Media release L'Ormarins Queens Plate

Does Tipster ever sleep?

MDK Stable comments by DT

Mike de Kock’s assistant trainer John Buckler was expecting big runs from Mother Russia in the Grade 1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate over 1600m and Flirtation and Zirconeum in the Grade 1 TBA Paddock Stakes over 1800m at Kenilworth Racecourse this Saturday.



The yard had to forego their normal routine whereby they send horses down on the week of the race. However due to the wet and unworkable tracks being experienced at Randjesfontein Buckler stated that, “We sent them down last Friday and they all travelled well and worked well at Kenilworth on Monday.”



Buckler said that Mother Russia had not needed her run in the Sansui Summer Cup when she faded late having cruised into the lead at the 300m and looking all over the winner.



“She was very fit,” he said.



Asked on whether she would prefer the mile of the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate to the tough Turffontein 2000m of the Summer Cup, he replied, “Well, she’s a filly with a lot of toe, she will be very effective over the mile.”



He felt there were a lot of horses to beat in the race, including the eight-year-old Champion Pocket Power, who is unbeaten in ten starts over the course and distance.



Of the TBA Paddock Stakes pair, who are both Grade 1 winners over 2000m, he said, “We gave Flirtation a bit of a break after her win in the Summer Cup. Zirconeum has probably needed her last couple of runs.”

Which Jet Master by DT








The L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate puzzle this year might be solved by simply asking “which Jet Master?”



Jet Master, the four-times Champion sire, won the race twice himself and has three of the first four horses in the betting this year, the 5-2 Mike Bass-trained favourite Pocket Power and the 4-1 shots the Justin Snaith-trained Ebony Flyer and the Darryl Hodgson-trained Past Master.



Ebony Flyer and Past Master actually have more L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate heritage in their pedigrees than the four-times winner of the race, Pocket Power, has.



Ebony Flyer’s third dam, Phif, was by the 1974 Queen’s Plate winner, Sword Dancer.



Her fourth dam, Night Game, was by Gaskell, who finished second in the Queen’s Plate to the great Sea Cottage in 1966.



Past Master’s third dam is by Sea Cottage himself.



Sea Cottage was a rare three-year-old winner of the Queen’s Plate and won it twice in succession.



Ebony Flyer will attempt to become the first ever three-year-old filly to win the race, at least in modern times.



The last three-year-old to win the Queen’s Plate was Yataghan in February 1973, carrying 50kg compared to the top weight of 57kg.



The Snaith family won with the Irish-bred Flaming Rock in December 1990 when he was a three-year-old in reality, but being bred to Northern Hemisphere seasons, he was classified as a four-year-old. He was given the hemisphere allowance.



The last female to win the race was the great Empress Club in January 1993.



Pocket Power will be going for a record fifth L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate victory and will attempt to equal the world record of the USA horse Kelso for successive wins of the same major race.



The 1877 Queen’s Plate winner, Riley, also went on to win the race four times, but not in successive years. Jean Jaffee explained in her book They Raced To Win that Riley was a great character and liked to run his races in his own way some lengths behind the rest of the field. He was a great favourite of the Malays who would shout him on to victory with a cry of “Kom Nu Riley.”



Pocket Power is also a great character, his most famous quirks being his dislike of parading in front of the grandstand, his refusal to enter the winner’s enclosure and his tendency to back up whenever encountering something he dislikes.



His action is unmistakeable and, in the same way Riley obviously was, he is a joy to watch.



His lead foot stretches far closer to the horizontal than the average horse, giving him a very long stride. In fact when he dead-heated in the Vodacom Durban July he would have been declared the winner if hooves had been taken into account! He puts his head down so far that when galloping on the far side of a stable companion his head can be seen beneath the other horse’s head and neck. His finishing effort in races is unusual in that he has two points of acceleration, an initial quickening at the top of the straight, followed by what jockey Bernard Fayd’herbe describes as a “hovering” phase, and then a devastating final kick which usually happens about 200m from home.



Pocket Power will also attempt to become the oldest winner of the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate, at least in modern times.



There have been a number of seven-year-old winners of the big race, including himself last year, Free My Heart (2002), William Penn (1969), Time to Shine (1963), Fair Weather (1958) and Laddie (1954).



William Penn finished third as a ten-year-old in 1972, beaten only by the two greats In Full Flight and Sentinel, and beating the dual Queen’s Plate winner Chichester.

Kotzen comments by DT


The Glen Kotzen-trained Fabiani, who finished tie third in last year’s Grade 1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate, is reported in good shape ahead of this year’s renewal this Saturday at Kenilworth Racecourse.



“He has that come on look and this is his third run after a rest,” said Kotzen of the Model Man five-year-old gelding who showed signs of a form return in the Grade 2 Midmar Premier Trophy over 1800m last time out when finishing a close up sixth.



Fabiani is drawn well in stall five, but faces a tougher looking field this year and will have his work cut out to repeat last year’s placing.



Kotzen has a chance in the TBA Paddock Stakes with his pair Imperious Star and Reconcile.



He said of Imperious Star, winner of the Grade 1 Woolavington over 2000m at Greyville last season, “She was scratched from her intended comeback run because of a lung infection. She consequently needed her run in the Victress Stakes over 1600m and was given a gentle ride as instructed after her place chances were gone. She has come on in leaps and bounds since then and doesn’t in fact take much work to get to her peak. She has a wide draw but Piere Strydom is a master of pace and will help overcome it.”



He added, “Reconcile was flying at them in the Victress and just ran out of track. The only time she has run in Grade 1 company was in the Canon Gold Cup, where she was up with the pace before fading out. But she is very, very effective over 1800m and has won two Listed races over this distance. She is fit and well and is getting better and better with age. I think she is a runner. Both of my runners are lovely fillies although any Grade 1 race is very, very tough to win.”



Kotzen has three runners in the Listed Politician Stakes for three-year-olds over 1800m.



“Due to the respiratory virus we had in the yard our three-year-olds were put on the backburner and are behind. We are using this race to see if they are good enough for the Investec Cape Derby as they are all nice staying types.”



“We rate Arabian Empire highly, but he has been haemoconcentrating all season.”



The yard will have had a chance to address this problem.



“Desert Rat compounded late last time after travelling too well from a wide draw. He can do better this time from a good draw.



Code Rock has his first run out of the maidens and after winning comfortably over 1600m Kotzen said, “He ran three wide the whole way, so the win was full of merit. I’m throwing him in at the deep end.”

would like to know why igugu is not in the paddock stakes and i notice she hasnt been nominated forthe cape derby and victress stakes on same day

Just a stab H,quarantine?

scotia Wrote:

---

> Here is one of Francesca for you Pirates, cheap at
> half the price
>
> i55.tinypic.com/qmxrf7.jpg

I wonder if Francesca will be running the last race come saturday....() ... or is that race on Met day:S

7 JANUARY 2011



Please be advised that Fabiani has been scratched from this year’s L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate by trainer, Glen Kotzen (Reason: sprain near fore joint Time: 08:23).

Eish...

Saved yourself some money MMF><

Greg, now the Queen's Plate is wide open imo

Hahaha.... good answer MMF


Does anyone know if there will be a dedicated channel for tomorrows racing?

Hope so with Neil Andrews and Camani lassie is a must