Golden Ducat landed a second career Grade 1 in August 2020 when pipping his celebrated half-brother and stablemate Rainbow Bridge in the Grade 1 wfa Champions Cup over 1800m at Hollywoodbets Greyville (TSA News).

Christophe Soumillon Happy With Golden Ducat

Eric Sands has come into this year’s WSB Met under the radar considering he is the trainer of the twice winner Rainbow Bridge, who is statistically the most successful Met horse in history.

He runs the former Grade 1 Cape Derby winner Golden Ducat.

He was very happy with the gallop he put up this week under big race jockey Christophe Soumillon.

The latter, who rode Golden Ducat in the L’Ormarins King’s Plate, has been back in Cape Town since Sunday.

Sands was also happy with the gallop his Grade 1 Pongracz Cape Flying Championship contender, Hitthemhardsunshine, put up under Sean Veale.

The three-year-old What A Winter gelding will be ridden on Saturday by Raymond “Supersub” Danielson.

At one stage the twice Grade 1-winning Golden Ducat was spoken about in almost the same revered tones as his half-brother Rainbow Bridge.

That was especially after he had pipped the latter to win the Grade 1 wfa Champions Cup in August 2020.

However, it was his Durban July performance five weeks earlier which showed Golden Ducat to have an engine with the potential to carry him to Met glory.

That day Sands wanted his pair, Rainbow Bridge and Golden Ducat, to come off the rail early from their low draws, knowing the inside horses can get boxed in nearing the straight. Therefore they went forward and halfway through the race Golden Ducat found himself one wide without cover in joint second place with just runaway pacemaker Silvano’s Pride ahead of him.

Golden Ducat towed his stablemate into the straight and the latter was recorded going through the 2000m mark in a time quicker than the Hollywoodbets Greyville 2000m course record held by London News.

Yet it was Golden Ducat, then just a three-year-old and admittedly receiving 7kg from Rainbow Bridge, who managed to stay on and finish in the frame, beaten just 1,90 lengths into fourth by the year older Belgarion whom he faced at level weights.

That was some feat by Golden Ducat, especially considering he had little to no cover throughout the race.

Golden Ducat showed he was not a one trick pony next time out in the Champions Cup over 1800m by coming from way off a strong pace with a storming run to pip Rainbow Bridge. He faced him on weight for age terms that day.

It was unfortunate that before his ultimate target the following season, the July, Golden Ducat sustained a suspensory ligament injury.

He was out for a year-and-a-half but made two good recent comeback runs, finishing a 2,75 length third to Jet Dark in the Grade 3 Cape Mile, receiving 2kg, in November and then finished a 2,55 length fourth in the Grade 2 WSB Green Point Stakes over 1600m on December 3.

The now six-year-old gelding by Philanthropist was off the pace last time out in the L’Ormarins King’s Plate and Sands was disappointed to see him not making much leeway and finishing a 7,40 length seventh.

However, Sands divulged Golden Ducat had not had a smooth build up into that race due to a muscle strain.

Sands yard as a whole had also been going through a lean spell, but at present the blood pictures show the yard to be on an upward curve.

He is much happier with Golden Ducat’s preparation into the Met.

It will be interesting if Golden Ducat is able to take advantage of the apparent lack of pace in Saturday’s big race from his pole position draw and put the more fancied horses under pressure.

Golden Ducat wears blinkers for the first time which will help him if going forward is the intention.

Sands and Soumillon would have worked out a strategy by the time of Saturday’s race in which to maximise the impact of Golden Ducat’s big engine.

Meanwhile, Hitthemhardsunshine also comes in to the Cape Flying under the radar.

He has only had one below par run, his last run when finishing a 3,10 length sixth in the Sophomore Sprint.

However, he did come out of that race with a problem which has now been sorted out and he is now back to his best.

Sands is not surprised by his price of 33/1 as he is a two-time winner taking on a Grade 1 weight for age field.

However, this is a horse who gave Charles Dickens 2kg over 1200m and was beaten just 1,50 lengths. He later gave the useful Trompie 4kg and was beaten just 1,25 lengths.

He might prove to be outstanding value.

Sands also has two runners in race 2, a special weights maiden over 1200m, Numzaan (Master Of My Fate) and Carriacou (Captain Of All), and said both were well.

Make It Snappy is the ruling Met favourite and is the joint most popular first choice in the small survey below together with Jet Dark (Wayne Marks).

