Eight On Eighteen looks to be a three-year-old who would be capable of taking advantage of the current WSB Met picture, in which a few of the leading older lights have clouds hanging over their heads. (Picture: Wayne Marks).
There are only two three-year-olds still standing their ground in the WSB Met so the chances of more three-year-old history being made this summer in open company don’t look to be too high.
One Stripe was only the third three-year-old to win the L’Ormarins King’s Plate in the last 50 years and the sparsity of three-year-old winners is even greater in the Met.
The Justin Snaith-trained Oh Susanna was the first three-year-old filly in over 100 years to win the Met in 2017 and she was the first three-year-old to win it since the Mike de Kock-trained pair Horse Chestnut and Badger’s Coast won it in successive years in 1999 and 2000.
The previous three-year-old to do it before Horse Chestnut was Feltos in 1945.
However, one three-year-old who looks the part this year is the Snaith-trained Eight On Eighteen, although he is not a certainty to line up.
Jonathan Snaith said, “Nothing has been decided or discussed yet. He is a definite Cape Derby runner though.”
Eight On Eighteen ran on strongly in the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas to be beaten just 1,25 lengths.
One Stripe is now the highest rated horse in the country on a merit rating of 132.
That would put Eight On Eighteen right in the Met picture, although he is officially merit rated only 115 and it has also subsequently been reported that Gavin Lerena felt One Stripe still had a ton in hand in the Guineas.
Nevertheless, Eight On Eighteen has a lot of upside, a term the Americans like to use about a horse who has scope for a lot of improvement.
The big horse is by Lancaster Bomber and is out of the Captain Al mare Sempre Libre, who is a half-sister to the like of Gr 1 Daily News 2200 winner Rabiya and Gr 1 Woolavington 2000 winner Bela-Bela. Both of those two won other Gr 1s too, but those two races are highlighted because it means Eight On Eighteen should get the Met trip.
The other point is that a lot of the older horses have clouds hanging over their heads.
Met second favourite See It Again finished last in the LKP, although the race did not pan out at all well for him.
The Met favourite Oriental Charm also did not excel in the LKP, finishing a 8,95 length seventh. In his defence, he appeared to peck slightly when crossed just before the turn and prior to that JP van der Merwe had been forced to take a stranglehold on him.
Met third favourite Green With Envy ran last in his seasonal reappearance in the WSB Green Point Stakes.
Eight On Eighteen is actually fourth favourite with Hollywoodbets at 6/1.
Rascallion is next best at 14/1.
The other three-year-old still standing his ground is the Mike de Kock-trained Greaterix.
He disapponted in the Gr 2 Betway Dingaans, but firstly found himself in front, which was not ideal and he was then was found to have abnormal blood readings at home.
Greaterix is highly regarded and can bounce back on Saturday at the Big T in the Gr 3 Betway Got The Greenlight Stakes over 1400m, although that is just two weeks before the Met and is not going to give many clues about his chances.
This year’s Met does look to be up to grabs for an up and coming horse though.
