The Justin Snaith-trained Drakenstein Stud-bred Eight On Eighteen, owned by Nick Jonsson and Johann Rupert, became the first horse for 79 years to do the Met/Cape Derby double in the same season, although Richard Fourie had to see off a strong challenge from the odds-on favourite’s stablemate Sail The Seas in the last 300m.
The Syd Garrett-trained Feltos did this double in the 1945/1946 season.
Eight On Eighteen drifted out in the Splashout-sponsored event from 3/10 to 56/100 as Sail The Seas, who looked manificent in the preliminaries, shortened from 14/1 to 7/1.
Garrix and Zeitz remained steady at 6/1 and 8/1 respectively, while Native Ruler drifted from 25/2 to 25/1 and Dawn Till Dusk and Express Yourself blew out to 50/1 and 100/1 respectively.
Express Yourself, trained by Snaith and owned by Jonsson, set a good gallop from Native Ruler, Dawn Till Dusk, Zeitz, Sail The Seas and Garrix, with Fourie content to sit at the back on Eight On Eighteen.
In the straight Eight On Eighteen moved up like a winner, but Sail The Seas was also being left alone and when Craig Zackey got to work on him at the 300m mark he matched strides with Eight On Eighteen for a furlong with Garrix also trying to go with them on the inside.
Under a hard drive Eight On Eighteen began to exert his authority at the 100m mark and went to win by 1,50 lengths from the progressive and gallant Sail The Seas.
Garrix was beaten 3,75 lengths into third and Native Ruler was fourth, whilst Politician Stakes winner Zeitz appeared not to stay as he moved up quite well but faded to be beaten 12,25 lengths into fifth.
