to all horses, this year's Challenge will be contested across three legs and three different distances, with each leg carrying prize money of R175,000:
R250,000 bonus
In addition to the stake money, 4Racing offers a R250,000 bonus to the connections of any horse that wins all three legs of the series.
A R50,000 consolation bonus will also be paid to the connections of any horse that contests all three legs and wins at least one.
With R525,000 in stakes on offer across the three legs, together with the attractive bonus incentives and the return of the defending champion, the 2026 Nelson Mandela Bay Racing Poly Challenge promises another exciting series.