Questioning has blossomed into an eyecatching individual and can land a deserved Gr 1 on Saturday at Hollywoodbets Greyville in the wfa Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge (Picture: Candiese Lenferna Photography)
The highlight of the Hong Kong World Pool race day on Saturday at Hollywoodbets Greyville is the Gr 1 weight for age Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge over 1600m and the one to beat could be the transformed Questioning.
Trainer Vaughan Marshall appears to have got to the bottom of this Querari gelding. The five-year-old has always been a good horse, but he has never had the “wow” factor until this season. When he steps out on to the track nowadays he stands out as an athlete who is relishing the task ahead of him and his performances have followed suit. He has always had a slight stamina question mark, but he failed by just a shorthead to win the prestigious Gr 1 wfa L’Ormarins King’s Plate over a mile in January and from pole position in the Gold Challenge he will have every chance to reserve his energy and maximise his terrific turn of foot in the straight. Furthermore, he has the former record-breaking champion jockey Richard Fourie up.
The best performance put up over a mile this season has undoubtedly been by the Sean Tarry-trained three-year-old Tin Pan Alley, who beat six Gr 1 winners when winning the Gr 1 wfa Wilgerbosdrift HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes by 3,75 lengths. Among the vanquished were the highest rated classic horse in the land, the 130-rated See It Again, and the Hollywoodbets Durban July and L’Ormarins King’s Plate winner The Real Prince, who was below par on the day and was beaten 10,75 lengths. The nay sayers pointed to Tin Pan Alley’s defeat in his next start in the Gr 2 WSB Guineas as proof that he is overrated on 128, but that race did not pan out well for him. He was slowly away and then began fighting the rider in patches behind a slow pace. He was duly found wanting in the final 50m and overtaken by Star Major. However, Star Major then followed up by winning the Gr 1 Daily News 2000 on Saturday. So even if Tin Pan Alley’s run was below par in the WSB Guineas it still looks decent on paper. The big question now is whether the race will pan out better for him on Saturday. He will simply need to find cover and settle better than he did in the WSB Guineas and if he does he is the horse to beat. However, it won’t be a simple task to achieve that for former champion jockey Keagan de Melo from a wide draw of eleven out of 12 on the tight horse-shoe shaped Hollywoodbets Greyville track.
See It Again is at his best over 2000m, but has won a Gr 2 over a mile and has been in the top three in three Gr 1 wfa miles. He was slightly hampered in the straight in the L’Ormarins King’s Plate, before flying home and failing by just 0,25 lengths to win. So, he was a tad unlucky in the King’s Plate and was likely below par in the Horse Chestnut, which came just six weeks after his win in the Gr wfa WSB Met over 2000m. See It Again jumps from a tricky draw of seven. However, Andrew Fortune’s sublime hands should have him settled and if he finds cover he can fly home.
Legal Counsel chased a ridiculously fast pace set by Dave The King in the L’Ormarins King’s Plate. The latter faded tamely and so did the others who chased the pace, but Legal Counsel stayed on for what seemed an ordinary 4,45 length ninth. However, under the circumstances it was a fine run, especially considering he was just a neck behind Eight On Eighteen and half-a-length behind Gladatorian. He then proved how good a run it was by finishing second to See It Again in the Gr 1 wfa WSB Met over 2000m. Legal Counsel has a plum draw here and has to be respected.
Eight On Eighteen was named Equus Horse Of The Year last season based on his trio of Gr 1 victories, all over 2000m, and he was runner up in the July. However, he did also run close to One Stripe in the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas and the latter has recently made big waves against world class opposition in the USA. Eight On Eighteen had an interrupted Cape Summer campaign, but if he is able to bounce back to his best in his second run of his KZN campaign he could be a threat.
Dave The King goes for a third successive win of this race. He is famous for his long run in, which can begin from 800m and even to 1000m out and he is not easy to catch once he is in the ryhthm of his giant stride. However, the jockeys know him well and he will be given no easy leads and he has also not had quite as good a preparation as in previous years. Furthermore, he faces a stronger field than last year.
Local hope Gladatorian flew home for a 0,35 length third last year and will be dropped out again from a wide draw. He faces an undoubtedly stronger field this year. He didn’t enjoy the heavier training tracks in Cape Town in this season’s summer, so was below par there, but has bounced back with a good second in the Gr 2 IOS DRill Hall Stakes over 1400m, a race he won last year. He is weighted to finish alongsidse Questioning in the Gold Challenge according to the Drill Hall Stakes form, being 1,5kg better off for a 1,60 length beating. However, Questioning won that race easily despite being hampered at the top of the straight.
The Real Prince won the Gr 1 L’Ormarins King’s Plate to prove he would have gone close in this race last year had he not avoided it in order to protect his July weight. He had a way below par run in the Horse Chestnut but did put in a fair effort in the IOS Drill Hall Stakes, although it was below the performance he put up in last year’s Drill Hall.
Fire Attack is a Gr 1 winner and is versatile. He looks capable of running on into the money if able to find cover from a wide draw.
Cosmic Speed was a 0,85 length fourth last year and was a 3,45 length fifth in the L’Ormarins King’s Plate, but this field is stronger than both of those races and he has been a bit unreliable lately.
Main Defender a Gr 1 wfa mile winner, but that was two years ago and this five-year-old’s recent form has been well below his best.
Jet Force has run some fine races this season, but this is a big step up in class and he is up against it.
The selection is Questioning, to beat Tin Pan Alley with See It Again, Legal Counsel and Eight On Eighteen next best.
