One Stripe’s final appearance in South Africa will be at the Royal Raceday at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Sunday. (Picture: Wayne Marks).
The anticipation for the R5 million HSH Princess Charlene Big Cap over 1400m at Hollywoobets on Sunday is mounting as there is potentially big earnings for the participating connections and for fans it offers a last chance to see the magnificent Vaughan Marshall-trained One Stripe in action.
The R5 million prize money is distributed thus: 1st R3000000, 2nd R900000, 3rd R450000, 4th R300000, 5th R175000, 6th R175000.
The conditions attempt to bring lesser horses into the race with a chance, but a superstar entry like One Stripe is favoured by an additional condition which puts an upper limit on the weight carried and he will thus be difficult to oppose.
The benchmark for the race is 53kg equals a nett merit rating of 96 and for three-year-olds there is a 2,5kg penalty for a Gr 1 win and 1kg for a Gr 2 win (penalties not cumulative) and there is a 2kg gender allowance for fillies.
However, there are upper weight limits as such:
three-year old male 60kg
three-year-old female 57,5kg
four-year-old male 62kg
four-year-old female 60kg.
One Stripe is merit rated 132 and is a Gr 1 winner, while the weight for age allowance for a three-year-old at this time of the year over the 1400m trip is 3kg.
So to work out what weight he would have to carry if there were no upper limits, the following calculations must be done:
132 – 96 = 36 = 18kg.
18kg – 3kg (weight for allowance) = 15kg.
15kg + 2.5kg (Gr 1 penalty) = 17,5kg.
53kg + 17,5kg = 70.5kg.
One Stripe would have to carry 70,5 if there were no upper weight limits.
Therefore, he is a whopping 10,5kg well in all in all and he is 8kg better off than he would be in a handicap.
His wins in the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas and Gr 1 L’Ormarins King’s Plate showed that a mile could be his optimum trip, so the step down to 1400m might not be ideal.
However, he showed in his close second to last year’s Cape Guineas winner Snow Pilot over 1400m that he is effective over this trip too, as he was 7,5kg worse off than weight for age with Snow Pilot in that race.
One Stripe has plenty of speed and Gavin Lerena is in fine form.
The Drakesnstein Stud-bred One World colt should make it his seven wins from nine starts from a plum draw of two.
It will be his first start with Hollywood Racing as part owners together with original owner Rikesh Sewgoolam and could well be his last ever start in South Africa as he is due to depart overseas after this race.
One interesting point is that on Cape Guineas form alone the Justin Snaith-trained 112-rated Great Plains would finish close to One Stripe. Great Plains was beaten 2,75 lengths in the Cape Guineas and is now 2kg better off. However, Gavin Lerena divulged to connections that the horse still had a ton in hand at the finish of the Cape Guineas. This was proven when Great Plains was beaten 11,20 lengths by One World in the L’Ormarins King’s Plate on the same weight terms as the Cape Guineas.
Neverheless, Great Plains is continually improving and could use his big stride to go close to One Stripe again, although Richard Fourie will have to overcome a tricky draw of seven out of ten.
The 112-rated All Out For Six actually has his stablemate One Stripe beaten on the form of the Cape Punters Cup over 1600m. He was beaten 1,75 lengths and is now 2kg better off.
However, in his next start in the Cape Guineas One Stripe put All Out For Six in his place by beating him by 8,45 lengths.
Nevertheless, All Out For Six has the ability to earn, although he has a tricky draw of eight under Grant van NIekerk.
The Candice Bass-Robinson-trained Rafeef colt Empire State is 3kg under sufferance acording to the benchmark carrying 53kg off a 96 merit rating and is 11kg under sufferance with One stripe on offficial merit ratings. However, this one is on the up and could be ideally distance suited looking at his overall form. He jumps from the widest draw of all though with JP van der Merwe up.
The Justin Snaith-trained The Grey King is a talented horse who is in good form at present and is distance suited and looks to have had a good prep, so this 98-rated four-year-old could make his presence felt from a plum draw of three with leading jockey Craig Zackey up.
The Snaith-trained 106-rated Makazole has won a Listed race at Fairview over this trip, but on Cape Town form he looks well held by the like of The Grey King and All Out For Six. Muzi Yeni rides from draw nine.
The 106-rated four-year-old Coastal Commander gets 2kg from One Stripe, but on official merit ratings is 8kg under sufferance. This Marshall-trained horse finished a neck send in last year’s Gold Rush and his only subsequent win was over this trip. He also ran a good third to Snow Pilot over this trip this season so on his day he is capable of earning from draw five with Gareth Wright up.
The 104-rated East Cape-based Kelly Mitchley-trained filly Passchendaele is another who is capable of a fine performance and is effective over this trip. She will likely be the pacemaker, so as she is drawn in pole position with Calvin Habib up, Lerena will be wary of her.
The Sean Tarry-trained 88-rated four-year-old Tail Of The Comet would be a big threat receiving 7kg from One Stripe if able to produce his best. However, he has for some reason completely lost his way and in his last seven starts has only once not been beaten by more than ten lengths and that was last time when beaten 9,20 lengths in a class 3 race running off a 93 merit rating. Ashton Arries rides from draw four.
La Pulga is an improving sort but has it tough off a 93 merit rating as a three-year-old and he looks to need further. Sean Veale rides from draw six.
The final field is
shown below:
R5 000 000 1400m 16:15 Ref-442
1st R3000000, 2nd R900000, 3rd R450000, 4th R300000, 5th R175000, 6th R175000
HSH PRINCESS CHARLENE BIG CAP
Open (Non-Black Type)
WFA: 3yrs-3kgs 4yrs-0kgs
No Apprentice / Female Sex Allowance
1st R3000000, 2nd R900000, 3rd R450000, 4th R300000, 5th R175000, 6th R175000
HSH PRINCESS CHARLENE BIG CAP
Open (Non-Black Type)
WFA: 3yrs-3kgs 4yrs-0kgs
No Apprentice / Female Sex Allowance
| 1 | 1 | Passchendaele | 55 | 104 | A | Calvin Habib | Kelly Mitchley | |
| 2 | 2 | One Stripe | 60 | 132 | A | Gavin Lerena | Vaughan Marshall | |
| 3 | 3 | The Grey King | 54 | 98 | A | Craig Zackey | Justin Snaith | |
| 4 | 4 | Tail Of The Comet | 53 | 88 | THA | Ashton Arries | Sean Tarry | |
| 5 | 5 | Coastal Commander | 58 | 106 | A | Gareth Wright | Vaughan Marshall | |
| 6 | 6 | La Pulga | 53 | 93 | A | Sean Veale | Candice Bass-Robinson | |
| 7 | 7 | Great Plains | 58 | 112 | A | Richard Fourie | Justin Snaith | |
| 8 | 8 | All Out For Six | 58 | 112 | A | Grant van Niekerk | Vaughan Marshall | |
| 9 | 9 | Makazole | 55 | 106 | A | Muzi Yeni | Justin Snaith | |
| 10 | 10 | Empire State | 53 | 96 | A | Juan Paul v’d Merwe | Candice Bass-Robinson | |
| Same Trainer | ||||||||
| (2,5,8) (3,7,9) (6,10) | ||||||||
