Christophe Soumillon Happy With Golden Ducat
Eric Sands has come into this year’s WSB Met under the radar considering he is the trainer of the twice winner Rainbow Bridge, who is statistically the most successful Met horse in history.
He runs the former Grade 1 Cape Derby winner Golden Ducat.
He was very happy with the gallop he put up this week under big race jockey Christophe Soumillon.
The latter, who rode Golden Ducat in the L’Ormarins King’s Plate, has been back in Cape Town since Sunday.
Sands was also happy with the gallop his Grade 1 Pongracz Cape Flying Championship contender, Hitthemhardsunshine, put up under Sean Veale.
The three-year-old What A Winter gelding will be ridden on Saturday by Raymond “Supersub” Danielson.
At one stage the twice Grade 1-winning Golden Ducat was spoken about in almost the same revered tones as his half-brother Rainbow Bridge.
That was especially after he had pipped the latter to win the Grade 1 wfa Champions Cup in August 2020.
However, it was his Durban July performance five weeks earlier which showed Golden Ducat to have an engine with the potential to carry him to Met glory.
That day Sands wanted his pair, Rainbow Bridge and Golden Ducat, to come off the rail early from their low draws, knowing the inside horses can get boxed in nearing the straight. Therefore they went forward and halfway through the race Golden Ducat found himself one wide without cover in joint second place with just runaway pacemaker Silvano’s Pride ahead of him.
Golden Ducat towed his stablemate into the straight and the latter was recorded going through the 2000m mark in a time quicker than the Hollywoodbets Greyville 2000m course record held by London News.
Yet it was Golden Ducat, then just a three-year-old and admittedly receiving 7kg from Rainbow Bridge, who managed to stay on and finish in the frame, beaten just 1,90 lengths into fourth by the year older Belgarion whom he faced at level weights.
That was some feat by Golden Ducat, especially considering he had little to no cover throughout the race.
Golden Ducat showed he was not a one trick pony next time out in the Champions Cup over 1800m by coming from way off a strong pace with a storming run to pip Rainbow Bridge. He faced him on weight for age terms that day.
It was unfortunate that before his ultimate target the following season, the July, Golden Ducat sustained a suspensory ligament injury.
He was out for a year-and-a-half but made two good recent comeback runs, finishing a 2,75 length third to Jet Dark in the Grade 3 Cape Mile, receiving 2kg, in November and then finished a 2,55 length fourth in the Grade 2 WSB Green Point Stakes over 1600m on December 3.
The now six-year-old gelding by Philanthropist was off the pace last time out in the L’Ormarins King’s Plate and Sands was disappointed to see him not making much leeway and finishing a 7,40 length seventh.
However, Sands divulged Golden Ducat had not had a smooth build up into that race due to a muscle strain.
Sands yard as a whole had also been going through a lean spell, but at present the blood pictures show the yard to be on an upward curve.
He is much happier with Golden Ducat’s preparation into the Met.
It will be interesting if Golden Ducat is able to take advantage of the apparent lack of pace in Saturday’s big race from his pole position draw and put the more fancied horses under pressure.
Golden Ducat wears blinkers for the first time which will help him if going forward is the intention.
Sands and Soumillon would have worked out a strategy by the time of Saturday’s race in which to maximise the impact of Golden Ducat’s big engine.
Meanwhile, Hitthemhardsunshine also comes in to the Cape Flying under the radar.
He has only had one below par run, his last run when finishing a 3,10 length sixth in the Sophomore Sprint.
However, he did come out of that race with a problem which has now been sorted out and he is now back to his best.
Sands is not surprised by his price of 33/1 as he is a two-time winner taking on a Grade 1 weight for age field.
However, this is a horse who gave Charles Dickens 2kg over 1200m and was beaten just 1,50 lengths. He later gave the useful Trompie 4kg and was beaten just 1,25 lengths.
He might prove to be outstanding value.
Sands also has two runners in race 2, a special weights maiden over 1200m, Numzaan (Master Of My Fate) and Carriacou (Captain Of All), and said both were well.
Industry Players Make Their WSB Met Predictions
Various racing people were asked for their Met predictions, with reasons attached if willing, and there was a fantastic variety of interesting responses, all published below.
MJ Byleveld (Jockey, presenter/analyst): 1st Cousin Casey 2nd Jet Dark 3rd Make It Snappy 4th Rascallion 5th Sparkling Water
Sally Bruss (Breeder): 1st Make It Snappy 2nd Jet Dark 3rd Kommetdieding 4th Cousin Casey. Comments: I think Make It Snappy could be a very special filly.
