Final Field Champions Cup

1 POCKET POWER 60.0 119 (119) 12 A B Fayd'Herbe Mike Bass

2 BIG CITY LIFE 60.0 118 (118) 8 A P Strydom Glen Kotzen[size=x-small]scratched

3 SMART BANKER 60.0 116 (116) 6 B A A Marcus Charles Laird

4 RUDRA 57.5 116 (116) 4 A K Shea Mike de Kock

5 NOORDHOEK FLYER 56.5 112 (109) 2 A K Neisius Dean Kannemeyer

6 FABIANI 56.5 111 (111) 9 A I Sturgeon Glen Kotzen

7 RED RAKE 56.5 108 (108) 7 A R Fourie Michael De Beer

8 CAPTAIN SCOTT 56.0 105 (105) 3 A S Randolph Alec Laird

9 BOLD SILVANO 55.5 112 (109) 10 A A Delpech Mike de Kock

10 DAN DE LAGO 55.0 111 (111) 5 P A P Whitmore Charles Laird

11 GALILEO'S GALAXY 54.0 106 (103) 11 A F Coetzee Charles Laird

12 ORBISON 54.0 106 (103) 1 A R Danielson Herman Brown[/size]

Bold Silvano

BIG CITY LIFE IS SCRATCHED!!!

But it will still be a good race.

Please be advised that Big City Life has been scratched from this year’s Champions Cup by trainer, Glen Kotzen (Reason: Nil given Time: 12:50).



ends

Your still to fast for me Jason

What a field. Got to go for the older horses here.
Power, Fabiani and Rudra.

Lol Dave

Will give you a shout later today

Go Pocket!!

GALILEO'S GALAXY

Pocket Power in good shape ahead of Champions Cup

It has been well documented that the Champions Cup has been prioritised as Pocket Powers main mission for the Durban season. Mike Bass has his Champion gelding in good shape ahead of Saturdays clash and says that he has stripped a much fitter horse since his last outing in the Gold Challenge.

“I would suggest that he has come on since his Gold Challenge run, and he is getting to his best for the season” said Mike.
Pocket Power galloped over 1400m at Clairwood with Chase Maujean this morning and his regular work rider was very happy with his work. He has the worst of the draw to contend with again but fortunately it is the Clairwood track and hopefully he gets a good spot early on and he is not too far out of his ground.

If all goes well, we expect him to run a better race than he did in the Gold Challenge.

The Gold Circle Oaks sees Eljadida and Novelty in contention. They are doing ok said Mike who said that they have both done well in Durban so far. There is not much between them and they will have reasonable chances in this field. Anton Marcus has taken the ride on Novelty and Fayd’Herbe on Eljadida.

The Derby will be a tough race for Super Storm who bumps the July favourite in Irish Flame. The pair have met once before over the Kenilworth 1800 when finishing 5 lengths behind Irish Flame on that occasion but we will take our chances and we will be happy to run a place in this field from that draw.

Mike Bass Facebook

Journalist: David Thiselton – Gold Circle Publishing

The Grade 1 Champions Cup to be run over 1800m at Clairwood Racecourse on Saturday sees another top class field face the starter and with four other features on the card there will be a feast of action coming hard on the heels of last weekend's memorable Canon Gold Cup meeting.



Mike de Kock won the big one last weekend, the Grade 1 Canon Gold Cup, as well as the Grade 2 Tibouchina, and has a good chance of adding another big Grade 1 this Saturday.



He runs the 2008 Summer Cup winner, Rudra, as well as one of the up-and-coming newcomers to his yard, the three-year-old Bold Silvano.



He said, "According to the merit ratings they are both very well in at the weights and they've both had very good preps."



Rudra, who will prefer this distance to the 1600m of the Rising Sun Gold Challenge last time, is drawn well at four, while Bold Silvano has a wide draw of 10.



De Kock said, "I don't believe the draw will affect Bold Silvano, he likes to sit off them."



De Kock won't be worrying about his horses earning more weight for the Vodacom Durban July.



"They are well handicapped so if they do win any merit rated raise given will depend on whom they beat," he said, "But I don't believe in being blasé about future Grade 1s. You can out scheme yourself in this game and you should take what you can get at the time."



Mike Bass, speaking yesterday, believed that Pocket Power had "come on" from his Gold Challenge run, in which he finished third.



"It's harder to tell as he gets older," he said. "But he's looking well. He's drawn badly again as he always seems to be at Clairwood. I suppose the effect of the draw will depend on the pace. Red Rake is a frontrunner, but if nobody takes him on he just slows it up."



