MET DAY Press releses - Courtesy of Gold Circle

Vaughan Marshall sent a chilling ripple of fear through the Milnerton training centre on Saturday morning when he scratched all his six runners from that day’s Kenilworth card because of a respiratory virus.
For obvious reasons it was felt most by his immediate neighbours Greg Ennion and Candice Bass-Robinson (“I don’t need that going into Met day”) but Marshall, speaking at the Convention Centre’s cauldron of dreams that evening, played it down.
He said: “It’s just a few horses that are affected and I did it as a precaution. We are taking no chances and we have also nebulised them all.”
He confirmed that Alec and Gillian’s Investec Derby favourite Tap O’Noth is fine and on course for Saturday. But for Andre Nel and Platter Racing’s Rondeberg yard 100 kilometres up the coast the nightmare continues.
Abnormal blood counts forced them to scratch all Saturday’s four runners and, with the problem having continued on and off for many weeks, Nel has now brought in a virologist and is toying with the idea of shutting up shop for a short period.
In any case stable jockey Donovan Dillon will be out of action for another three weeks because of a broken bone in his right hand that has side-lined him for the past fortnight.
He said: “It happened coming out of the starting gate shortly before the Queen’s Plate. I didn’t think much of it to begin with but it then began to get more and more sore. It is now getting better and I am due to see the doctor again on 12 February.”
Ken Truter has purchased CTS 1600 favourite Talk Of The Town from Mayfair Speculators. The price is undisclosed but the shrewd Truter is only 2-1 against winning over R3 million on Saturday.
Last year’s Sun Met winner Whisky Baron is also on course to collect big money, in his case in Dubai, and Brett Crawford said: “He is doing very well there. He’s been on the grass and on the main track and is on schedule to run in the Zabeel Mile (Group 2) on 22 February.”
With 13 horses scratched last Saturday’s Kenilworth card was left looking like the equine equivalent of the Marie Celeste and all bar the last race averaged less than six runners.
As a result they took less winning than usual but two of them were won by horses who look like beating the handicapper again next time even though both winners have an unviable medical history.
With Marion Belle it’s due to an offset knee. However Crawford said: “It’s an ongoing thing but it’s manageable. She is a decent filly and she has the ability.”
Seemingly not even the best vets could find what was wrong with Brave Move. “Before she even ran she developed a massive swelling on her hock and nobody could tell us what it was,” related Adam Marcus. “We tried ice-bandaging and box rest but in the end it was time that proved the great healer. Even now, though, she wears magnetic therapy boots in her box.”
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MICHAEL CLOWER
Fillies and mares have won three of the last eight runnings of the Sun Met but Mike de Kock freely admits that he did not consider running Cascapedia until shortly before the second supplementary stage. The Irish-bred has won five out of six and is as short as 9-1.
De Kock said: “She has defied her mark in each of her last two starts. She had no right to win the Turffontein Pinnacle on 23 December yet she did and in the London News last time she again had no right to beat the opposition at the weights. It was a good field and she won again.
“The manner in which she has risen through the ratings has impressed me – in fact I think she is still under-rated – and I thought she deserved her place in the field.”
The maestro is bidding for his fourth Met win following the legendary Horse Chestnut in 1999, Badger’s Coast 12 months later and the filly Igugu in 2012. He also runs Heavenly Blue (25-1) and 33-1 shot Nother Russia.
His Naafer is 7-2 favourite with the sponsors for Saturday’s Betting World Cape Flying Championship despite not having raced for two months.
De Kock explained: “The plan was to run him in the race in which Mujaafy was fourth (Diadem) and I thought he would have been good enough to win it but he was sick with a temperature when he arrived. If you take that away, everything has gone well with him. He is a good horse and he is a quality sprinter.”
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MICHAEL CLOWER
Sean Tarry declares himself “very hopeful” of making it third time lucky with Legal Eagle in Saturday’s Sun Met now that the dual runner-up does not have to shoulder a 2kg penalty.
The three-time champion trainer has been carefully monitoring Legal Eagle to see exactly how much the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate took out of him so that he can judge what work to give the horse in the interim.
Tarry said: “We were mindful of the fact that he may have had a hard race but there were no tell-tale signs to confirm this afterwards. He was very fresh – indeed full of himself- and he also ate well. So we have basically handled him as we would normally.”
Tarry, who won the 2005 Met with 50-1 shot Alastor – his first runner in the great race, is untroubled by Legal Eagle’s 15 draw not least because he has the priceless advantage of Anton Marcus in the irons. “A good jockey and a good horse – they will find their way,” he said.
He has also been concentrating on getting the slow-starting Trip To Heaven smartly into his stride. This is to ensure that there will be no repeat of the gelding’s performance in last year’s Betting World Cape Championship when he gave away eight lengths at the break but flew home so fast that he was only beaten a neck by stable companion Carry On Alice.
Tarry explained: “Basically it has been just different schooling in the pens and repeatedly putting him through them.”
It seemed to work in the Diadem but is there any risk that altering his accustomed method will take the horse out of his comfort zone and affect his performance?
“Yes, there is and that’s possible,” Tarry admits. “Indeed I felt that he might have been a little too handy in the Diadem. He certainly didn’t kick as he normally does. But it’s a matter of getting the right balance.”
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Kotzen bullish about Gold Standard

PUBLISHED: January 24, 2018

Kotzen sends a string of 18 to the Sun Met meeting and has reason to feel optimistic as his yard have gotten over the respiratory virus…

Glen Kotzen goes into Saturday’s Sun Met bullish about Gold Standard’s chances and added, “I will win the Derby, but I don’t know with which one.”