Industry Players Make Their WSB Met Predictions

Various racing people were asked for their Met predictions, with reasons attached if willing, and there was a fantastic variety of interesting responses, all published below.

MJ Byleveld (Jockey, presenter/analyst): 1st Cousin Casey 2nd Jet Dark 3rd Make It Snappy 4th Rascallion 5th Sparkling Water

Sally Bruss (Breeder): 1st Make It Snappy 2nd Jet Dark 3rd Kommetdieding 4th Cousin Casey. Comments: I think Make It Snappy could be a very special filly.

Hilton Witz (Punter): 1st Jet Dark 2nd/3rd Kommetdieding/Al Muthana 4th Linebacker 5th Golden Ducat. Comments: Jet Dark missed his prep run for the LKP due to minor injury and will be spot on for the Met …one of very few genuine wfa horses in the race plus the trainer and jockey know how to win the met … 2nd and 3rd is between Kommetdieding and Al Muhtana… both are genuine wfa horses and both have trainers and jockeys who have won the Met before. I believe al muhtana will stay this easy 2000m … his style of running along with his jockey are factors that convince me plus it’s his peak run. 4th and 5th very difficult as the 3yo contenders on a line through Charles dickens are very much inferior to my top 3 …maybe Linebacker for 4th and Golden Ducat for 5th as he was sweating up badly before the LKP and will be at home over the 2000m.

Davin Heffer (Hollywoodbets Brand And Communications Manager) 1st Make It Snappy 2nd Sparkling Water 3rd Kommetdieding 4th Cousin Casey 5th Jet Dark

Brendan Gaillard (Media/Tipster/Owner): 1st Jet Dark 2nd Kommetdieding 3rd Make It Snappy 4th Cousin Casey Comments: JET DARK and KOMMETDIEDING have proved time and again (2022 Met, Durban July, Champions Cup, etc) that they are the best WFA middle-distance horses in the country. They were 2nd and 1st respectively in this race last year but, having got the better of their last 2 meetings, I expect those positions to be reversed by the former in this year’s renewal. MAKE IT SNAPPY is on a steep upward trajectory and lines up in pursuit of a Grade 1 hat-trick as their main danger. She dictated her own terms to win both the Cape Fillies Guineas & Paddock Stakes and is likely to have things her own way in front again, so will be hard to catch under a light weight. With the step up in distance likely to suit, COUSIN CASEY could emerge best of the rest. He was staying on well when 2nd in the Cape Guineas, suggesting the step up in distance will be to his liking. On pedigree he should see out the trip and may be even better for it, so a place in the Quartet looks well within his reach.

Grant Knowles (Racing all rounder) 1st Make it Snappy 2nd Jet Dark 3rd Kommetdieding

4th Al Muthana 5th Linebacker

Peter Gibson (Racing All Rounder) 1st Kommetdieding 2nd Jet Dark 3rd Sparkling Water 4th Linebacker 5th Make It Snappy

Greg Bortz (Kenilworth Racing Executive Chairman) 1st Jet Dark 2nd Marina 3rd Pomp And Power 4th Make It Snappy

Stan Elley (Trainer/Presenter) 1st Kommetdieding 2nd Jet Dark 3rd Al Muthana 4th Sparkling Water 5th Make it Snappy

Jacques Chowles (Cape Racing) 1st Make It Snappy 2nd Jet Dark 3rd Kommetdieding 4th Sparkling Water 5th Linebacker. Comments: Nice to see 19 champions line up for this year’s WSB MET. There will be plenty of tough duels in the race. I am in the camp of Make It Snappy and do believe this filly is billboard material.

Jay August (Racing Intellect) 1st Make It Snappy 2nd Kommetdieding 3rd Jet Dark 4th Sparkling Water 5th Golden Ducat. Comments: The horses drawn well in this race have the opportunity to control this race and its pace.

Louis Goosen (Trainer): 1st Kommetdieding 2nd Make It Snappy 3rd Jet Dark 4th Sparkling Water. For quartets add: Golden Ducat (blinkers strike), Waterberry Lane, Al Muthana and Cousin Casey. Comments: Kommetdieding is ultra consistent at the highest level over a wide range of courses and distances. He must be the one to beat, over this Kenilworth 2000m trip. Make It Snappy is a very exciting, up and coming 3yo Dynasty filly who shoulders only 51,5kg and she will be in the hunt at the death. Jet Dark and Sparkling Water are obvious threats. The Ricky Mainguard two runners add some intrigue… why has Bernard gone with Do It Again? And has Ricky found the niggles on Waterberry Lane? – this horse put up an amazing gallop before the July, but the race never panned out…

Michael Roberts (Hall Of Fame Jockey/Trainer): 1st Jet Dark 2nd Kommetdieding 3rd Make It Snappy 4th Sparkling Water 5th Al Muthana.

