Blake - Top stayer building up to the Ladbrokes Gold Cup
It has been ten years since Highland Night went on to achieve the Lonsdale Stirrup Cup – Gold Cup double, but there are a few contenders in the thirteen strong field for Saturday’s race that may have aspirations to go on and win South Africa’s premier staying race.
The R200 000 Gr3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup to be run over 2400m at Greyville has attracted a fair field of stayers. The competitive nature of the race is partly as a result of the reality that producing high quality stayers has never been a priority of South African breeders. And not without good reason, if one surfs the national racing programme.
Taking Off
Aslan with pole position draw
The shock former Sansui Summer Cup and 2011 Gr1 Canon Gold Cup winner Aslan ran unplaced in this race last year behind his stablemate Vertical Takeoff, who has never raced again. Aslan, who has been very lightly raced, has pulled the pole position draw here and showed his well-being when staying on for second behind In Writing over 2500m at Clairwood in a Pinnacle Stakes at the end of April. That was his only start in 2012 and if sound, he could make his presence felt.
A serious Ladbrokes Gold Cup contender is the Dean Kannemeyer-trained five year old gelding Blake, who comes to KwaZulu-Natal after a terrific staying race hat-trick in his home province. In the space of three months late last year, Blake won the Listed Woolavington(2400m), the Gr3 Cape Summer Stayers(2500m) and the Gr2 J&B Reserve Stayers(2800m) on J&B Met day.
Blake had a pipe-opener at the beginning of this month when finishing just over five lengths off Gold Onyx in the Listed Sledgehammer run over 1800m at Scottsville. That was a pleasing effort that would have raised the eight-time winner’s level of fitness and he comes in here well drawn and handily weighted at 54,5kgs.
Very Fit
Ilsanpietro - carries top-weight of 60kgs but stays all day
Mike De Kock’s Ilsanpietro carries top-weight of 60kgs but stays all day and will jump a very fit horse. He has not won in his seven outings since winning the Java Handicap in runaway style in October last year. He had his top-class stablemate and subsequent Gold Bowl winner Gorongosa 6,50 lengths behind him there.
De Kock’s second string Captain’s Wild is winless since his Gr2 Colorado King Stakes victory a year ago. His fifth in the recent Sledgehammer would give him a shout, but he is poorly drawn and needs to show more than he has recently, to create any excitement.
Geoff Woodruff’s Soul Master is a talented four year old Jet Master gelding who has found his life’s calling over ground. His trainer suggested recently that he is the type of horse that would suit Greyville and would not be out of place in the Vodacom Durban July. If Woodruff is correct, then Mike De Broglio’s horse must be fancied to go very close here under Piere Strydom.
Barrier Reef
Jeppes Reef - the dark horse but over a distance short of his best
Mike Bass sends out a coupling of the out-of-sorts Thanks John and the well-weighted dark horse, Jeppe’s Reef. The latter has only won three races, but caught the eye when finishing fifth just 3,25 lengths behind Aslan in the 2011 Gold Cup. He is in good form at present and stormed through late to run third in the Listed Sledgehammer – over a distance technically short of his optimum trip.
Joey Ramsden sends Predestination to post and while the six year old stays well, he is off form and while carrying a galloping weight, should battle to assert himself.
Colin Scott’s Sage Throne carries 57kgs and has often flattered only to deceive, but definitely stays this trip. He ran a good race when kicking on late for a 1,75 length fourth behind Europa Point in the Gr1 President’s Champions Challenge run over 2000m on Champions Day. Muzi Yeni has been jocked off in favour of Sean Cormack and Sage Throne’s performance here could dictate his short-terms prospects for the balance of the Champions Season. He is something of an enigma and has long run out of excuses.
Island Style
Yogas Govender sends out a two-way coupling. The four-time winner Caymen Island is no star and is rising seven years of age. He managed to run fifth and 3,05 lengths off Blake in the Woolavington, when giving the Kannemeyer horse 1,5kgs. Caymen Island ran a terrific prep race over 1200m at Clairwood at his penultimate start when receiving a kilo and finishing two lengths behind Gr1 Golden Horse Casino Sprint winner Delago Deluxe. That is in the nature of a freak bit of formfrom a non-sprinter!
Caymen Island disappointed when finishing just over 5 lengths behind Gold Onyx in the Listed Sledgehammer. It is not easy suggesting this gelding could win, but he could run a place at best.
Storm Sagaz won the Listed Michaelmas Handicap over 1900m seven months ago on very soft going, but the son of Bernstein has never tried this sort of ground. He does have a nice galloping weight to shoulder, and could run into the money if he stays.
Dolomite actually has a victory over Ilsanpietro to his credit. That was an odd result when shedding his maiden. He looks outclassed here. The Herman Brown-Frank Robinson trained Grey Cossack is a shadow of the horse that won the Gold Vase for trainer Carl Burger in 2010 and the blinkers are removed in obvious desperation.
A tough race to unravel, but Blake will be looking to confirm his connections’ Ladbrokes Canon Gold Cup aspirations. Soul Master and Jeppe’s Reef could follow him home.
