Trainer Comment the Met Courtesy OF Gold Circle

David Thiselton

Mike Bass has a big team of 19 runners for J&B Met day at Kenilworth on Saturday, including Helderberg Blue and Paterfamilias in the Met itself, and as a trainer who has been successful five times in the big race his charges can never be ignored.

He said, “Helderberg Blue and Paterfamilias are both very well and I’m happy with both. They look pretty well and are in good shape and I think they will both run their best races to date. Helderberg was a bit too handy last time and went too hard and I hadn’t done enough between races with him so he could have done better. Paterfamilias has had a very strange prep as the Premier Trophy and the Queen’s Plate were the only races for him and as a result his form doesn’t look great. If I could rather have run him in a Pinnacle over 1400m he would have gone close and then if he had run in an easier 1800m next time with a better pace he would have done better. The Queen’s Plate was a slow run race and he was sitting at the back, I know Futura was too, but he couldn’t show much and he’s better than that. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he runs a place.”

Helderberg Blue and Paterfamilias, who are geldings by Jet Master and Trippi respectively, are drawn wide in 13 and 15 respectively with Grant van Niekerk and Corne Orffer up.

Bass said, “The draws are horrible but complaining doesn’t change it. When Martial Eagle and Hill Fifty Four won from those draws in the last two years the pace was slow and they pushed up into handy positions, but doing that would not suit either of our horses. I don’t know if I can hope for both, but I hope at least one of them gets nicely placed.”

Bass has a strong hand in the Gr 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes over 1600m with four classy runners, Hammie’s Hooker, the Gr 1 Paddock Stakes winner Inara, Lanner Falcon and Supreme Sunset.

He said, “Hammie’s Hooker is doing well and ran a good second last year and I think she will run a similar race this year. To be frank I think it is a race in two between her and Cold As Ice. I have to ignore her last run (Paddock Stakes) as the rider rode a poorly judged race. She is doing pretty well and I hope she goes close. Inara will run very well, she was second in the Guineas and if she runs another big race she might well be good enough on the day. She is improving all the time and if the race pans out well, who knows. Lanner Falcon is doing very well indeed. She is pretty close most of the time running on from off the pace and has a very real place chance. Supreme Sunset beat both Athina and Arcetri Pink in the race in Johannesburg she won when Majmu was unlucky. The others are preferred but she won’t be far off them and if you don’t have a ticket you don’t have a chance.”

Bass has realistic hopes for his Gr 1 Investec Cape Derby runner, Seven Oceans. He said, “He is a nice staying type of a horse and I think he has as much chance as the rest except for the two hotpots, Act Of War and Ertijaal, although maybe the one hotpot as I didn’t think Ertijaal was all that impressive last time.”

Bass was bullish about the chances of his two runners in the Gr 2 J&B Urban Honey Stayers over 2800m, Mountain Master and Shingwedzi. He said, “I think they both have fair chances. Mountain Master will stay and might well be good enough. Shingwedzi has a shout at the weights.”

He is also confident of good runs from his pair Ernie and Waity Katie in the Listed Sun International Summer Juvenile Stakes over 1000m. He said, “I give both of them a chance of finishing in the first five. I’ve heard Buckinghampshire and Seventh Plain are unbeatable but I’ve heard that before and it’s always a hard race to assess.”

Bass gave Ze Kaiser a good chance in the tenth, a MR 96 Handicap over 1600m, and said, “Ze Kaiser ran a very good race last time. He needs to do a little bit more in this slightly stronger field, but he might well do it again as he has come right. He had foot issues and our farrier has got him back to his best.”

He also runs the talented Night Trip in that race and said, “He ran well last time but with that weight we can’t expect too much.” However, he has said in the past that he wished Night Trip would bring his work at home to the racecourse, so this horse can never be ignored.

Bass mentioned Sail For Gold and Counting Angels as two of his best runners on the day.

