Entires and Draws -L'Ormarins Queen's Plate

Note:

* Supplementary Entries close at 11am on Monday, 28 December 2009
* Declarations close at 11am on Wednesday, 30 December 2009

DR HORSE AGE WGT M/R TRAINER

1 POCKET POWER (7G) 58.0 119 Mike Bass

5 KAPIL (7G) 58.0 115 Stan Elley

17 BIG CITY LIFE (4C) 58.0 111 Glen Kotzen

8 IVORY TRAIL (5G) 58.0 111 B Joey Ramsden

16 SMART BANKER (5G) 58.0 110 B Charles Laird

14 BLUE TIGER (5H) 58.0 109 Mike Bass

12 FOREST PATH (4G) 58.0 107 S H Page

9 GAULTIER (5G) 58.0 107 Mike Bass

13 STRATEGIC NEWS (AU (6H) 58.0 107 B Dylan Cunha

7 THUNDER KEY (6G) 58.0 106 Glen Kotzen

3 FABIANI (4G) 58.0 103 Glen Kotzen

2 RUSHING WIND (4G) 58.0 100 B Mike Bass

10 BUSH PIRATE (4G) 58.0 99 Joey Ramsden

4 FORT VOGUE (4G) 58.0 99 Mike Bass

6 SENOR JET (6G) 58.0 98 Glen Kotzen

15 JAGGED ICE (7G) 58.0 95 Shane Humby

11 SPARKLING GEM (4F) 55.5 102 Justin Snaith

(17)





Note:

* Declarations close at 11am on Wednesday, 30 December 2009

As the pending showdown between Pocket Power and Big City Life in the L’Ormarins Queens Plate (Gr 1) looms ever closer, the race has gained in interest with the recent announcement of the 17 entries.



As expected, big guns Pocket Power, Big City Life and Kapil are all on track for the 1600 m WFA event to be staged at Kenilworth on Saturday, January 9, but there is added interest with the former Mike de Kock-trained Forest Path now under the care of the very much in form Stephen Page.



Both Pocket Power and Big City Life made excellent seasonal debuts in a Pinnacle Plate over the Kenilworth 1500 m where Big City Life went down by a length to the faster finishing Horse of the Year.



Both are sure to have come on from that pipe-opener; it just remains to be seen which of the two will improve the most.

However, Big City Life was thrown a curved ball with the Glen Kotzen-trained colt pulling the widest draw of all while Mike Bass sees Pocket Power jump from pole position.



Kapil scored a memorable victory in the Betting World Merchants (Gr 2) beating Villandry but then came unstuck in the WPOTA Diadem Stakes (Gr 2) where he did not get the best of passages and finished up a rather unlucky fifth, just over three lengths back to winner Thunder Key.



Barring the interference, trainer Stan Elley will not have been too despondent with the result as Kapil was doing his best work late and the Kenilworth 1600 m will be right up his alley.



The talented Forest Path has never been an easy horse to ride and a change of stables may just be what the doctor ordered. Page has just had his best year ever as a trainer and there is nothing like confidence to boost a yard as a confident, winning atmosphere tends to filter through to the horses and Forest Path still has plenty of fight left in him.



The Justin Snaith-trained Sparkling Gem has always been one of the best fillies of her generation and has been in good form leading up to the Queen’s Plate. She was only a length back to the very smart River Jetez in the Victress Stakes (L) and prior to that was touched off a whisker by Fabiani in the Green Point Stakes (Gr 2). She is a talented front runner and given a break at the top of the straight she could prove difficult to catch.



However, Snaith has left his options open and Sparkling Gem is also an entry in the TBA Paddock Stakes (Gr 1) to be run on the same day. It could prove a difficult choice for Snaith as 1600 m appears to be the limit of her compass but there is no Pocket Power or Big City Life to contend with in the 1800 m Paddock Stakes.



The Charles Laird-trained Smart Banker has drawn just inside of Big City Life which will not have done his chances any favours but the former Champions Challenge (Gr 1) and Horse Chestnut Stakes (Gr 1) winner is a class act and will also come into this race on the back of some good form.



Sparkling Gem and Mother Russia fought out some memorable battles last season with Mother Russia possibly just holding the edge and they could possibly renew that rivalry in the TBA Paddock Stakes should Snaith so choose. Mother Russia is now in the care of Mike de Kock, having been bought out of the Joey Ramsden yard. The daughter of Windrush cracked her first win for her new stable in the Ipi Tombe Stakes earlier this month after finishing second to Smart Banker in her debut for her new stable.

In her last start for Ramsden she held a late challenge from River Jetez in the Gold Bracelet (Gr 2) over the Greyville 1600 m on Canon Gold Cup day.



River Jetez, like her full brother Pocket Power in the Queen’s Plate, has also drawn in pole and trainer Mike Bass will be confident of a big showing after her recent victory over Sparkling Gem in the Victress Stakes, especially as River Jetez should appreciate the extra furlong.

Last season’s Gold Circle Oaks winner Goat is also in the line-up while the former Pat Riley-trained Silver Fantasy, now with Glen Kotzen, could do the honours for her new yard.



Submitted by Andrew Harrison

Final Field

What you think of the Jockey bookings?

Drawn 1 getting as much as 8 kg from the field.
Best top weight Jock in the country.

Will need to come racing with only 2 working legs to win.

Was thinking more about Pat getting the leg up on Dylan`s horse

Could Kapil do PP for a bit toe over this trip?

Hibs,

You know in racing anything is possible. I think very highly of Kapil, but two things count against him.....

1) MJ Byleveld
2) The fact that PP is a much better horse than Kapil, over any distance.

But like I said, stranger things have happened!

You know me Tommy ,i like to talk Horse racing even if i make a fool out of myself:)

I'm with you Hibs,

I do the same on almost a daily basis. If it has anything to do with horseracing I'll talk a hole through a barn door with the best of them.

Speak to you tomorrow

I enjoyed this headline from Racing Post

Legendary Pocket Power out to 'do a Kauto Star'

South Africa: The legendary Pocket Power attempts to ‘do a Kauto Star' and win the Queen's Plate for the fourth successive year at Kenilworth in Cape Town on Saturday.

No other horse has ever won this historic Grade 1 mile more than twice, yet such is the seven-year-old's fame - and form - that the local bookmakers expect to open him as short as 2-5 whenthey start betting later in the week.

But for intermittent problems with his near-fore foot and ankle joint, he would now be in Dubai preparing for the Carnival, where an international rating of 121 (only 3lb behind Mastercraftsman and a pound in front of Oaks winner Sariska) suggests he would more than hold his own.

Indeed, the gelding's rating, and his reputation, might well be even higher but for his insistence on making hard work of every race.

Regular rider Bernard Fayd'herbe invariably has to start riding him quite some way out and it is not normally until near the furlong marker that his mount consents to respond. But when he does, his acceleration is electrifying.

He then refuses point blank to go into the winner's enclosure. "He is not interested in standing there having his photograph taken," said Leicester-born trainer Mike Bass. "He just wants to get back to his stable and his feed."

Last month Pocket Power reappeared to mercilessly cut down Durban July winner Big City Life, widely regarded as his only serious opponent on Saturday.

"Although he was pretty fit that day, I think he has come on a bit since," said Bass. "Certainly he has come good."

At the end of the month Pocket Power bids to cement his place in South African racing history still further by winning his fourth consecutive J& B Met - Cape Town's number one race, for which he is already hot favourite.