Glen Kotzen has done the RA Stakes/Durban July double before – can he do it again this year?
There was a brief three year period when one of the best pointer races in the world was a three-year old 1600m event in the East Cape, which is known as a lesser centre in South African racing, although the passion for racing of all the players and supporting players in Gqeberha make it a much admired centre.
The respective 2008 and 2009 RA (Racing Association) Stakes produced the respective 2009 and 2010 Durban July winners, Big City Life and Bold Silvano, and furthermore Big City Life’s RA Stakes runner up Lizard’s Desire went on to be a short-head second in the 2010 Dubai World Cup before finishing a short-head second in the Gr 1 QEII Cup at Sha Tin and then winning the Gr 1 Singapore Airlines International Cup, whilst the 2007 RA Stakes winner Paris Perfect finished third in the 2009 Dubai World Cup.
This years’s RA Stakes winner was the Glen Kotzen-trained On My Honour and a notable point is that Kotzen was also the trainer of Big City Life.
Furthermore, On My Honour beat My Best Shot by six lengths at level weights.
My Best Shot has gone on to win his next six races on the trot, including doing the East Cape Triple Crown, culminating in a 5,25 length romp in the Listed East Cape Derby.
He has consequently become the likely first Hollywoodbets Durban July runner fom the East Cape since the Gavin Smith-trained Shoes Of Silver finished a 6,75 length tenth in 2004.
Admittedly the RA Stakes was run on the poly this year, but it must still take a top horse to beat My Best Shot by six lengths over 1600m.
Kotzen does also rate On My Honour right up with Big City Life and is very excited about the July, because he felt that at last the horse would be primed to prove his class.
He explained, “He was just a little unlucky that after that RA Stakes it was the start of a virus we had during the Summer season.His next start was the Gr 2 Cape Punters Cup and we backed him to beat One Stripe.”
However, he ran disappointingly there and in the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas as a result of his shins being a bit sore after the run on the poly in the East Cape and his bloods were also shown to not be quite right.
The latter race was around the time the yard were having high SAA readings (equine inflammatory markers) and they consequently had a spate of scratchings.
They consquently backed off On My Honour.
He was supposed to make his comeback after a four month layoff when the jockeys went on strike.
He therefore needed his run in the Gr 2 WSB Guineas badly and yet he finished just 3,65 lengths behind Sail The Seas and 3,05 lengths behind Eight On Eighteen.
The connections decided to avoid the Gr 1 Daily News 2000 in order to avoid a big merit rating increase running against Eight On Eighteen.
They thus went for the Gr 3 Hollywoodbets Dolphins Cup Trial over 1800m, where he was set to carry 59kg off his 116 merit rating.
Glen had noticed the horses were coming from off he pace on the day, so asked Chad Little to have him off the pace.
Chad wanted to be handy so they compromised and aimed to ideally lie in about fifth place.
However, as it happened he came together with Regulation as they jumped and he ended up quite far back.
It was then unfortunate that the pacemaker Litigation slowed it right up.
Nevertheless, he ran on in eyecatching fashion and was beaten just 0,35 lengths into third.
On My Honour was comfortably the best performed horse in the race at the weights as a three-year-old carrying 59kg.
His profile is in fact quite similar to Oriental Charm’s in that the latter carried 60kg in last year’s Cup Trial off a 118 merit rating and won it before going on to win the Hollywoodbets Durban July.
An interesting formline is that Immediate Edge beat Wild Intent by a head over 2000m in the Listed WSB Hawwaam Stakes when receiving 3kg and On My Honour beat Wild Intent by seven lengths at level weights over 1800m on Saturday.
That formline puts On My Honour way clear of Immediate Edge and yet the latter is a 7/1 shot for the Hollywoodbets Durban July with the sponsor, while On My Honour is a 40/1 chance.
Immediate Edge impressed in the 4Racig Jubilee Stakes on Sunday at Turffontein Standside over 1800m but was carrying only 52kg against older horses off a 102 merit rating, while On My Honour was carrying 59kg off his 116 rating.
In fact Immediate Edge was receiving 8kg from Atticus Finch and beat him by 2,80 lengths, whilst On My Honour received half-a-kg from Madison Valley and lost to him by 0,35 lengths.
The reason that is significant is Madison Valley was at level weights to Atticus Finch in the Betway Summer Cup and was beaten only 2,35 lengths.
So those formlines also put On My Honour ahead of Immediate Edge, although it could be said that Atticus Finch wss just having a peparation race on Sunday.
Nevertheless, it does point to On My Honour being very good Hollywoodbets Durban July value.
He was in number 15 spot on the second Hollywoodbets Durban July log and with only the Tote Derby left as a July qualifier he should make the final field.
The second-placed horse in the Cup Trial, Underworld, was supplemented after the final July log was done, but although he did finish in front of On My Honour in the Cup Trial the latter met him on 3,5kg terms worse than weight for age and lost to him by just a short-head, so put in a significantly better performance.
Underworld is a 25/1 shot with the sponsor.
The Varsfontein Stud-bred Gimmethegreenlight gelding On My Honour also has one other plus point in that he has a sigificant jockey booking, twice Durban July winning-jockey S’Manga Khumalo.
