Trainer comments J&B Met by David Thiselton

The Glen Kotzen-trained seven-year-old Model man gelding Fabiani will have his swansong in Saturday’s J&B met over 2000m at Kenilworth and the yard give him a better chance than his market odds of 200-1.



“We have whispered in his ear and he can go out in a blaze of glory as we are quite excited about his last run,” said Kotzen.



In his previous race in the L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate Fabiani was affected by the false start, so not surprisingly found little extra late, but still managed a 6,25 length tenth.



“We don’t know if the blinkers worked or not as they sharpened him up, meaning he ran the furthest in the false start,” said Kotzen. “We are still toying with the idea of using them again.”



Fabiani will be running with a tongue tie as he got his tongue over the bit in his Met gallop.



Kotzen was delighted with that gallop.



He added, “He pulled up well and we have just been playing with him since. He’s very, very good at the moment, there are no complaints.”



Kotzen doesn’t understand why he is out at 200-1.



“He will be the only horse in the field to be running in his third Met. Three years ago he finished a length behind Pocket Power and would be 6-10 on that run.”



Fabiani has a great draw of two, especially considering he has plenty of early speed, and the talented Kotzen stable jockey Grant van Niekerk is aboard.



Kotzen also has three runners in the Grade 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes over 1600m and was bullish about the chances of the Grade 1 Maine Chance Paddock Stakes (1800m) runner up Jet Aglow.



“She’s a proper, proper runner,” he said. “It’s not ideal coming back from 1800m to 1600m but she is just as good over this trip and finished third in the Fillies Guineas.”

Jet Aglow has a tougher draw this time though of eleven.



He said of Beloved Betty, “She can be a bit keen so the jockey decided to lob her out last time and she lost her position and was shuffled right to the back before running on and only just failing to get third (in the Paddock Stakes). However, she probably prefers further than 1600m.”



On Cash Register, he said, “She hasn’t had an ideal prep as she’s had a hoof abscess. She has been in good form but never cracks a draw and is widely drawn again.”



Kotzen made his best runner on the day The Which Doctor in the ninth over 1400m.



She has been in fine form in sprints, including when disqualified last time for the jockey weighing in underweight, and Kotzen said, “She is crying out for this trip and you will see the best of her now going around the turn.”



Furthermore, she is drawn in pole position.



He has three good runners in the Listed Grandwest Casino and Entertainment World Summer Juvenile Stakes over 1000m.



He would have preferred 1200m for both Komo and Masked Lady, while he said Tsotsomo was very quick so would enjoy the 1000m, but he made Komo the pick.



The other runner on the day he was bullish about was the Argentinian-bred Queen’s Club, who runs in the fifth race. He said this gelding was “a proper horse” and was “spot on”.

Dean Kannemeyer runs the Ladbrokes Gold Cup (3200m) winner In Writing in the J&B Met over 2000m on Saturday and admitted the trip would be sharper than ideal for the seven-year-old.



However, he added, “He is a genuine horse and is quite versatile.”



In Writing was right up with the pace when winning the Gold Cup and some view him as a possible pacemaker due to his stamina capacity.



However, Kannemeyer said, “I don’t think he’ll have the speed to get out in front. The cruising speed in a Met is completely different to that of the Gold Cup.”



In Writing won a Graduation Plate over this course and distance as a four-year-old and finished only 3,3 lengths back in the Met two years ago.



In 2011 he didn’t have to carry the 2kg Grade 1 penalty that he gets this year, but he does have an equally good draw and is also merit rated a huge 13 points better than he was back then.



The strong galloping type will definitely be giving it his all, as he always does, and his big race jockey Grant Behr won a great race aboard him last time over 2500m.



Kannemeyer’s best chance of landing a Grade 1 victory on the day will be with the highest rated three-year-old in the country, Capetown Noir, who is a 1-3 shot in the Investec Cape Derby over 2000m.



The Western Winter colt has a beautiful action and has the race at his mercy, especially from his pole position draw.



The only question is whether he will stay the trip.



On pedigree there appears to be some doubt, but Kannemeyer said, “He has always given the impression he would stay due to his relaxed style and he has also begun losing some of his early pace, which is usually the sign of a horse that will stay.”



Jockey Karl Neisius reckoned he would get the trip comfortably, although he qualified that by saying “only the race would really tell.”



Kannemeyer also has a good chance in the Grade 2 J&B Jet Stakes over 2800m with last year’s winner, Blake.



He carries the same weight of 60kg that he carried last year, but is 5kg under sufferance on official merit rated terms with the best in, Dubai Gina.



However, Kannemeyer pointed out that only the filly and Ilsanpietro were better off at the weights than Blake.



“He is very well and is a big runner”, said Kannemeyer of the very honest Dynasty six-year-old gelding, who was a touch unlucky when a narrow second in a Pinnacle event over Saturday’s course and distance in his last start.



Kannemeyer mentioned Western Jet in the fifth race as one that “could run well, but wouldn’t have it easy at the weights”.



He concluded, “Met day is always very competitive, but all of my runners will be fit and well.”

Journalist: Michael Clower – Gold Circle Publishing

Bravura, just touched off by Igugu in last year’s J & B Met, is really on song and in better shape than he was 12 months ago.

This was the message from Joey Ramsden on Wednesday when he was putting the final gloss on the 2010 Investec Cape Derby winner’s preparation for Saturday’s big race.

Ramsden said: “I have been saying all season that he is better than he has ever been. He finished second to Variety Club in the Pinnacle in November but he has had some ridiculous bad luck in other races including the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate.

“However it’s usually a different kettle of fish when Anton Marcus is on him. There is tremendous synergy between the two and Anton has great faith in him while I have never seen the horse looking better.”

Bravura shouldered a 2k penalty in last year’s Met and that almost certainly cost him the race. It was also a big factor in Ramsden’s decision to go for the big one with three-year-old King Of Pain rather than keeping him to his own age group in the Derby.

Ramsden explained: “The Derby carries a decent stake (R600 000) but if you win your horse gets a Grade 1 penalty that often stays with him for life. Also three-year-olds have quite a good record in the Met and, even if you don’t win, you might well get a place.

“King Of Pain has done great since the Guineas, this 2 000m trip is his game and I couldn’t be happier with him.”

Ends

Thanks David your a bigger man than me ()