You can’t keep good racing men down and it was Grant van Niekerk and Glen Kotzen who turned their Hollywoodbets Kenilworth Summer Racing Festival prospects around in under 100 seconds on Saturday when Equus champion Cousin Casey caught the eye on his season debut.
Rested some 16 weeks since winning the Gr1 Premiers Champion Stakes at the end of last term, Cousin Casey gave his 15 classic rivals 2kgs and an emphatic walloping when he strode to victory in the R500 000 Gr2 Cape Punters Cup at a sun-drenched Hollywoodbets Kenilworth.
Cousin Casey makes short work of his opposition to win the Cape Punters Cup (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
It was a second consecutive victory in the race previously known as the Concorde Cup and the Selangor Cup for the top-class Van Niekerk, who rode Pomp And Power to win in 2021.
Glen Kotzen won it in 2016 with the emerging sire prospect Gold Standard.
“If Lewis Hamilton, Frankie Dettori and Anton Marcus can have form slumps, then I suppose so can I,” chirped the likeable Van Niekerk after the smart Vercingetorix colt gave 2kgs and an emphatic walloping to his 15 classic rivals in the traditional Guineas ‘trial’.
“Good horses make us look good and the butterflies disappeared at the start. He gives one such a great feel and is a straightforward horse to ride. I thought he’d win easier than he did. But we are over the hurdle. He is a really smart horse and full marks to the Woodhill Racing Team!” he added.
Watch the replay here:
After his Kotzen stablemate Countdown and the free striding Dave The King had ripped off to lead at breakneck speed early, Cousin Casey (5-4) moved through up the middle for a cracking win in a time of 99,48 secs.
At My Command (15-2) proved a change of tactics to be a positive tonic, when he stormed up late from his 15 draw to grab second, a length off the winner. Brett Crawford trainer the second, third and fourth finisher with Le Morne (16-1) and Port Louis (25-1) next best.
Trainer Glen Kotzen and KR Racing Operations Director Justin Vermaak with the trophy (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Raced by Ravi Naidoo, who sadly lost a family member recently and was not on course, Cousin Casey was bred by Riyo Stud and is a son Vercingetorix (Silvano) out of Bretton Woods (Casey Tibss), a full sister to the Kotzen’s ill-fated Durban July hero Big City Life.
Cousin Casey is a R375 000 National Yearling Sale buy and has won 5 races with 2 places from 7 starts for stakes of R1 027 375.
Entries for the Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas close at 11h00 on Monday 5 December. Declarations are due by 11h00 on Monday 12 December.
