Good Gallop. The 3yo King Of Pain stretches out
The official J&B Met gallops were held at Kenilworth yesterday. Besides offering the marketers a promotional opportunity, do the gallops serve any real purpose for punters?
The gallops have long been an integral part of the excitement generated by the anticipation in the build-up to the Met.
In days of yore, the Dailies would have carried photographs and reports-often on their front pages – to fuel public interest . That has all changed sadly.
A free sticky bun and coffee aside, other than seeing your fancy in the flesh, one is unlikely to have learnt much in view of a few anomalies.
Firstly, unlike the July gallops, there was no timekeeping, of at the very least the 800m to finish.
Secondly grooms and unidentified jockeys make for the variance of weight between galloping companions.
Many working companions were not named.
Some participants hardly broke into a sweat.
They ran over varying trips, some cantering most of the way.
For what it is worth, our notes:
The 18-10 favourite Jackson worked alone from the 1400m and stretched out nicely, changing legs once in the final 300m.
Happy Horse. Run For It looked in the pink of health
Gauteng trainer Joe Soma, who was sitting on the Tellytrack panel called the gallop ‘super impressive.’ Jackson finished well with his ears pricked and Soma suggested the son of Dynasty would shorten in the betting.
The July winner Pomodoro, who has shortened from 7-2 to 33-10, worked with Andrew Fortune up and an unnamed companion from the 1200m. He went past his stablemate in the straight and finished tightly held with ears pricked.
The SA Classic winner Slumdogmillionaire, who is quoted at 10-1, worked with Chris Puller in the saddle and moved well, with the 20-1 Bulsara (Jason Smitsdorff). They worked harder and Bulsara beat a hard-pressed Slumdogmillionaire.
The 16-1 outsider Hill Fifty Four worked easily in the hands of MJ Byleveld from the 1600m. He finished his gallop well and changed legs once in the final stages.
His stablemate Tribal Dance worked with Robert Khathi and Maltese Falcon from the 1600m .
Maltese Falcon led Tribal Dance into the straight, but the Met runner ran past his working partner late in the race.
The 25-1 Yogas Govender shot Martial Eagle worked on his own from the 1400m with Aldo Domeyer in the saddle. It was an easy gallop and he finished with his tongue over the bit.
The Derby winner and 20-1 shot Bravura worked with a groom in the saddle together with former Eastern Cape Champion juvenile In A Rush. The two worked at an easy pace from the mile marker and stretched out, running all the way to the post.
Greg Ennion’s Master Plan (Karl Neisius) has been punted from 18-1 to 16-1, and worked with My Jelly Bean from the 800m. Master Plan turned it on nicely and accelerated .away to beat his companion easily. Greg Ennion mentioned that his feet had been sorted out and he was expecting a big run on the day.
The perennial bridesmaid Run For It worked from the mile with Bernard Fayd’herbe up. With his head tucked into his chest, the son of Dynasty looked well and may have won a few admirers.
Brett Crawford’s 66-1 shot Black Wing was fighting with Felix Coetzee and sweating up. He worked with his capable stablemate Thunder Dance from the 1400m. Black Wing led Thunder Dance and it did not tell us much as Thunder Dance’s rider kept her tightly held all the way up the straight.
Outsider. Fabiani strode out well
Glen Kotzen’s 200-1 outsider Fabiani was sweating up and worked from the 1200m with Grant Van Niekerk in the saddle. Fabiani finished his gallop stretching out with his ears flat back and it really was not the worst gallop of the morning.
Trainer Garth Puller attended his first Met gallop as a conditioner, and his smart Cossack General led the 75-1 shot Ice Machine with big race jockey Karl Neisius in the saddle. The two galloped from the 1400m marker.
In what was one of the more serious gallops of the day, Ice Machine kicked into gear in the straight and strode away in good style.
The only member of the fairer sex in the big race, Dennis Drier’s 15-2 shot Beach Beauty galloped 800m on the sprint track and went through the motions in enthusiastic fashion, to show her wellbeing.
Glen Hatt rode Joey Ramsden’s 12-1 shot King Of Pain who galloped with an unnamed companion from the 1800m. The gallop was a solid one and the grey stretched out very well, changing legs in the last 100m.
The only horse not to work was Dean Kannemeyer’s In Writing. The Argentinian-bred son of Editor’s Note was kept home as a precaution following a concern that he had not eaten up the previous evening.
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