Andrew Bonn (Media): 1st Cousin Casey 2nd Jet Dark 3rd Kommetdieding 4th Make it Snappy 5th Sparkling Water. Comments: I think that Cousin Casey has had the perfect prep and is ready to show us the dominance he displayed in Durban.

Andy Williams (Bloodstock Agent): 1st Jet Dark 2nd Kommetdieding 3rd Al Muthana 4th Do It Again 5th Linebacker

Ken Truter (Racing All Rounder): Not in any particular order Jet Dark, Linebacker, Kommetdieding, Cousin Casey, Make It Snappy.

Craig Eudey (assistant trainer): 1st Jet Dark 2nd Make It Snappy 3rd Kommetdieding 4th Sparkling Water 5th Universal

Neil Morrice (Media): 1st Make It Snappy 2nd Do It Again 3rd Kommetdieding 4th Jet Dark 5th Sparkling Water

Admission, hospitality packages: WSB Met

Jet Dark will be out to become the second Justin Snaith-trained horse to win the Met. (Wayne Marks).

Snaith Stable Sends 34 Horses To Met Meeting

Trainer’s top mare, Captain’s Ransom, heads the banker bets in the Majorca Stakes

David Mollett (Business Day)

Trainer Justin Snaith sends an astonishing 34 horses to Saturday’s WSB Met meeting at Kenilworth with his star mare, Captain’s Ransom, the banker bet in the Majorca Stakes.

Only six runners will face the starter in the grade 1 event as Captain’s Ransom — priced up at 6-10 — bids for her 14th win in the colours of Suzette Viljoen. The mare should make life easier for Pick Six punters as her race is the first leg of this popular bet.

Jockey Richard Fourie will know his chief rival will be Mike de Kock’s filly, Desert Miracle, with Christophe Soumillon retaining the ride on the daughter of Dynasty. The four-year-old lost ground at the start in the Sceptre Stakes so the Belgian-born rider will want to get away on terms this time.

Silver Darling, third behind Make It Snappy in the Paddock Stakes, could take the third cheque of R95,000.

A TAB media release says that the last nine races of Saturday’s Met meeting offers punters the opportunity to bet into the Hong Kong Jockey Club World Pools.

Last year R650m was wagered with the Hong Kong tote on eight of the 12 races at the Met. The main race achieved the highest turnover of the eight races with a total of R97.8m wagered into the World Pools.

The quartet is always a popular bet for the country’s big races such as the Durban July, Summer Cup and Met. Saturday’s Met pool will get a R1m boost with the total pool expected to reach R5m.

TAB betting opens on Friday as pools must open simultaneously with Hong Kong pools.

The much-publicised WSB Gold Rush, the seventh race on Saturday’s card, offers a staggering R5m to the owner of the winning horse. The runner-up earns his or her connections a cool R1m.

In the early market, the sponsors have Snaith’s Royal Mo colt, Royal Aussie, as the 7-2 favourite followed by Winter Greeting (11-2), King Regent (8-1), Dave The King (8-1) and Time Fo Orchids at 10-1.

Royal Aussie, a bargain buy at only R75,000, owes his position to his fourth place behind Charles Dickens in the Cape Guineas.

Sean Tarry’s filly, Winter Greeting, goes to post unbeaten, but the worry here is that the form of her past two victories haven’t been franked. Calvin Habib will also have to overcome a wide draw.

A runner with an even worse draw is Time Fo Orchids, (correct) a former inmate of the Tarry stable. If Corné Orffer can overcome this disadvantage, the daughter of Time Thief can take a hand in the finish.

One runner with a favourable barrier is King Regent, and this is some consolation for trainer Glen Kotzen whose fancied Met runner, Cousin Casey, has drawn 14 of the 19 runners.

Seeking The One — a R450,000 son of What A Winter — is in with a shout for the Crawford yard which sends 12 runners to the meeting. The stable could take the Summer Juvenile Stakes with the R1.2m No Nay Never colt, The Abdicator.