Hilton Witz (Punter): 1st Jet Dark 2nd/3rd Kommetdieding/Al Muthana 4th Linebacker 5th Golden Ducat. Comments: Jet Dark missed his prep run for the LKP due to minor injury and will be spot on for the Met …one of very few genuine wfa horses in the race plus the trainer and jockey know how to win the met … 2nd and 3rd is between Kommetdieding and Al Muhtana… both are genuine wfa horses and both have trainers and jockeys who have won the Met before. I believe al muhtana will stay this easy 2000m … his style of running along with his jockey are factors that convince me plus it’s his peak run. 4th and 5th very difficult as the 3yo contenders on a line through Charles dickens are very much inferior to my top 3 …maybe Linebacker for 4th and Golden Ducat for 5th as he was sweating up badly before the LKP and will be at home over the 2000m.
Davin Heffer (Hollywoodbets Brand And Communications Manager) 1st Make It Snappy 2nd Sparkling Water 3rd Kommetdieding 4th Cousin Casey 5th Jet Dark
Brendan Gaillard (Media/Tipster/Owner): 1st Jet Dark 2nd Kommetdieding 3rd Make It Snappy 4th Cousin Casey Comments: JET DARK and KOMMETDIEDING have proved time and again (2022 Met, Durban July, Champions Cup, etc) that they are the best WFA middle-distance horses in the country. They were 2nd and 1st respectively in this race last year but, having got the better of their last 2 meetings, I expect those positions to be reversed by the former in this year’s renewal. MAKE IT SNAPPY is on a steep upward trajectory and lines up in pursuit of a Grade 1 hat-trick as their main danger. She dictated her own terms to win both the Cape Fillies Guineas & Paddock Stakes and is likely to have things her own way in front again, so will be hard to catch under a light weight. With the step up in distance likely to suit, COUSIN CASEY could emerge best of the rest. He was staying on well when 2nd in the Cape Guineas, suggesting the step up in distance will be to his liking. On pedigree he should see out the trip and may be even better for it, so a place in the Quartet looks well within his reach.
Grant Knowles (Racing all rounder) 1st Make it Snappy 2nd Jet Dark 3rd Kommetdieding
4th Al Muthana 5th Linebacker
Peter Gibson (Racing All Rounder) 1st Kommetdieding 2nd Jet Dark 3rd Sparkling Water 4th Linebacker 5th Make It Snappy
Greg Bortz (Kenilworth Racing Executive Chairman) 1st Jet Dark 2nd Marina 3rd Pomp And Power 4th Make It Snappy
Stan Elley (Trainer/Presenter) 1st Kommetdieding 2nd Jet Dark 3rd Al Muthana 4th Sparkling Water 5th Make it Snappy
Jacques Chowles (Cape Racing) 1st Make It Snappy 2nd Jet Dark 3rd Kommetdieding 4th Sparkling Water 5th Linebacker. Comments: Nice to see 19 champions line up for this year’s WSB MET. There will be plenty of tough duels in the race. I am in the camp of Make It Snappy and do believe this filly is billboard material.
Jay August (Racing Intellect) 1st Make It Snappy 2nd Kommetdieding 3rd Jet Dark 4th Sparkling Water 5th Golden Ducat. Comments: The horses drawn well in this race have the opportunity to control this race and its pace.
Louis Goosen (Trainer): 1st Kommetdieding 2nd Make It Snappy 3rd Jet Dark 4th Sparkling Water. For quartets add: Golden Ducat (blinkers strike), Waterberry Lane, Al Muthana and Cousin Casey. Comments: Kommetdieding is ultra consistent at the highest level over a wide range of courses and distances. He must be the one to beat, over this Kenilworth 2000m trip. Make It Snappy is a very exciting, up and coming 3yo Dynasty filly who shoulders only 51,5kg and she will be in the hunt at the death. Jet Dark and Sparkling Water are obvious threats. The Ricky Mainguard two runners add some intrigue… why has Bernard gone with Do It Again? And has Ricky found the niggles on Waterberry Lane? – this horse put up an amazing gallop before the July, but the race never panned out…
Michael Roberts (Hall Of Fame Jockey/Trainer): 1st Jet Dark 2nd Kommetdieding 3rd Make It Snappy 4th Sparkling Water 5th Al Muthana.
Andrew Bonn (Media): 1st Cousin Casey 2nd Jet Dark 3rd Kommetdieding 4th Make it Snappy 5th Sparkling Water. Comments: I think that Cousin Casey has had the perfect prep and is ready to show us the dominance he displayed in Durban.
Andy Williams (Bloodstock Agent): 1st Jet Dark 2nd Kommetdieding 3rd Al Muthana 4th Do It Again 5th Linebacker
Ken Truter (Racing All Rounder): Not in any particular order Jet Dark, Linebacker, Kommetdieding, Cousin Casey, Make It Snappy.