The former runs in the ninth race, a MR 75 Handicap over 1600m, and he said, “Sail For Gold has an outstanding chance, although he is drawn wide.”

Counting Angels runs in the eleventh, a MR 90 Handicap for fillies and mares over 1800m.

Bass said, “She didn’t have a race last time out because her stirrup iron broke and I’m expecting a big run from her.”

David Thiselton

Neil Bruss has two interesting runners on J&B Met day, including the talented four-year-old Jet Master filly Red Flame, but unfortunately both have drawn wide so will need a bit of luck.

Red Flame runs in the Gr 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes with S’Manga Khumalo up and this will be the first opportunity she has had to show how good she is over her probable optimum trip of 1600m as she was eliminated from last season’s Gr 2 KRA Guineas due to a not high enough merit rating.

Bruss said, “She had a good prep run and is really really well. She never runs a bad race, I think the 1800m (fifth in the Gr 3 Victress Stakes) was too far for her and the 2000m of the Woolavington certainly was. She is drawn widest of all so a lot will depend on the pace. If they go slow you can be trapped wide and then they sprint for home. But she will give of her best and will be doing her best work late so I think she will be there or thereabouts. I think she is in the race with some sort of chance.”

Aquila Jet, a promising three-year-old filly also by Jet Master, runs in the first leg of the Place Accumulator, a competitive MR 79 Handicap for fillies and mares over 1400m. Khumalo is also aboard her and they have to overcome draw eleven in a 15 horse field.

Bruss said, “I think she is badly handicapped for a one-time winner. I told the handicapper and he dropped her two points. The 1400m is her optimum trip and she is working well so with luck in running she has a chance.”

David Thiselton



Glen Kotzen is bullish about a number of his runners at the J&B Met meeting on Saturday where he has two Gr 1 contenders.

He said about the five-year-old Jet Master mare Jet Belle, who runs in the Gr 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes over 1600m from a great draw, "I think she is a huge runner, she was unlucky in the Paddock Stakes and her preparation has gone flawlessly so is good value at 10/1.”

He said that Jet Belle had been working and looking "exceptionally well".

Kotzen runs the Western Winter colt Light The Lights in the Gr 1 Investec Cape Derby over 2000m.

This horse's plan has always been to mirror the route Big City Life took all the way to his Vodacom Durban July win in 2009, because Kotzen has always believed he would get better as he got older and went further.

He followed in Big City Life's footsteps by winning the RA Stakes in Port Elizabeth. He ran below par last time out in the Gr 1 Grand Parade Guineas but a subsequent lung wash revealed an infection, which was the identical experience Big City Life suffered before winning the Cape Derby. Kotzen mentioned that the virus effecting horses in Cape Town appeared to be rife, but has been pleased with Light The Lights progress since and said, "He has been working well and is very bright."

Kotzen has three fillies in the Listed Sun International Summer Juvenile Stakes, including Captain Al filly Princess Royale, who is a half-sister to the yard's brilliant Princess Victoria, who won this race on her way to stardom in 2011.

Kotzen said, "Princess Royale has come on a lot from her winning debut and is a serious runner. The other two haven't won so will be receiving weight. Princess Jane is quite quick. We thought Entre Nous would win first time out but a lung wash showed she had the virus. She put up a fantastic workout last time. But on their work I would say Princess Royale has the edge."

Kotzen was bullish about Gone Baby Gone, who runs in the tenth, a MR 96 Handicap over 1600m. He said, "I think he is a huge runner. He has solid form over a mile and was unlucky last time as he was brought for his run down the inside in the worst going and just gave up in the last bit."

His son Kuyan's horse Cathy Specific won on debut over 1000m at Kenilworth despite being slow away and runs in the first race, a MR 86 Handicap for fillies and mares over the same course and distance. She was only given a 74 merit rating, so goes in with bottom weight, but is officially 1,5kg under sufferance. Kotzen clearly thinks a lot of her and said, "She weighs 560kg and this might be a bit sharp but she will be flying at them."

