Madison Valley and Shoot The Rapids finish one-two in last year’s Gr 3 DSTV Gold Vase on Hollywoodbets Durban July day and the yard will be hoping for a repeat in Saturday’s Gold Cup. (Candiese Lenferna Photography).
Frank Robinson has a strong hand in Sunday’s headline race at Hollywoodbets Greyville, the Gr 3 World Pool Gold Cup over 3200m, with Madison Valley and Shoot The Rapids and he has another runner too, Field Marshall, whom he said would ensure a good pace.
All three horses are owned by Sid Moodley.
Frank was confident Shoot The Rapids could reverse form with King Pelles from the Gr 2 Durban Gold Vase over 3000m.
Shoot the Rapids was beaten 4,85 lengths in that race.
However, he is now 2kg better off and Frank added, “He had a flat run, he wasn’t right I should have scratched him. He hadn’t finished his food in the morning, but his temperature was fine, so I decided to run him, but he was definitely flat.”
Frank continued, “He is much better now, but I don’t think he will beat Madison Valley. That horse is flying. I can’t get him any better.”
He continued, “Madison Valley has been running against a different calibre of horse. The Gold Cup horses are generally from the Tote Derby and races like that and I don’t think any of those horses would have made the July cut.”
Madison Valley, on the other hand, finished fifth in the Hollywodbets Durban July and he proved he stays the Gold Cup trip last season by winning the Gold Vase over 3000m and then coming from way off the pace to run fifth in the Gold Cup.
Frank added, “He was eating up the ground and he has made much improvement since being gelded as he was a very coltish horse, he used to shout at the other horses and all that. He is much more focused now and in himself he looks amazing.”
Frank pointed out, “If you look at Madison Valley’s time for the July he would have won the consolation race by many lengths, he was 2,5 seconds faster than the consolation race winner.”
Last year both Madison Valley and Shoot The Rapids carried bottom weight in the Gold Cup of 54kg and Shoot the Rapids could well have won had he not been carried in at a crucial stage. He finished a neck second, while Madison Valley was stuck behind a vanguard of horses in the running and coming from a mile back ran on to be beaten just 2,30 lengths.
This year Madison Valley carries 59kg and Shoot The Rapids carries 58kg, but both are much improved. Shoot The Rapids is drawn in pole position and Madison Valley has draw two.
Frank said about the Gold Vase form, “King Pelles will have to be very good to beat Shoot The Rapids this time. He is in a different space this time.”
He said about Field Marshall, “I am going to have to maybe sacrifice Field Marshall, because I can’t have a slow pace. But he can win from the front. When he won the Lonsdale (2400m), he was sitting right up there and he took over quite early too.”
He concluded, “But they are all in a very good space.”
Frank has Cat’s Pajama’s in the Gr 1 Mercury Sprint and is surprised by his 50/1 odds.
He was beaten 16,95 lengths in the Gr 2 Golden Horse Sprint over this trip last time out at Hollywoodbets Scottsville, but Frank explained, “They were all coming over from the outside and horses drawn low were not able to get through the traffic if coming from off the pace, so we decided to go against his normal running style of leaving him alone and we sent him forward.”
Cats Pajamas clearly hated that tactic.
However, other than that run he has done little wrong. Over a trip too far in the WSB Guineas he was beaten 6,05 lengths and was only 5,45 lengths behind the probable best horse in the country, Eight On Eigteen. Before that Cats Pajamas had finished second in the Gr 2 Byerley Turk over 1400m and before that he had won two races on the trot over 1000m and 1400m respectively at Hollywoodbets Greyville and Hollywoodbets Scottsville.
The Rafeef gelding won the Gr 2 Umkhomazi Stakes over 1200m on World Pool Gold Cup day last year and he should not be ignored in his attempt to win over the same course and distance on the same day this year.
Frank has a high regard for Mocha Blend, who finished third in the Gr 2 Woolavington 2000 last time out. He decided to leave her alone until the Gr 2 Bet With The World Gold Bracelet over 2000m to be run on Sunday as she is still maturing and he did not want to “hammer her”.
He said, “I am bringing her in without a run, but she is the sort of filly who I don’t think needs one. She has very good heart and lung capacity, you can gallop her and she won’t even blow out a candle.”
Frank is looking forward to the day as he reckons he has a fine team of five representing his Summerveld stable.
