Dyce is out on his own at the finish of the Gr 2 New Turf Carriers Merchants over 1160m at Turffontein on Saturday (JC Photos)
Karel Miedema’s raceform awarded the Lucky Houdalakis-trained Willam Longsword five-year-old entire Dyce a 111 Ability Rating (AR) for his impressive victory in the Gr 3 New Turf Carriers Merchants over 1160m at Turffontein Standside on Saturday.
That can be compared to the 112 he gave Gimme A Prince for his Gr 1 Pongracz Cape Flying Championship win, the 114 he gave Isivunguvungu for his Gr 1 Jonsson Workwear Computaform Sprint win, the 114 he gave Gimme A Prince for his Gr 1 Golden Horse Sprint win and the 103 he gave Isivunguvungu for his Gr 1 Mercury Sprint victory.
The handicappers were just as impressed and raised Dyce 14 points to 130, which means he has joined Isivunguvungu and Gimme A Prince as the top rated sprinter in the country. They both have that exact same merit rating.
Dyce was running off a 116 merit rating on Saturday and had to a carry 59kg, 4kg less than the 124-rated topweight Dave The King.
He had an unfavourable low draw by trends of two, but overcame it by using his natural speed to go to the front.
He then carved out a big lead effortlessly and won easing up by 4,25 lengths from the Gr 2 Post Merchants winner Gladatorian, to whom he gave 1kg.
Dyce has been nurtured back from injury on two occasions by Houdalakis so has only had 12 career starts.
In his latest comeback, from an eight month layoff, he is unbeaten in three starts and has won all of them easily.
He is sticking to a sprint campaign and it will be interesting to see whether he goes down to Cape Town for the Cape Flying Championship.
The Cape Flying was the only open Gr 1 sprint in SA that eluded Lucky’s great sprinter J J The Jetplane. He only ran in it once after his second overseas campaign and at thst stage he was a seven-year-old and was returning from a ten month layoff, his previous run having been victory in the Gr 2 Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai.
Dyce is still unexposed despite being a five-year-old.
Lucky said after Saturday’s race Dyce had never had the opportunity to peak in his previous campaigns, sustaining injuries just as he was getting going.
Saturday gave an inkling of what he is capable of.
How much more is still to come?
He is without doubt the most exciting sprinter in the country at present.