The yard have a team of 14 runners for the day and Omaticaya, who runs in the eleventh over 1800m, was another he mentioned, "She ran a cracker last time over 1700m in a similar race with the same topweight and she has a good draw. Its a competitive handicap but she is very honest."

David Thiselton

The Adam Marcus-trained Priceless Jewel will be a big runner in the Gr 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes on J&B Met day on Saturday if repeating her excellent third behind the brilliant Beach Beauty last year, a race in which one of this year’s Majorca fancies Hammie’s Hooker beat her by just 0,75 lengths.

Last year the now five-year-old Ashaawes mare came into the race off a fourth in the Gr 3 Victress Stakes and a fifth in the Gr 1 Maine Chance Farms Paddock Stakes, both over 1800m, and the yard have taken a completely different approach this year.

Marcus said, “I just thought that with her form having been so good over sprints in the winter I would put her in the 1000 and the two 1200s so that she would go into the Majorca good and fresh and stepping up in trip. She has had a good prep and her last two fourth places were good performances although with age she is probably finding 1200 a bit sharp now. We were hoping she would be going into Saturday’s race on the up and feeling good and happy and she is doing just that, she is extremely well, we have her at the best she can possibly be and we are confident she will run to the best of her ability. If Beach Beauty was in the field I think she would be very hard to beat and she only beat us by two lengths last year, so we are going to be competitive. Obviously Cold As Ice is up and coming and a potential superstar, but the distance will be a question mark.”

Priceless Jewel jumps from a very nice draw of five and Adam’s Uncle Anton Marcus rides, which is always a plus.

The yard have two other runners on the day, Crystal Cavern, who runs in the third race, a MR 79 fillies and mares handicap over 1400m, and Souk, who runs in the first, a MR 86 fillies and mares handicap over 1000m.

Marcus said, “Crystal Cavern is a very smart filly and showed her true ability in her last win (over course and distance), I was very impressed with that run. However, her wide draw is a concern, I think if she were better drawn she would be one of the fillies to beat. We are hoping she can get in without being used up too much and with luck she will run a decent race.”

“Souk is one of the better horses in the yard, but we gave her a break because of a virus that went through the yard, and this will be a prep run for the Prix du Cap. She is probably the class act in the field and going in fresh we would like to see her running on strongly and going into the Prix du Cap well.”

David Thiselton

The Pick 6 pool is expected to top R5 million at the J&B Met meeting at Kenilworth on Saturday, so some of the earlier races on the card will have as much importance to punters as the big ones.

The Dennis Drier-trained Seventh Plain will be considered by many in the fourth race, the Listed Sun International Juvenile Stakes over 1000m, while both Drier’s Triptique and Darry Hodgson’s Mister Matchett will be a factor in another highly competitive event, the fifth, a MR 80 Handicap over 1200m.

Drier said about the striking Seventh Rock colt Seventh Plain, “I rate him and he hasn’t put a foot wrong. He should run very well, although you are never quite sure how strong these fields are.”

Seventh Plain certainly made a big impression on his debut over 800m. The long striding sort showed high cruising speed and, after having to be pushed to repel a challenge from Buckinghampshire, he took a while to wind up before lengthening beautifully and was pulling away at the line to win by 1,5 lengths. He will certainly appreciate the extra 1000m and Anton Marcus in the irons is a further plus.

The Justin Snaith-trained Buckinghampshire is a speedy type and had to be rushed to join Seventh Plain after losing ground at the start. He couldn’t match it with the latter in the closing stages, but the slow start would have taken its toll and he will also be 3kg better off on Saturday. Jonathon Snaith suggested Buckinghampshire as one of his best bets on the card in a Met panel discussion on Tellytrack on Sunday.

The draw will also play a part in this race and Seventh Plain is drawn one, while Buckinghampshire is in three.