Crawford won the 2017 Met with Whisky Baron and — six years later — will be keeping his fingers crossed for another triumph with three-year-old Make It Snappy.

The Mike and Adam Azzie-trained Bohica (Capetown Noir) wins last year’s Grade 1 wfa Pongcracz Cape Flying Championship under S’Manga Khumalo (Candiese Lenferna).

Azzies Bid To Win Cape Flying For Second Year In Succession

They stand 26th in the national trainers log yet have an excellent strike rate of 21 winners from 86 runners

David Mollett (Business Day)

The father and son team of Mike and Adam Azzie mean business in Saturday’s grade 1 Cape Flying Championship at Kenilworth. They have trucked down four of their sprinters to try to win this prestigious race for the second year running.

The quartet are Master Archie, Barholdi, Supreme Warrior and Bohica. The first-named — formerly trained by Paul Peter — won the Computaform Sprint in April and looks generously priced at 10-1.

The Azzie numbers are clearly not the same as previous years as the stable is in 26th place in the national trainers log. Yet they have an excellent strike rate of 21 winners from 86 runners.

Some top jockeys have been engaged for the Azzie quartet — Richard Fourie will be on Bartholdi, Bernard Fayd’Herbe on Supreme Warrior, S’manga Khumalo on Bohica, and Diego De Gouveia for Master Archie.

Bohica won this race last year and it is surely a pointer to his chance that Khumalo will once again partner the son of Capetown Noir. The bookies feel a repeat win is unlikely and quote the six-year-old at 25-1.

Bohica hadn’t run since September when he reappeared at the Vaal last month and finished four lengths behind Big Burn and two lengths behind stablemate Bartholdi. Khumalo’s mount is 2kg better off with Bartholdi on Saturday and appeals as a good place bet at around 3-1.

While Princess Calla deserves her position as favourite, there are two other runners who make plenty of appeal — Alesian Chief (Muzi Yeni) and Isivunguvungu (Christophe Soumillon).

Corrie Lensley would love to bag the R742,188 first cheque and his five-time winner, Alesian Chief, finished in front of both Bartholdi and Bohica at the Vaal in December.

A runner this column feels may be the horse to beat is Peter Muscutt’s four-year-old Isivunguvungu.

Khumalo should tune up for his ride on Sparkling Water in the WSB Met by partnering Battleground to his maiden win in Thursday’s fifth race at Turffontein.

The son of Futura — sire of last Saturday’s Cape feature winner Rockpool — should beat his seven rivals with the minimum of fuss to leave the maiden ranks at the fifth attempt.

Trainer Mike de Kock introduces an R800,000 son of What A Winter, Lushozi Shoop, in the second race on the Turffontein card. Keagan De Melo is an eye-catching jockey booking for another horse owned by the Hollywood Syndicate.

Of those horses who have run, Silk Garden boasts the best form with Bridget Stidolph’s filly finishing in the placings in six of her last seven outings.

In the final leg of the Pick 6, Keep The Fort can go well from a favourable draw. A big run is also expected from Tyrone Zackey’s three-year-old Solo Diva.

SELECTIONS

1st Race: (11) Time Together (10) Nazare (7) Brosnan (2) Fish Eagle

2nd Race: No Selection

3rd Race: (6) Free Movement (1) Quixote (2) Phantomoftheforest (11) Smelting

4th Race: (3) Brave Viking (4) Raptor Island (12) Radu (1) Broadway

5th Race: (2) Battleground (3) Circus Lights (1) Harold The Duke (6) Labrausco

6th Race: (2) On The Guest List (1) Rosslyne (3) Ponderosa Pine (8) Red Maple

7th Race: (9) Turnthebeataround (6) Queen Britanna (2) Time To Meditate (1) Positive Attitude

8th Race: (5) Keep The Fort (4) Sola Diva (3) Mighty Goddess (1) African Tune

Close to R100 million was wagered on the Hong Kong World Pool tote for the Met race alone last year and R650 million was wagered on the meeting. (Wayne Marks).

Hong Kong World Pools offered on Cape Town Met Day

TAB 4Racing Media Release

The Cape Town Met race meeting at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday, 28 January, promises to provide South African punters with the biggest betting extravaganza of the year – provided they bet with TAB.

While TAB will boost the Pick 6 and Quartet on the main race with R1-million carryovers, the last nine races on Met Day will also offer South African bettors the opportunity to bet into the Hong Kong Jockey Club World Pools.

