Weighty issues will come into play and possibly settle a few scores after Dennis Drier’s Triptique bounded home under a soft saddle to win the Merchants five weeks ago. The R400 000 Gr 2 Khaya Stables Diadem Stakes to be run at Kenilworth on Sunday is something of a springboard into the Gr1 Cape Flying Championships, and a speed spectacle of promise.
Triptique holds off Tevez last time – it is a different set of rules this time!
The Merchants is a handicap and Dennis Drier grabbed the opportunity with both hands. Already proven in the Cape, his progressive speed merchant Triptique took the plunge into the big league under 52kgs and won a confidence boosting feature.
Sunday’s main event is structured a little differently.
It is a weight for age race with Gr1 and Gr2 penalties and besides opening doors to the Cape Flying, it is also sometimes used for horses targetting the Gr 1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate.
The champion miler Pocket Power used this race as a preparation for two of his record-breaking four consecutive Queen’s Plate wins, although on both occasions the race fell three weeks before the latter event instead of the current two weeks.
One horse who stands out in the mile prep category is Joey Ramsden’s 2014 Rising Sun Gold Challenge winner King Of Pain, who had absolutely no luck when encountering traffic issues in the Gr2 Premier Trophy last time out.
King Of Pain – drops in trip and Delpech rides
In a small field, he was switched in and out in a bunch packed tightly on the outside rail and never had a shout.
The move to bring him back to the sprinting track is an interesting one and here we can look back to his penultimate start, when he lacked pace but stayed on for 3,95 lengths behind Triptique.
He was having his first run after 5 months and in the circumstances, he produced a good effort.
He meets the likes of Triptique (3,95 lengths – 6,5kgs), Tevez (3,91 lengths – 0,5kgs) Zambezi River (1,80 lengths – 2kgs) and Talktothestars (0,30 lengths -5,5Kgs) on better terms and must have a shout if the bang in-form Anthony Delpech can get him into the race.
He has generally been campaigned over middle distances, but it is worth noting that he won first time of asking over the straight track 1100m as a youngster.
Don’t underestimate Zambezi River
Another fellow who has a LQP possible look about him is Sean Tarry’s last season’s Lanzerac Ready To Run winner Zambezi River.
The classy Trippi gelding was low flying late in the Merchants, when beaten 2,15 lengths by Triptique – whom he meets on 4,5kgs better terms here.
On paper he can’t beat Tevez, who is 1,5kgs better off for a 1,75 length advantage. But that was Zambezi River’s first Cape run this season and he is bound to come on a few lengths.
It is a tad concerning that Tarry stable jockey S’manga Khumalo has been engaged for stablemate Bichette – a very smart 4yo daughter of Western Winter.
Bichette – paralyses her Gr2 Camellia Stakes field
The Gr2 Camellia Stakes winner ran a scintillating race when making Smart Call work every inch of the Gr2 Ipi Tombe Challenge last time out. The big worry is her match freshness after that hard race and the 2000km road trip to Kenilworth.
Dual Cape Merchants winner Tevez is one of a trio of runners from the Mike Bass stable.
The six-year-old again meets Triptique, who beat him by 0.40 lengths in last month’s Merchants – but has a 6kg pull and comes into the reckoning at a track he loves.
The Gr1 Mercury Sprint winner Fly By Night has had a quiet time of it so far this season and was never sighted when just under 5 lengths off Carry On Alice in the Gr2 Southern Cross Stakes last time out. She did run third last year and has beaten the males often enough to be a factor.
Fly By Night is due a big run
A former Cape Fillies Guineas runner-up Lanner Falcon actually finished 1,75 lengths ahead of her stablemate in the Southern Cross Stakes. She is a hardy daughter of Trippi who is capable of putting together a winning performance.
As already mentioned, Merchants winner Triptique has a different road to negotiate here at the weights but is a course and distance specialist who is obviously considered by his master trainer to be equal to the challenge.
Sean Veale will ride him again in his first serious test of mettle.
Brett Crawford’s Gulf Storm is the only Merchants casualty not to carry more weight.
He was beaten 2,50 lengths by Triptique, with both Tevez and Zambezi River ahead of him – but with more pudding to carry.
Gulf Storm is very capable
Coenie De Beer’s Talktothestars was 3,65 lengths off Triptique in the Merchants and rises 7kgs in the weights.
That probably puts him out of the reckoning on paper, but he will strip supremely fit after his helter skelter front-running effort in the Listed Southeaster Sprint.
The 100m extra on Sunday should not be an issue for this very consistent son of Overlord.
Vaughan Marshall’s Western Winter gelding Exelero had a decent run of form for three runs, prior to his Merchants effort where he failed to fire and ran twelfth and 5,45 lengths behind Triptique.
He jumps 7kgs in the weights and looks well held on the conditions of this race.
A fascinating speed spectacle awaits us.
Class and the weights point to Tevez and Gulf Storm, with Fly By Night a danger if finding best.
Zambezi River is bound to better at his second start of the Cape season and improvement will be there.
And the astute Mr Drier would not be throwing Triptique in head first if he didn’t feel he could win it.