Last Saturday they tended to go down the inside, possibly due to a tail wind on the day. However, Wind Guru predicts a south westerly wind on Saturday, which will be a head crosswind blowing over the stands. It is difficult to predict where the jockeys will want to go, although the inside horses should have some cover from a wind coming in at that angle.

The fillies always have to be considered in this Listed two-tear-old race as they receive 2,5kg from colts that have had the same amount of winners. Hodgson has entered two well bred first-timer fillies, Emblem Ahoy by Captain Al and Wafiqah, who is by Toreador out of the useful Listed winner Kiribati.

However, he was not particularly bullish and said, “They won’t be disgraced as they are two very nice fillies, but first time out in a Listed race is a big ask. It’s hard to assess as I don’t know how good the others are, but they will have better chances next time out in the maidens.”

Drier’s Triptique is drawn 14 in the fifth while Hodgson’s Mister Matchett is drawn one. Drier said, “Triptique is going very well. It’s not easy to win three in a row, but we are hoping.”

Mister Matchett is bred for further and Hodgson said, “He has won over 1400m but is flat to the boards at the finish over that trip so I brought him back to the 1200m. He was a bit unlucky last time (narrow second over course and distance) as he was all on his own and only rallied when he saw the other horse on the outside.

Drier said that his other two runners on the day, Balkan (1st race, handicap over 1000m) and Beckedorf (2nd race handicap over 1200m) were both now in more suitable races where they would have better chances than in their previous races and the latter would also appreciate the step up in trip.

Hodgson runs Putney Flyer in the Gr 2 J&B Urban Honey Stayers over 2800m and said, “On his day he is competitive and finished fifth two years ago, but he lacks that real Gr 1 or Gr 2 class. He won the Listed Kenilworth Cup in November (which had a muddling pace) and that’s the sort of race he can pick up. But he is fit and well and I will be happy if he runs into the money.”

MICHAEL CLOWER

Brett Crawford is confident that Justin Snaith’s plans to try and create a slow pace in Saturday’s J & B Met will not affect Futura’s chance.

Crawford said: “The nice thing about Futura is that he is a versatile horse. If they go slow it won’t worry us with the way he turns it on. Equally if they go quickly, that won’t worry us either.

“Bernard Fayd’Herbe can make the decisions but we are drawn nine, basically in the middle of the field, so we’ve got options depending on how quick they run.

“Futura came out of his Queen’s Plate win very, very well and there is no doubt that the extra distance will be in his favour. He won the Champions Cup over 1 800m and he is crying out for this trip.”

The Philippi trainer was dismissive of suggestions that the ten furlongs might blunt Futura’s devastating turn of foot, saying: “No way. That’s what good horses do.”

Like the bookmakers Crawford reckons it will boil down to a three-way fight between his horse, Louis The King and Legislate.

He said: “I thought all three put up good gallops last Thursday and Louis The King had a very good first Kenilworth run in the Queen’s Plate.”

Crawford was successful with Angus 12 years ago while Fayd’Herbe is looking for a third Met victory after winning on Pocket Power in 2008 and 2009.

MC

David Thiselton
Geoff Woodruff would not have the glittering record he has as a trainer if he did not pay acute attention to detail when preparing his horses for big races and he will be putting the finishing touches to his three J&B Met contenders, Louis The King, Tellina and Killua Castle, this week to ensure they arrive at the course on Saturday at their absolute peaks.
Woodruff’s experience extends further than just conditioning horses and he has also spoken to the stipendiary stewards ahead of the race about the notoriously slow pace of races at Kenilworth.
The “Cape Crawl” is usually a result of the jockeys’ reluctance to be leading turning for home as that means bearing the brunt of the prevailing South Easterly wind. However, this opens up the opportunity to gain an easy lead by slowing it up in front, which can have a severe effect on the horses in behind, who can become the victims of jostling.
The most well know recent case was when Jet Explorer was brought down in the Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge at Clairwood.
Woodruff said, “The stipes have ensured me that they would speak to the jockeys before the race and anybody leading and pulling his mount back on to the field will be getting a holiday. They should really be going a decent pace in these races.”

