King Of The Gauls flies home in the Listed Umngeni Handicap at the end of last season and has some big targets this season (Picture: Candiese Lenferna Photography).
King of The Gauls has his season of reckoning and the Tony Rivalland-trained four-year-old Vercingetorix gelding is in Cape Town being readied out of Paddy Kruyer’s yard for a tilt at the Gr 1 Cape Flying Championship, which will be run over 1000m on WSB Met day, January 25.
King Of The Gauls runs in the July-winning orange colurs with a blue cap of Robert Bloomberg, the same colours carried by an amazing Glen Kotzen-trained horse called Connery, who today showed that one should never give up hope on a horse as he made it five wins in a row having taken no fewer than 12 races to win his maiden.
But first the news on King Of The Gauls, who put up a good gallop at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth the other day.
His targets are the Gr 2 Cape Merchants over 1200m on December 22, the Cape Flying and the Gr 2 Khaya Stables Diadem Stakes over 1200m on February 22.
The Gr 1 Jonsson Workweaar Computaform Sprint will also be on the agenda as that race looks tailor made for him being over a very fast 1000m.
With Isivunguvungu out of the country King Of The Gauls will be one of the horses vying to become the new kid on the block.
He showed incredible gatespeed in the Listed Umngeni Handicap over 1000m on World Pool Gold Cup day to overcome draw 14 out of 14 under Gavin Lerena and won by a clear margin of 1,90 lengths.
To those who scoff at him being a Gr 1 sprinting candidate after winning a Listed Handicap, the Umngeni was in fact the same race Isivunguvungu won in his last start as a three-year-old and he did it off the identical merit rating of 103 that King Of The Gauls did it off.
By the end of the following season Isivunguvungu was a twice Gr 1-winning sprinter and at present he is mixing it with the world’s best sprinters internationally.
The secret to King Of The Gauls is he needs to be settled so he can use his fine kick on top of his excellent gatespeed and early pace.
Gavin Lerena got the best out of him in that last start and the formula for success is now known.
He will be an interesting horse to follow this season.
Bloomberg, who won the July with the Mike Bass-trained Dunford in 2005, owns King Of The Gauls in partnership with Mary Liley.
Mewnwhile, Connery, who is owned by a large number of owners in partnership with Bloomberg, raced off a 91 merit rating today in a 1000m sprint handicap on the Hollywoodbets Greyville turf.
He got home by 0,80 lengths under 4kg claimer Jacey Botes.
In his 12th start at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth over 1000m back in April he snuck in by a neck to finally get out of the maidens.
He was then sent to Kotzen’s Summerveld satellite yard and made his comeback in KZN after a four month layoff.
He waltzed in by 2,30 lengths on his KZN debut over 1100m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville off a 73 merit rating.
He then comfortably won two on the trot on the Hollywoodbets Greyville poly over 1000m and 1200m respectively off 79 and 86 merit ratings before making it five-in-a-row today.
“It really is quite unbelievable!” exclaimed Bloomberg, “… and after stumbling over the line against Maneki Neko (who remains a maiden today).”
