Green With Envy wins the Gr 3 Schweppes Politician Stakes in fluent style (Image: Wayne Marks)
The Dean Kannemeyer-trained Green With Envy put in one of the best performances on WSB Cape Town Met day when coming from last with topweight under Craig Zackey to win the Gr 3 Schweppes Politician Stakes over 1800m by a cosy 1,25 lengths from The Grey King, to whom he gave 5.5kg.
The Khaya Stables homebred Gimmethegreenlight colt now has the Gr 1 Cape Derby, to be run over 2000m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on February 24, in his sights.
Dean said, “He won well with 60kg. I thought he was the class horse of the race, but I thought carrying 60kg and giving some of these young up and coming three-year-olds 6kgs, they can beat you. But he actually gave them a good hiding. The 1800m trip, that was what he was looking for. I have always said he would go 2000m, because he’s out of a stamina female line. Lady Laidlaw raced his dam (Miss Coco by Galileo) just once in Ireland (at Wexford over one mile and three-and-a-half furlongs) and she won. So that brings a lot of stamina.”
Dean continued, “His next mission is the Derby. This horse is still maturing, he’s still got to furnish, he hasn’t quite got there yet. I think he will get better and better.”
Dean revealed, “When he won first time at Hollywoodbets Greyville (over 1400m) we didn’t really fancy him because he’s not a great worker back home. He won exceptionally well and then he won second time out at HWB Durbanville also over 1400m.”
He followed those two wins with a 3,30 length fifth over 1600m at Durbanville off a 101 merit rating with the winner being subsequent WSB Cape Town Met sixth-placed Montien, who was only running off a 92 that day.
He then finished an eyecatching four length third to Questioning and Snow Pilot in the Gr 3 Cape Classic over 1400m at Durbanville.
Dean said, “Craig Zackey said to me after that race I tell you what when this horse comes to Kenilworth you will see a different horse and he will go over more ground.”
He added, “We fancied him for the Guineas after he was narrowly beaten into third in the Punter’s Cup.”
He finished a 2.05 length fourth in the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas.
Dean said, “So he’s held his own against the best three-year-olds in Cape Town and then I’ve put him over more than a mile and he’s won exceptionally well. It wasn’t as strong a race as the Guineas, but it was most encouraging. He’s improving, he’s on the up, and the 2000m trip will be fine for him, so now let’s just see if we get a nice draw.”
Asked on Hollywoodbets Durban July aspirations for Grenn With Envy, Dean replied, “Depending on how he goes in the Derby he definitely looks like a horse who could land up being a July horse.”
Dean has won the July three times, inlcuding with two three-year-olds.
His 2003 winner Dynasty was one of the all time great winners of the big race, but asked to compared Green With Envy to his other three-year-old winner Eyeofthetiger, he said, “He is that type of horse, a progressive horse like Eyeofthetiger was. He could be a little bit of a better horse in my opinion, but it depends on the weight he carries in the July. If you come in as a four-year-old like Power King (his 2015 July winner) with good form and a good galloping weight it is hard to beat them. Sometimes I think the three-year-olds can be handicapped out of it. You could possibly come in with the right weight as a three-year-old, but otherwise it’s not easy. In my opinion they are quite hard on the three-year-olds these days.”
Kommetdieding was the last three-year-old to win the July, in 2021, and he carried the minimum weight for a three-year-old of 53kg. Before that Do It Again in 2018 won it carrying 54kg and Legislate won it in 2014 carrying a record 56kg for a three-year-old.
Last year See It Again only just failed carrying 56,5kg.
Dynasty and Eyeofthetiger carried 53kg and 54kg respectively but the topweight in those days was 58kg as opposed to 60kg these days, so those were good weight carrying feats.
Meanwhile, Dean’s twice Gr 1-winning sprinter Gimme A Prince is unlikely to make it back in time for the Gr 2 Khaya Stables Diadem Stakes and will likely be saved for the Champions Season.
However, Cosmic Highway, who won the Diadem two years ago beating Trip Of Fortune, will be lining up in the race again. Dean said it had taken Cosmic Highway a long time for his hormones to settle after being gelded, but he added the horse was now enjoying himself and “is back to where he was when he was younger.”