(Met gallops)

Woodruff was happy with his trio’s gentle spin around Kenilworth together at last week’s Met gallops. He said, “It was not an overly stressful workout as the Met Gallops don’t factor in as part of their preparation but they were all bright and we were very pleased.”
Woodruff gives a clue to his perfectionist outlook with his opinion on fitness. “There are only two types of fitness, fit and unfit.”
He said that the training tracks were the only real difference between preparing a horse on the Highveld and at the coast as the end goal was always the same.
He won’t be giving his horses any “days off” this week and will still be expecting "a good couple of workouts" from them. He said, “The idea is to maintain their fitness, ensure their muscles are good and their lungs are clear. But it is once you see their final blood counts that you know your fate.”
However, he added that if the horses were “flattening their food, drinking their water, have shiny coats and muzzle and a bright eye” it was a good indication and he was currently happy with all three of his charges in this regard.
The Triple Crown and Sansui Summer Cup hero Louis The King is the most fancied of his runners and is being tipped by many pundits to win the big race. He finished a flying second in the Gr 1 L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate on January 10 and was possibly a tad unlucky as he was held up at a crucial stage. Woodruff said before that race that it was a “bring on” outing for the Met for both Louis The King and Tellina, who finished fifth.
Woodruff is stabling his horse’s in Harold Crawford’s yard at Milnerton, which is where he always campaigns from in Cape Town these days, and trainer Adam Marcus and his famous father Basil have also been helping him out.
Basil Marcus rode Louis The King in the Met Gallops and Woodruff said, “He said he had come on at least two lengths from the horse he had felt before the Queen’s Plate and if you can’t take it from Basil Marcus then I don’t know who you can take it from.”

(Tellina/Killua Castle)

Tellina was gelded after his disappointing run in the Peermont Emperor’s Palace Charity Mile and Woodruff said that he was “much improved” since the operation. He stayed on very well from a handy position in the slow run Queen’s Plate and was only just pipped for third by both Gold Onyx and Jet Explorer who flew up late.
He will have benefitted a lot from that outing and has gained three close up places in Gr 1s from 2000-2200m so will probably relish the easy Kenilworth 2000m.
Killua Castle travelled down to Cape Town three days after his emphatic victory in the Gr 3 London News Stakes over 1800m, where he carried joint topweight and didn’t mind running wide. Woodruff said, “He has taken to the place (Milnerton) nicely. I think that last run underlines his quality.”
Indeed, that run proved that his short-head second to Louis The King in the Gr 1 Sansui Summer Cup over 2000m at Kenilworth was no fluke. He will only be 1kg worse off with his popular stablemate on Saturday, yet there is a massive 22,8 point difference in their respective prices of 25/1 and 22/10.
Killua Castle will be going around a left hand turn for the first time but that has never phased Woodruff, who pointed out that he was a versatile horse and added, “It is not as if they have never been taken around a left hand turn in training.”
He is happy with all three of the horses’ draws, and said, “Killua Castle likes to be on the outside (drawn ten), Louis The King will be comfortable coming down the middle (drawn eight) and Tellina has a nice inside draw (three).”
Piere Strydom, Gavin Lerena and Aukash Auchuruz all retain their rides on Louis The King, Tellina and Killua Castle respectively.
Woodruff also runs the classy Arcetri Pink in the Gr 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes over 1600m,where she is drawn three with regular pilot Gavin Lerena up and he said, “She has been working terribly well, but it is a tough race and a hard ask. She has been a bit erratic but I was pleased with her prep run as 1400m is now patently too short and a mile is her best trip, but only if she can come from off a good pace, so we are also hoping there wont be the Cape Crawl scenario in that race."

MICHAEL CLOWER

Justin Snaith has 40% of the field in Saturday’s J & B Met and he is intent on using his armada to create a slow gallop.