Craig Eudey (assistant trainer): 1st Jet Dark 2nd Make It Snappy 3rd Kommetdieding 4th Sparkling Water 5th Universal
Neil Morrice (Media): 1st Make It Snappy 2nd Do It Again 3rd Kommetdieding 4th Jet Dark 5th Sparkling Water
Admission, hospitality packages: WSB Met
Azzies Bid To Win Cape Flying For Second Year In Succession
They stand 26th in the national trainers log yet have an excellent strike rate of 21 winners from 86 runners
David Mollett (Business Day)
The father and son team of Mike and Adam Azzie mean business in Saturday’s grade 1 Cape Flying Championship at Kenilworth. They have trucked down four of their sprinters to try to win this prestigious race for the second year running.
The quartet are Master Archie, Barholdi, Supreme Warrior and Bohica. The first-named — formerly trained by Paul Peter — won the Computaform Sprint in April and looks generously priced at 10-1.
The Azzie numbers are clearly not the same as previous years as the stable is in 26th place in the national trainers log. Yet they have an excellent strike rate of 21 winners from 86 runners.
Some top jockeys have been engaged for the Azzie quartet — Richard Fourie will be on Bartholdi, Bernard Fayd’Herbe on Supreme Warrior, S’manga Khumalo on Bohica, and Diego De Gouveia for Master Archie.
Bohica won this race last year and it is surely a pointer to his chance that Khumalo will once again partner the son of Capetown Noir. The bookies feel a repeat win is unlikely and quote the six-year-old at 25-1.
Bohica hadn’t run since September when he reappeared at the Vaal last month and finished four lengths behind Big Burn and two lengths behind stablemate Bartholdi. Khumalo’s mount is 2kg better off with Bartholdi on Saturday and appeals as a good place bet at around 3-1.
While Princess Calla deserves her position as favourite, there are two other runners who make plenty of appeal — Alesian Chief (Muzi Yeni) and Isivunguvungu (Christophe Soumillon).
Corrie Lensley would love to bag the R742,188 first cheque and his five-time winner, Alesian Chief, finished in front of both Bartholdi and Bohica at the Vaal in December.
A runner this column feels may be the horse to beat is Peter Muscutt’s four-year-old Isivunguvungu.
Khumalo should tune up for his ride on Sparkling Water in the WSB Met by partnering Battleground to his maiden win in Thursday’s fifth race at Turffontein.
The son of Futura — sire of last Saturday’s Cape feature winner Rockpool — should beat his seven rivals with the minimum of fuss to leave the maiden ranks at the fifth attempt.
Trainer Mike de Kock introduces an R800,000 son of What A Winter, Lushozi Shoop, in the second race on the Turffontein card. Keagan De Melo is an eye-catching jockey booking for another horse owned by the Hollywood Syndicate.
Of those horses who have run, Silk Garden boasts the best form with Bridget Stidolph’s filly finishing in the placings in six of her last seven outings.
In the final leg of the Pick 6, Keep The Fort can go well from a favourable draw. A big run is also expected from Tyrone Zackey’s three-year-old Solo Diva.
SELECTIONS
1st Race: (11) Time Together (10) Nazare (7) Brosnan (2) Fish Eagle
2nd Race: No Selection
3rd Race: (6) Free Movement (1) Quixote (2) Phantomoftheforest (11) Smelting
4th Race: (3) Brave Viking (4) Raptor Island (12) Radu (1) Broadway
5th Race: (2) Battleground (3) Circus Lights (1) Harold The Duke (6) Labrausco
6th Race: (2) On The Guest List (1) Rosslyne (3) Ponderosa Pine (8) Red Maple
7th Race: (9) Turnthebeataround (6) Queen Britanna (2) Time To Meditate (1) Positive Attitude
8th Race: (5) Keep The Fort (4) Sola Diva (3) Mighty Goddess (1) African Tune
Futura colt Rockpool showed off his huge stride when winning the Grade 3 Politician Stakes last Saturday and he is now on a collision course with Charles Dickens in the Grade 1 Cape Derby on the last Saturday of February (Wayne Marks).
Serino Moodley (Candiese Lenferna Photography).
A picture of one of the horses in question (Liesl King).
Today’s Question
The Brett Crawford-trained Make It Snappy will be attempting to become the first horse in history to do the Cape Fillies Guineas/Paddock Stakes/Met treble in one season and the fourth to do the Paddock Stakes/Met double.
Who were the other three horses to do the Paddock Stakes/Met double in one season?
See answer at the bottom of the newsletter
Turffontein Standside Fields, Thursday, CLICK HERE
*Meeting switched from the Inside to the Standside.
NB Please wait a few seconds for fields to appear.
Renounce comfortably wins the 1966 Met (southafricanracehors.wordpress.com)
