Ten Of The Best For HKJC Champions Cup

The Michael Roberts-trained Twice Over colt See It Again, unlucky in the July, is favourite for the Gr 1 HKJC Champions Cup and deserves a third career Gr 1 (Candiese Lenferna Photography)

The Gr 1 R1.5 million HKJC Champions Cup to be run over 1800m at Hollywoodbets Greyville on July 28 has attracted a fine field of ten.

The Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge winner Dave The King has drawn nine out of ten which Richard Fourie, who rides him for the first time, will not mind because this big horse has a massive stride and likes to use that stride at all times. Being drawn out there will give him a chance to get into a handy position or to the front if the pace is not on. He has been more relaxed as a gelding and when unwinding his massive stride in the straight is not easy to catch if getting first run as he did in the Gold Challenge. He finished a close 1,35 length third last year despite still being an entire who tended to travel a bit hard, so the distance should not detract from his chances.

See It Again, who would have finished third in the July if not hampered late, not to mention being hampered at the halfway mark, is officially the best horse in the race. Piere Strydom has the same problem as last year i.e. overcoming a wide draw. He was just a touch too far back last year through no fault of his own, because he would have otherwise been caught wide on a horse who does not tend to jump well. It is a smaller field this year, but only by one, so hopefully it pans out better for the Twice Over colt. Last year this race was his fourth run of the Champions Season and this time it his third, so he should be a tad fresher.

Three-year-old Flag Man is the third best in at the weights, according to official merit ratings, and he comes off a fine Hollywoodbets Durban July fourth in which he was forced to go handier than usual in a plan to overcome a wide draw. He is now drawn six out of ten and should be able to run to his preferred style of being held up.

Royal Victory should relish this trip as a horse who relaxes well and has a fine turn of foot. He should be relatively fresh despite having run in the July, because this will be his third run after a layoff. He is going for his third Gr 1 win of the season and is the highest earning horse in the country this season. He has a draw of eight but Muzi Yeni is an expert at finding a good position from such a draw. Yeni has stayed loyal to him despite probably having had the option to ride Dave The King, whom he partnered in the Gold Challenge.

Cousin Casey has bounced back to form after a Premier’s Champions Challenge nightmare when eased out of the race. He loves Hollywoodbets Greyville and this trip should be ideal, considering he was only just touched off in the July and finished second in both the Gr 2 IOS Drill Hall over 1400m and Gold Challenge over 1600m. He has not won for 20 months but goes well for S’Manga Khumalo and has at last got a good draw in a big race i.e. pole position.

Double Superlative was said to be a gallop short of his best in the July so he should be cherry ripe now. The WSB Met winner has a plum draw of two with the former champion jockey Keagan de Melo up so he has a definite winning chance.

Last year’s July winner Winchester Mansion was only beaten half-a-length by Royal Victory in the Premier’s Champions Challenge over 2000m at level weights and might have needed his July run, considering it was his first run since the Premier’s, which was three months earlier. He has to prove he has the class to win at this level of weight for age, considering Royal Victory did not get the run of the race in the Premier’s and still beat him. However, he does have a nice draw of four.

Barbaresco did not produce as strong a finish in the July as he had in the Daily News 2000 and was considered by the connections to have had a stamina doubt for the 2200m trip. Therefore, he could well be a lively contender over what should be an ideal trip from a nice middle draw of five and he is the dark horse.

Hluhluwe has always been well regarded and was thought to be looking for this sort of trip. He gets another chance to prove himself, having flattered to deceive in all of his middle distance efforts to date, although he did suffer some interference in the July.

Purple Pitcher was off the bit some way out in the July and is more suited to a galloping track like Turffontein Standside. However, he does have a lot of courage and is not easy to overtake if getting to the front. He might try to lead from a good draw of three and is ridden for the first time by Calvin Habib.

The full field with details is shown below: