“The draws always count! But to be fair, Hollywoodbets Kenilworth’s long back straight and long run-in means that a wide draw can be overcome.”
The words of former SA Champion jockey and three-time Met winner, Garth Puller who was talking to the Sporting Post after last Wednesday’s WSB Cape Town Met barrier draw function.
Garth Puller’s third and final Met winner, Alastor, is led in by Sean Tarry – the year was 2005 (Pic – Supplied)
“Inevitably top Grade 1 races with decent sized fields like the Hollywoodbets Durban July and the World Sports Betting Cape Town Met tend to produce a good racing pace. Those with stamina want to stretch them and those more limited will be looking to conserve energy. The outside guys will be looking to go a bit to find a position inside, while the inside will need to maintain position. That’s why a 1 draw is not always great – unless you have the gate speed and stamina to maintain position. Ideally I’d say 3,4,5,6,7 or even 8 are nice gates,” added Puller, who had his first Met ride in 1970 while still an apprentice on a horse called Sun Tracker for Jackie Bell.
The pair finished over seven lengths back and out of the money, but Garth recalls the thrill and excitement. He said it was won by a horse called Snow Fun, ridden by Duncan Alexander, who beat Peter Beware with Bert Abercrombie up.
Royal Aussies! Owners Jill Warner and Suzette Viljoen seem very happy with the 7 draw (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Interestingly Garth was to stand Snow Fun as a stallion at the first farm he owned next to the world famous Broadlands Stud at the foot of Sir Lowry’s Pass: “ I have always enjoyed the breeding side and dabbled with a few mares. Snow Fun was by Joy 11 and quite well bred.”
Puller did not have to wait long to register a first Met win. The year was 1976 and he rode the galloping machine Gatecrasher for Herman Brown. “He was a freak of a horse and brilliant. He was unbeaten on a left hand track.”
Puller had a long and successful association with Peter Kannemeyer, and it was perhaps appropriate that he rode his next Met winner for the man known affectionately as Peekay.
WSB Cape Town Met draw hosts Alistair Cohen and Vicky Minott (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
It was 1994 and he got up wide out in his trademark style on the 14 to 1 outsider Pas de Quoi to nab Waitara, ridden by a then young man called Anton Marcus, who was to give Garth his first winner as a trainer, at Clairwood some eighteen years later.
Puller rode his third Met winner for Sean Tarry on the Al Mufti gelding Alastor in 2005. “I had run fourth on him in the Queen’s Plate at his previous start. That was a top run to finish under three lengths to Joey Ramsden’s top horse Winter Solstice. Alastor had his problems,and I assisted Sean in working him in the build-up. He had the ability and heart and it goes to show the importance of having a ticket! I got him up to beat the filly Icy Air by about a half length, while Winter Solstice proved again that he was more brilliant at a mile when running a great third.”
Number 1 for the girl! Cape Racing’s Tammy Gilmour draws 1 for Red Palace (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Of his worst Met memory, he was unequivocal when stating Stella Maris for Dolfie Maeder: ” Stella Maris was a top horse. I had won the 1983 Cape Derby on him and I rated him to win the Met in 1984. We turned for home with a full tank and then he clipped a horse’s heels and came within inches of a bad fall. I gathered him up and he recovered to run sixth and only 6,75 lengths behind the big grey horse (he means Wolf Power!). Stella Maris had such courage. I have never been a believer in hard luck stories, but I think we would have won it,” he adds.
Where is your fancy drawn?
1st R2968750, 2nd R950000, 3rd R475000, 4th R237500, 5th R118750, RCIS R250000
WORLD SPORTS BETTING CAPE TOWN MET (Grade 1)
Open to horses at Weight For Age
WFA: 3yrs-6kgs 4yrs-0.5kgs
No Apprentice / Female Sex Allowance
| 1 | 1 | Red Palace | 57 | 119 | A | Gavin Lerena | Dean Kannemeyer | |
| 2 | 2 | Al Muthana (AUS) | 60 | 116 | A | Gareth Wright | Ricky Maingard | |
| 3 | 3 | Oriental Charm | 59.5 | 125 | A | Juan Paul v’d Merwe | BJ Crawford/JI Crawford | |
| 4 | 4 | Future Swing | 60 | 114 | A | Grant van Niekerk | Justin Snaith | |
| 5 | 5 | Atticus Finch | 60 | 121 | T A | Raymond Danielson | Alec Laird | |
| 6 | 6 | Litigation | 60 | 113 | TCA | Muzi Yeni | Sean Tarry | |
| 7 | 7 | Royal Aussie | 60 | 124 | A | Kabelo Matsunyane | Justin Snaith | |
| 8 | 8 | Pacaya | 60 | 116 | A | #Rachel Venniker | Justin Snaith | |
| 9 | 9 | Green With Envy | Scratched | 59.5 | 127 | A | Craig Zackey | Dean Kannemeyer |
| 10 | 10 | Eight On Eighteen | 54 | 115 | A | Richard Fourie | Justin Snaith | |
| 11 | 11 | Magic Verse | 59.5 | 114 | A | Aldo Domeyer | Justin Snaith | |
| 12 | 12 | See It Again | 60 | 131 | A | Piere Strydom | Michael Roberts | |
| 13 | 13 | Baratheon | 60 | 106 | A | Tristan Godden | Piet Botha | |
| 14 | 14 | Master Redoute | 60 | 117 | TBA | Serino Moodley | Andre Nel | |
| 15 | 15 | Montien | 60 | 129 | A | Corne Orffer | Piet Botha | |
| 16 | 16 | Rascallion | 60 | 122 | BA | Sean Veale | Vaughan Marshall | |
| 17 | 17 | Zapatillas | 60 | 119 | CA | Luyolo Mxothwa | BJ Crawford/JI Crawford | |
| Same Trainer | ||||||||
| (1,9) (3,17) (4,7,8,10,11) (13,15) | ||||||||
Of Saturday’s race, Puller felt that, once again, any one of half the field could win it: “The Hollywoodbets Kenilworth 2000m is not the toughest 2000m in the country, particularly if the wind doesn’t blow. Good milers can often get away with it. Particularly if the Cape crawl kicks in and they sprint for home. But there are a few stables with multiple runners, so the gallop will likely be on from the jump.”