Kotzen sends a string of 18 to the meeting and has reason to feel optimistic as his yard have gotten over the respiratory virus which now appears to be affecting some yards at Milnerton and also Andre Nel’s yard at Rondeberg.

One of his Grade 1 Investec Cape Derby contenders, Eyes Wide Open, had to miss the Cape Guineas due to the virus but bounced back with an impressive win last time out in the Grade 2 Peninsula Handicap over 1800m. Kotzen said, “Against his own age group he is going to be hard to beat.”
Glen Kotzen

Glen Kotzen

The Dynasty colt has already won a Grade 1, the Premier’s Champion Stakes over 1600m at Greyville as a two-year-old, and was beautifully relaxed in the running last time before showing a fine turn of foot and resolute finish. Kotzen said, “Top horses can do that, you can chase them at the start and then switch them off.” Eyes Wide Open has a fine draw of five and Richard Fourie rides.



Kotzen believes stablemate Pack Leader is the biggest danger. He said, “He turned for home two lengths behind the second last horse in the Cape Guineas on a track which was running fast and White River, running green, first hung inward across him and then hung outward across him.”

The Philanthropist colt still ran on well in his third attempt to get a run, but not surprisingly had less left at the finish than White River. Fourie had already committed to Eyes Wide Open, but would otherwise have given Pack Leader some consideration. Anthony Delpech is a top replacement aboard the latter and Kotzen said, “Pack Leader is working the barns out.” On racing style and pedigree he should relish the step up in trip and has a plum draw of two.

Oratorio colt Opera Royal is the third Kotzen horse in the Derby and he said, “He ran a courageous race when chasing Milton in the Premier Trophy and therefore Richard was not hard on him last time when he ran on in the Politician. He will now be fresh for the Derby. He doesn’t give much away at home but will be in the mix.” Luyolo Mxothwa rides from draw nine.

Some have questioned whether Gold Standard is the same horses since a fetlock chip was removed last year after he had run a fine second in the Cape Guineas and an equally classy fourth in the Met. But Kotzen said, “He doesn’t have to prove anything to me. He has been prepped for this race, will be cherry ripe and the extra 400m will be right down his alley.”

Kotzen pointed out the Queen’s Plate was a preparation run for Gold Standard and he was widely drawn, so the slow pace of the race had not suited him in the fast conditions, yet he still finished on top of them (the field was backed up behind Legal Eagle, who did not chase the front pair).

Kotzen revealed Fourie believes he has a huge chance of giving the short-priced favourite Snowdance a run for her money in the Grade 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes over 1600m aboard Silvan Star. She missed two weeks of training with a foot injury before her excellent sixth place in The Grade 1 Cartier Paddock Stakes and has been “flying” at home. Unfortunately, she has a tough draw of 14.
Gold Standard (Liesl King)

Gold Standard (Liesl King)

He also runs Final Judgement in the Majorca from a good draw. She didn’t travel well to Port Elizabeth last time in the only race they could earmark as a preparation but he said, “When she’s good she’s very good and I hope she comes to the party.”

He runs Too Phat To Fly in the US$500,000 CTS 1600 and said, “Her best run was in the Cape Fillies Guineas over this trip when she ran on well, but this is a tough race.” Last time out they found out after the 1400m race she had cracked an incisor on the float and are not sure whether it would have affected her performance.

In the Kuda Sprint over 1200m Kotzen has two runners and said, “Let’s Be Frank had the quickest 400m to finish time on debut but looks to be drawn on the wrong side. It all depends on the conditions on the day which side they go, but they usually stick to the inside. We are running Quick Star because he is a smart colt, but he might be green on debut.”

The yard have three runners in the Listed Tattersalls Summer Juvenile Stakes over 1000m and Kotzen couldn’t separate them. He said, “Lanza was very green on debut and gets no penalty so should go close with Richard Fourie aboard. Twin Falls was green when winning on debut and we expect further improvement. Princess Elsa is very quick and in her debut here she gets a pull at the weights.”

By David Thiselton

De Kock yard has a virus

Met runners scratched

can anyone confirm that Mike De Kock runners will be scratched. They not scratched on betting sites and gallop.Tellytrack have said nothing.

....Ali Cohen said earlier on TT it is totally unconfirmed and unsubstantiated....

According to Sahorseracing both Heavenly Blue and Cascapedia have been taken out - 'Under vet treatment' :ohmy:

....just shows that the TT Okes.... are not really in the know.....vehemently denied this last night
....they should have called and got it right..... :huh:

www.turftalk.co.za/de-kock-scratches-two-from-sun-met/

....now reported on SP too..... :huh:

Pilot officer wrote: can anyone confirm that Mike De Kock runners will be scratched. They not scratched on betting sites and gallop.Tellytrack have said nothing.

Heard it first on ABC...thanks Pilot Officer