The Real Prince (yellow) manages to just stave off fast-finishing outsider Questioning (Picture: Wayne Marks)
The Dean Kannemeyer-trained The Real Prince became the first horse since Do It Again in 2019 to complete a Hollywoodbets Durban July/L’Ormarins King’s Plate double when narrowly winning the latter race at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth today (Saturday).
He gave the Dean Kannemeyer yard a fourth win in the country’s most prestigious weight for age mile and it was the second time the yard had done it for Lady Christine Laidlaw’s Khaya Stables, although this was the first time Lady Laidlaw had done it with a homebred.
It was a second success in the big race for jockey Craig Zackey.
The Real Prince is by champion sire Gimmthegreenlight out of Equus Champion Broodmare Real Princess, who has now produced two multiple Gr 1 winners, the full brothers Gimme A Prince and The Real Prince.
The Real Prince will now be out to become the eighth horse in history to do the July/Met double.
He initially shortened on the day to second favourite behind hot favourite Jan van Goyen, but then began drifting alarmingly and started 25/2.
The Real Prince was held back by Zackey after jumping from draw six out of 14 and this allowed him to find the rail near the back.
Dave The King set a strong pace with Jan van Goyen and Legal Counsel a few lengths behind him and then was a gap of a few more lengths back to the rest who were led by Sail The Seas with The Real Prince traveling comfortably about five lengths behind the latter.
Dave The King and Jan Van Goyen were soon spent forces and Sail The Seas emerged as a strong contender.
Meanwhile, The Real Prince was eating up the ground on the inside rail and it just looked like he needed the gaps to open to win.
That was until the 50/1 shot Questioning suddenly appeared on the outside having come from near the back and he suddenly looked all over the winner.
However, The Real Price managed to thread his way between the tiring Legal Counsel and Sail The Seas and he then found extra.
He managed to somehow repel Questioning to win by a shorthead and thus deny Vaughan Marshall a second successive King’s Plate.
See It Again flew from near the back of the field to be beaten just 0,25 lengths into third, a neck ahead of Sail The Seas.
The 67/1 outsider Cosmic Speed was a 3,45 length fifth narrowly ahead of Sugar Mountain and Gladatorian.
There was a dream result in the Gr 1 World Pool Cape Flying Championship as the East Cape raider Kingdundee, a Clive Murphy-homebred The United States gelding, blitzed them from the highest draw of all in the 14 horse field to lead from start to finish under Calvin Habib and give Dean Smith his first Gr 1 winner just a few months after he had taken over the yard from his late father Gavin. Kingdundee beat home the Stuart Ferrie-trained I Am Giant by 0,75 lengths with Outlaw King next best followed by Asiye Phambili, Surjay and Cafe Culture. The hot favourite Buffalo Storm Cody could only manage a 2,35 length seventh.
The Gr 1 Cartier Paddock Stakes saw the Justin Snaith-trained Maine Chance Farms-bred Legislate filly Wish List producing a sustained finished under veteran jockey Andrew Fortune to prevail by half-a-length from fellow three-year-old Reet Petite. Rainbow Lorikeet, Double Grand Slam and Minogue were next best. Wish List is owned by Nancy Hossack and JI Bloch.