TAB Win, Place, Exacta, Swinger and Quinella (first two horses across the line in any order) pools on Races 4 to 12 at Kenilworth will be commingled into the Hong Kong Jockey Club tote, which operates the biggest tote pools in the world.

Last year, with punters from around the world betting into the Hong Kong World Pools, a whopping R650-million was wagered with the Hong Kong Jockey Club tote on eight of the 12 races at the Met race meeting. This will surely be surpassed this year as nine races form the World Pool event this time round.

The World Sports Betting Cape Town Met achieved the highest turnover of the eight races in 2022 with a total of R97.8-million wagered into the World Pools on the race.

The Quinella and Swinger (Quinella Place) were the most popular bet-types again. Quinella pools on Met Day last year averaged R20.5-million and Swingers R19.4-million. Because of the size of these pools, TAB customers can rest assured that they can bet big amounts without significantly diminishing pay outs.

All other tote pools at the meeting will be hosted by TAB as usual and these include the Pick 6, which is set to total R10-million as a result of a R1-million carryover. TAB is also offering two other carryover pools. The Quartet on the Met, in which players must select the first four to finish in the correct order, gets a R1-million boost that should generate a total pool of over R5-million.

The second Bipot (races 7-12) will be boosted by R200,000 and the pool is expected to top R1-million.

Three TAB Jackpot pools will also be offered after the success of last year’s inaugural three-Jackpot Met meeting. Jackpot 1 will be on Races 1 to 4 with Jackpot 2 on Races 5 to 8 and Jackpot 3 on the last four races.

Futura colt Rockpool showed off his huge stride when winning the Grade 3 Politician Stakes last Saturday and he is now on a collision course with Charles Dickens in the Grade 1 Cape Derby on the last Saturday of February (Wayne Marks).

Handicapping Ratings Update

NHRA Press Release

Politician Stakes (Grade 3)

ROCKPOOL has had his merit rating raised from 88 to 101 after winning the Grade 3 Politician Stakes for three-year-olds over 1800m on the summer course at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday. The Handicappers were unanimous in their view that 4^th placed GRINKOV made for the most suitable line horse, leaving him unchanged on a mark of 102.

There were also ratings increases for 2^nd placed WITHOUT QUESTION, who goes up from 88 to 99, and for 5^th finisher NARINA TROGON, who was raised from 85 to 87 to make him higher than the 86-rated 7^th placed BLACKBERRY MALT.

There were drops for two horses. FAMOUS AND RICH is down from 96 to 93, while DOWSER drops from 84 to 83.

Serino Moodley (Candiese Lenferna Photography).

Moodley Treble, De Melo And Miller Doubles

Serino Moodley scored a treble at Hollywoodbets Scottsville today and two of them were for Mike Miller.

Moodley has now had 37 wins this season at a strike rate of 13.91%.

De Melo is on 148 wins at 20.87%.

He is 47 wins clear of second-placed Richard Fourie.

Miller goes to 20 wins for the season and has done it at a strike rate of 13.89%.

A picture of one of the horses in question (Liesl King).

Today’s Question

The Brett Crawford-trained Make It Snappy will be attempting to become the first horse in history to do the Cape Fillies Guineas/Paddock Stakes/Met treble in one season and the fourth to do the Paddock Stakes/Met double.

Who were the other three horses to do the Paddock Stakes/Met double in one season?

See answer at the bottom of the newsletter

Turffontein Standside Fields, Thursday, CLICK HERE

*Meeting switched from the Inside to the Standside.

NB Please wait a few seconds for fields to appear.

Renounce comfortably wins the 1966 Met (southafricanracehors.wordpress.com)

ANSWER TO TODAY’S QUESTION:

The Cookie Amos-trained Renounce won both the Paddock Stakes and the Met as a four-year-old in January 1966. She won the Met on January 22 under Duncan Alexander and the Paddock Stakes a week later on January 29 under Stanley Amos.

In 2016 the Alec Laird-trained four-year-old Smart Call (Ideal World) won the Paddock Stakes under Weichong Marwing on January 9 and the Met on January 30 under JP van der Merwe.

In 2018 the Justin Snaith-trained three-year-old Street Cry filly Oh Susanna won the Paddock Stakes on January 6 and the Met on January 27, ridden by Grant van Niekerk in both races.

Turf Talk Newsletter – 25 January 2023