Dean Kannemeyer said about Noordhoek Flyer, "He's very, very well and put up a very good gallop last Thursday. But it's a tough field and it's his first time against older horses. He's a brilliant miler and I wouldn't be scared of many horses in the country over that distance. This is 1800m, but he's well drawn and is fit and well."



Charles Laird runs three top class horses and said, "Smart Banker needed his last run a bit as I was easy on him after his hard race in testing going in the Gold Challenge. But it's not going to be easy for him at the weights. Giving a horse like Rudra 2,5kg is going to be very tough. But he's well. His chances will also depend on which game Pocket Power brings to the race. Galileo's Galaxy came off a long break and needed his last two runs. He is ready for this race and at his best I would not put him far behind the best we have. This is the race we earmarked for him. Anton is very fit but finds it hard to get down to 54kg these days, so he's taken the easier option and rides Smart Banker. Dan de Lago hasn't raced for a long time. He's sand fit but this race is more a case of seeing whether he's back on track and whether he jumps on terms. Paul Whitmore has been working with him. He's jumped perfectly fifty times at home and has been passed at the Vaal racecourse. But tomorrow's a race and that will be the real test."



Glen Kotzen said of his runner, Fabiani, "He did some pace work yesterday and I'm very happy with him. If the yard can win three Grade 1s in a season that will be amazing, so this is his race and if he wins the July that will be a bonus."



Piere Strydom, released after Big City Life's scratching, will replace Fabiani's original jockey, Ian Sturgeon.



The Herman Brown-trained Orbison looks in top shape and returned to the ring without blowing after doing some pace work yesterday with the sprinter Intellectual, whom he beat comfortably.



Assistant trainer Frank Robinson said, "I was very disappointed with his Cup Trial run (finishing a close fourth over Saturday's course and distance.) There was a cold snap at the time and I think it was probably a below par run. I know he's better than that. He was a bit headstrong in that race, but is drawn in pole on Saturday which is ideal. I think he has a chance if he's at his best."



The Michael de Beer-trained Red Rake also worked very well yesterday, as he always does with his long, elastic-like stride. He was bucking and prancing after the workout, showing his well-being.



Adam Marcus, assistant to Michael de Beer, was very happy with him.



Alec Laird said of his charge, Captain Scott, "He has a tough task at the weights. I'm not expecting him to win, but if he runs a good race about three lengths or so off them, it will give him a chance in the July where he will come in better weighted. He wasn't really finishing so well in the Cup Trial so we've taken the blinkers off. Over this distance they are not really needed."

PRESS RELEASE - CLAIRWOOD SATURDAY 3 JULY 2010
Fit and ready for the Champions Cup. That's the confident word from
the Dean Kannemeyer Racing satellite yard at Clairwood after Noordhoek
Flyer had his final gallop on Thursday morning with his big race
jockey Karl Neisius putting him through his paces.

After enduring the disappointment of a tough call to withdraw him from
the Vodacom Durban July following his disappointing Daily News run,
Kannemeyer reports that the chestnut colt is relishing the
horse-friendly KwaZulu-Natal climate: "He's very, very well and put
up a very nice gallop this morning. Karl was also happy with his
work," he said with one eye on Saturday's R750 000 Grade 1 Champions
Cup.

Dean went on to point out that he was happy to have his charge back on
a left-handed track with a long run in: " We run left-handed in the
Cape and he has run most of his races on these turns. While I am happy
that he is drawn at 2, Clairwood is also one of the fairest
racecourses in the country and he will relish the long home straight.
I must admit that if it was a mile, I would be happy to take on any
horse in the country, but being 1800m and his first run out of his own
age group, there must be minor reservations. But we rate him very
highly, he is fit and well and we are here to race, so let them rather
worry themselves about us," he said.

When taxed on what he thought were his major opposition in the big
race, Dean said that obviously Mike de Kock's horses were always
factors in graded races, while Pocket Power was rising eight years
old, but could still have a grade 1 win in him. " A fascinating race
with a nice mix of proven performers and up-and-coming three year olds
awaits racing enthusiasts. After the tactical spectacle of the
Rising Sun Gold Challenge a few weeks back, it will be interesting to
see what develops with a ready-made frontrunner like Red Rake in this
race," he said.

Dean Kannemeyer also sends Italian Lakes to post in the tenth race, an
MR 72 Handicap over 1450. The son of Mark Of Esteem did not stay the
trip when tried over 2000m at his last outing, and Dean says that he
has brought him back in trip:" He has been disappointing since winning
his debut over 1200m at Kenilworth but he is lightly raced and very
definitely better than his formline. I have put blinkers on him for
this run, which will hopefully have the desired effect and I would be
disappointed were he not to finish in the quartet," he said.
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1 July 2010