Eight On Eighteen remained unchanged on his official merit rating of 127 following his victory in the SplashOut Gr1 Cape Derby over 2000m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday.
The Handicappers did not believe that Eight On Eighteen had to run to the 127 performance which he produced when winning the WSB Met, to account for the Splashout Cape Derby field, especially when considering that the Derby was run at a sedate pace.
Eight On Eighteen – easy SplashOut Cape Derby winner unchanged on 127 (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
However, it was felt that Eight On Eighteen would not have run below the 115 rating he achieved in the Hollywoodbets Gr1 Cape Guineas when finishing second behind One Stripe and used him to that level to rate the SplashOut Cape Derby.
Three horses went up in their ratings in this race. Runner up, SAIL THE SEAS, went up to 112 from 103 while third place finisher, GARRIX was adjusted to 107 from 97. Lastly, Native Ruler was increased from 91 to 103.
There were no drops for any runner in this race.
Khaya Gr2 Stables Diadem Stakes
Gimme A Prince remained unaltered on 134 after winning the Khaya Stables Gr2 Diadem Stakes over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday.
The Handicappers were unanimous in their view that fifth place finisher, Royal Aussie made for the most suitable line horse to assess this race. As such, Royal Aussie’s merit rating remains unchanged on 124.
Despite finding some trouble in running, third place finisher, Questioning, also runs to his mark of 124, effectively making him a line horse as well.
There were merit ratings increases for three runners following this contest. Runner up, Café Culture was adjusted from 114 to 128 while fourth place finisher, Seeking The Stars, went up from 118 to 123. Gem King, who was rated to finish last in this race, was given a partial adjustment from 101 to his previous best rating of 106.
Two horses received merit rating drops in this race. At My Command went down from 118 to 116 and Bereave was reduced to 111 from 114.
SplashOut Gr3 Prix Du Cap
Siddeley has seen her rating adjusted from 99 to 105 after capturing the SplashOut Gr3 Prix Du Cap for fillies and mares over 1400m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday.
Here it was third (Mon Petit Cherie) and fourth (Mia Moo) place finishers who were deemed to be the most suitable line horses to assess this race, leaving their ratings unchanged on 108 and 103 respectively.
Runner up, Princess Izzy, was the other runner to receive an upward adjustment in her rating and she went up from 98 to 104.
No fewer than three horses received merit rating drops following this contest. Gimmie’s Countess went down to 108 from 110, while Celtic Rumours dropped to 105 from 107. Bavarian Beauty received a three point drop from 116 to 113.
City Of Cape Town Listed Jet Master Stakes
The Real Prince has seen his rating increased from 107 to 118 following his impressive victory in the City Of Cape Town Listed Jet Master Stakes over 1600m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth.
The Handicappers unanimously agreed to use runner up, Rapidash, as the line horse to assess this race, leaving his rating unchanged on 108.
The winner aside, third place finisher, Meu Capitano also went up from 110 to 113.
There was merit rating drops for a total of six runners following this contest. BILLY BOWLEGS and Zapatillas both received two points drops each, from 117 to 115 and from 119 to 117 respectively.
Sugar Mountain dropped slightly to 114 from 115 while See It Again also received the same adjustment from 128 to 127. Coastal Commander received a drop of three points, from 109 to 106 and Get Impressed was reduced to 103 from 105.
Schweppes Listed Cape Fillies Classic
Give Me Everything has seen her rating adjusted from 83 to 98 after she easily captured the Schweppes Listed Cape Fillies Classic over 1800m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth.
Here it was fourth place finisher, Kamchatka, who was used as the line horse to assess this race, leaving her rating unchanged on 90.
Goodnessgraciousme who finished third, went up from 88 to 91
Runner up, Kinda Wonderful, was the solitary runner to receive a drop in the ratings and she went down to 107 from 109.
Listed Ibhayi Stakes
My Best Shot remained unchanged on his rating of 111 following his impressive victory in the Listed Ibhayi Stakes over 1400m at Fairview Racecourse on Friday.
The Handicappers used runner up, Golden Link as the line horse to assess this race, leaving his rating unchanged on 102.
There were merit ratings increases for two more runners besides the winner. Third place finisher, Cool Cat, went up from 88 to 99 and fifth place finisher, Global State was adjusted to 95 from 85.
Mister Speaker was the only runner to receive a drop in the ratings and he went down to 95 from 98.
Listed Lady’s Pendant
Gocekwithlove remained unaltered on 102 following her win in the Listed Lady’s Pendant over 1200m at Fairview racecourse on Friday.
Here it was runner up, Montelena who was used to rate this race, leaving her rating unchanged on 96.
Fifth place finisher, Bomber Girl was the only runner to receive an upward adjustment in this race and she went up to 92 from 89.
Three horses received drops in the ratings following this contest. Ellorix went down to 92 from 94, while Passchendaele was trimmed from 105 to 104. Lastly, Golden Pacific was dropped to 93 from 95.
4Racing Gr3 National Currency Sprint
Truth had his rating increased from 109 to 115 after winning the 4Racing Gr3 National Currency Sprint over 1160m at Turffontein Standside Track on Monday.
The Handicappers were of the view that second placed, Chocolate Soldier, made for the most suitable line horse here and his rating remained unchanged on 115.
The only other runner to receive an increase in rating was third placed Rondebosch, who was adjusted from a rating of 94 to 97.
Two runners received a drop in ratings, Rodeo Drive was dropped to 104 from 105 and Lead The Charge was given a 2-point drop, from 104 to 102.
- Media release by the NHA on Tuesday, 25 February 2025.