He said: “The tactics will be very important and a slow pace would suit me beautifully. The only reason it didn’t work for us in the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate was because Legislate was sick. I’ve got six in the race and the other runners are welcome to chase round mine!”

The champion trainer hopes that his Durban July winner Legislate can give him his first Met win but he believes any of the other five are capable of running into a place even though some of them are at huge odds.

He said: “They have their little niggles so they are the type than run on their best days, and any of them could run into the money on Saturday. Jet Explorer (33-1) is doing well and he is cruising into the race. He has less problems this time whereas last year he injured himself in the public gallop.

“We will know on Saturday whether Dynamic (16-1) is up to this class but I already know that when you put him in a Group 1 like the Cape Derby he can up his game. Arion (20-1) ran third to Legislate in the Cape Derby and was actually finishing just as fast. Obviously both he and Dynamic are carrying severe injuries but they have hardened up.

“Johnny Rockets (150-1) is a horse with a lot of problems but he can run and the one thing I will say for Astro News (100-1) is that, while he has also had a lot of problems, he has had a hassle-free entry. There have been two upsets in the last two years so why not a third?”

Legislate has drifted further – he was out to 33-10 with Betting World yesterday morning although only 5-2 with Hollywood – but Joey Ramsden is in the enviable position of having the hot favourite in both the Investec Cape Derby and the Klawervlei Majorca.

Betting World yesterday opened Cape Guineas winner Act Of War at 33-100 in the Derby and Cold As Ice at 14-10 for the Majorca. Mike de Kock’s Ertijaal is 4-1 second favourite for the Derby with Ramsden’s The Conglomerate next best at 7-1. You can get 20-1 and more about the rest. Mike Bass’s has the main dangers in the Majorca – at least according to the betting – with Paddock Stakes disappointment Hammie’s Hooker (6-1) surprisingly shorter that stablemate Inara (7-1) who won the race.

MC

David Thiselton

The Stan Elley-trained Punta Arenas was the surprise package of last year's J&B Met, running third at odds of 125/1 despite jumping from draw 13, and after being one of the picks of the Met gallops last week he could be worth including in the trifecta again from a similar draw.
The six-year-old Silvano gelding worked with Big Cat at last Thursday’s Met Gallops and looked to be one of the big race's most relaxed runners, striding out freely and enjoying himself.
Elley said, "Our emphasis at this stage is always to have a happy horse, as the work has been done and the horse is fit enough."
He spoke about last week's gallop, "It was the same as last year's gallop and also his July gallop as he worked beautifully and really enjoyed it. So we were delighted and I think he is peaking at the right time."
Last year Punta Arenas easily found a handy position in a moderately paced race and after swinging on the bridle clearly enjoying himself throughout he stayed on resolutely to finish just 1,95 lengths behind the pacemaker and winner Hill Fifty Four.
Regarding his draw of 12 and the apparent lack of pace in Saturday’s race, Elley said, "I'm looking on the positive side, he is drawn one better than last year! I am not sure there is going to be no pace as I believe Astro News might have been entered as pacemaker. Legislate tugged in the Queen's Plate and I believe they will want to prevent a repeat."
Astro News, interestingly, was only supplemented for the Met after the L'Ormarins Queen's Plate, despite having had no outings in any Cape Summer Of Champions Season feature races this season.
Elley believed Punta Arenas would enjoy a good pace.
He said, "He likes to run at them and in the Peninsula (over 1800m where he ran a 3,85 length fifth) he was a bit handy with topweight. He will be better off at the weights with all of the horses that beat him in the Peninsula and whatever happens he won’t be far back in the Met."
Big yards dominate the placings in big races in South Africa, but Elley is one of the few to have broken the trend this century, running third in the Vodacom Durban July with Red Badge in two successive years (2003 and 2004).
Punta Arenas' third last year is Elley's best Met achievement, although he had fourth place finishes with both Red Badge in 2003 and with Kapil in 2009.
All of Punta Arenas, Red Badge and Kapil run in the colours of passionate owners Mike Fullard and James Drew.

