The Wilgerbosdrift HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes winner Cosmic Speed will try a distance beyond a mile for the first time in the WSB Met (JC Photos)
The Sean Tarry-trained Cosmic Speed is a winner of the Gr 1 Wilgerbosdrift HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes over 1600m and as a two-year-old he won the Gr 2 Durban Golden Horseshoe over 1400m.
One would think that being by Querari out of a Silvano mare he would have been tried over more than a mile by now, but in fact the WSB Met will be his first attempt at a distance beyond a mile.
His dam Cosmic Dream only won once, over 1200m second time out, and was subsequently only tried up to 1400m. She ended her career running six times for that one win with a short-head second over 1200m too and a third over 1400m.
In the breeding shed she has also produced speedy types.
Cosmic Speed is a full-brother to the speedy Cosmic Light, who won on debut before winning the Gr 2 Debutante over 1200m second time out and then making it three runs unbeaten when winning a handicap over 1200m. She later finished a 1,65 length fifth to the Equus Champion Sprinter Carry On Alice in the Southern Cross Stakes over 1000m and she then finished a half-a-length second in the Gr 2 Sceptre Stakes over 1200m.
At stud Cosmic Light has produced two speedsters in Listed Golden Loom Handicap winners Chyavana (Flower Alley) and Cosmic Star (Erupt) and it doesn’t augur well for Cosmic Speed that both of them were by stallions capable of imparting stamina.
Cosmic Speed is a half-brother to the useful Gimmethegreenlight sprint-miler Cosmic Highway, whose sprint wins included the Gr 2 Cape Merchants, the Gr 2 Diadem Stakes and the Gr 3 Cape Of Good Hope Nursery, but he did also win the Listed Gatecrasher over 1400m and came second in the Gr 2 Concorde Cup over 1600m and third in the Gr 1 Cape Guineas.
In the Gr 1 L’Ormarins King’s Plate last time out, Cosmic Speed jumped from draw 14 of 14 and found a nice position behind Sail The Seas.
He stayed on quite well for a 3,45 length fifth, but he was unable to stay with Sail The Seas who beat him by three lengths.
Gavin Lerena will ride him in the Met and said, “There are not many who look like they stay ten furlongs in the Met and I think if I switch him off he will stay the distance. It is an easy 2000m.”
There were question marks about The Real Prince getting the Hollywoodbets Durban July trip due to his pedigree, being a full-brother to Equus Champion Sprinter Gimme A Prince.
However, the reason there can’t be as much confidence in Cosmic Speed seeing out the longer trip as there was with The Real Prince is that the latter, before his run over 2200m in the July, had finished off his only attempt at a mile exceptionally well.
He had also finished fast in seemingly effortless fashion in the Gr 2 IOS Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m in his last start before the July.
Cosmic Speed, on the other hand, was only just holding on to his fifth place in the King’s Plate with a host of horses closing in on him.
On the other hand he did have to do some early work to find a position from the wide draw and might have also been too handy in such a fast-paced race.
In the Met he has the bonus of pole position, so will be there for free and can relax from the off.
What also gives hope is that when winning the Horse Chestnut he had sat in third place one wide without cover and yet had still found the extra to finish the race off well over the tough 1600m course and distance.
In America they have a term “the embattled duo” (or trio etc) referring to those who are fighting it out at the front.
Often in racing the favourites become embattled and an outsider, who had not been under as much pressure in the build up, comes and picks them off late having just watched their battles from a relaxed, detached position.
That would be the ideal scenario for Cosmic Speed.
However, in conclusion his price of about 17/1 does seem a bit stingy and he will likely drift out on the day.
There are question marks and he does face a high class field.
