Madison Valley And Shoot The Rapids finish one-two for owner Sid Moodley in the Gr 3 DSTV Gold Vase (Candiese Lenferna Photography)
Frank Robinson is in two minds about running both of his Gr 3 DSTV Gold Vase first and second runners, Madison Valley and Shoot The Rapids, in the Gr 3 World Pool Gold Cup, but he will definitely be running Shoot The Rapids.
The pair gave owner Sid Moodley a deserved Gr 3 exacta, his second Gr 3 win of the season and his 17th win of the season overall.
Sid has poured a lot of money into the game and has about 28 horses with Frank so would be a most deserving winner of the Gold Cup.
However, Frank might have even higher aspirations for Madison Valley.
The Mambo In Seattle colt is clearly on the up having won his penultinate start over 1800m on the poly by 3,50 lengths before winning the Gold Vase.
Frank said, “I think I might go for the Betway Summer Cup with him. I think he is better over a slightly shorter trip, up to 2400m. Shoot The Rapids – the further the better with him.”
He continued, “They are both doing very well and have taken their races beautifully. I’m going to gallop both of them tomorrow and then I will make a decision.”
He has high hopes for Madison Valley in the long run and said, “When he won that 1800m race in his penultimate start Byron Forster turned to me and said he was surprised he had beaten his horse Wyatt’s Choice so easily because he said he is a decent horse. I said to him this horse of mine is a lot better than people know and I know because I’ve seen him at home. He is improving all the time.”
Frank said he was not bothered by Shoot The Rapids landing the widest draw of all in the Gold Cup.
He said, “I don’t mind because he likes to go up there andsometimes if you’re drawn too wellthey cover you and then you can’t get out. If you look at the Gold Vase he went around them early.”
Madison Valley was drawn eleven out of the 20 horses still standing in the Gold Cup.
Frank has collected the KZN Champion Stayer award twice in the last few years with Roy Had Enough and Decorated and might do so again with Madison Valley.
Frank and Sid have one other runner on Gold Cup day, the Rafeef colt Cats Pajamas, and this one has a shout in the Gr 2 Umkhomazi Stakes over 1200m.
He finished third on Hollywoodbets Durban July day in the Gr 2 Durban Golden Horseshoe over 1400m and is also entered in the Gr 1 World Pool Moment Of The Day Champion Stakes over 1600m.
However, Frank said, “He ran a nice race andactually looked like he was going to win,but I don’t think he quite stays. He’s better at 1200m. Being out of a Var mare, there is quite a lot of speed in his pedigree and I’m going to put the blinkers on him as well. When he ran second at Hollywoodbets Scottsville in the Gr 3 Goldolphin Barb over 1100m he wore blinkers and was beaten just 1,30 lengths by Cymric. Sean (Veale) feels quite confident with him. He worked him this morning and he worked very well. He’ll be a nice runner on the day. It’s a R500,000 race, so is not as big as the mile race, but the mile is going to be very hard to win with the Sean Tarry pair running.”