Punta Arenas was ridden by Grant van NIekerk last year, but Aldo Domeyer, who won the big race on outsider Martial Eagle two years ago and rode Punta Arenas to third in the Gr 2 Peninsula Handicap over 1800m last season, will be aboard on Saturday.

(Dynastic Power/Pecan Nut)
Elley has three other lively runners on the day, including Dynastic Power who runs in the Gr 2 J&B Urban Honey Stayers over 2800m, a race he won in 2005 with Red Badge.

However, he said that his best runner on the day would be Pecan Nut, who runs in the 11th race, and he was also “bullish” about the chances of Big Cat who runs in the 10th.

The improving four-year-old Pecan Nut followed two comfortable wins over 1800m and 2000m respectively with a decent 5,2 length eighth in the Gr 1 Maine Chance Farms Paddock Stakes over 1800m on January 10.

Elley said, “Pecan Nut was a bit out of her depth last time but didn’t run badly at all. Big Cat worked with Punta Arenas at the Met Gallops and actually needed that little gallop so will be spot on after his workout on Tuesday. I was delighted to have secured Piere Strydom for the ride as he will suit Big Cat’s style down to the ground. Dynastic Power was kicked behind the stall before his last start, he only had a little scratch, but was scratched from the race. That was a pity as it would have peaked him but we have put a bit of work into him and Aldo (Domeyer) is very pleased with him. To be honest I have been a bit disappointed with Dynastic Power this summer, especially in the Cape Summer Stayers, but he had to run through the middle that day and things didn’t really go his way. Theoretically he is not well weighted on Saturday but without a doubt has the class and will stay every inch of the trip.”

Pecan Nut carries second top weight in a MR 90 handicap for fillies and mares over 1800m and will be ridden by Greg Cheyne from pole position.

Big Cat also jumps from pole position in a MR 96 Handicap over 1600m over his ideal 1600m trip.

Dynastic Power is officially 3,5kg under sufferance with the best weighted horse Coltrane, but he has always struck as one who could be better rated than his current 93 merit rating, as he proved when beating J&B Met contender Power King in last year’s Gr 3 Winter Derby over 2400m at level weights. His barrier four draw is a bonus to his chances and the astute Aldo Domeyer knows him very well having ridden him ten times, including in his Winter Derby victory.

MICHAEL CLOWER

Triple Crown hero Louis The King has come in for sustained support for Saturday’s J & B Met in the last few days and yesterday he was as short as 2-1 (joint favourite with Futura) while Legislate has gone out to 4-1 with Betting World.

Piere Strydom, successful on the Brett Crawford-trained Angus 12 years ago, is confident that the extra 400m will bring out the best in the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate runner-up.

He said: “The mile of the Queen’s Plate is not Louis’ game and we were hoping only that he would run into a place. A win obviously would have been a bonus but he ran on well.”

But seemingly not as well as many people thought – “I believe they were confused by the camera angle which suggested that we were coming back at Futura at the line. He came from last to run past us as if we were standing still. He then went away and we were never coming back at him.

“But the extra two furlongs of the Met will help us. I know it will help Futura as well but it will definitely help Louis The King.”

Robbie Fradd often rode the horse with exaggerated waiting tactics but these have not been adopted by Strydom who said: “I don’t know why Robbie rode him like that – obviously he had his reasons – but for me he is the type of horse who builds up, continues to build up and then gives a kick.”

Strydom also expects a good run from his mount’s two stable companions, saying: “I originally thought that the race was between my horse, Futura and Legislate but Tellina (13-1) has obviously come on. The Queen’s Plate was his first run after being gelded while Killua Castle (25-1) is also a runner.”

MC

Thanks for posting all this, really appreciate it! Am waiting for Mr Puller to give a comment or two on his runner in the second, very interesting one!

Great stuff