“The Gold Cup is a funny old race, but it’s a race I love watching and so do many others.”
Thus speaks legendary former champion jockey Michael Roberts of South Africa’s premier staying event, which will be run over 3200m at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday.
Muis Roberts – champion
Michael, who rode two Gold Cup winners in his time, adds: “Together with the Hollywoodbets Durban July, it’s been one of the country’s prestigious races. The Gold Cup was an important race in my time, Joburg had the Gold Bowl, we had the Gold Cup.”
One thing is for sure, the Gr3 marathon may have lost its Gr1 status in 2016, yet, as a visual spectacle, it remains a firm crowd favourite and is contested on what is still fondly referred to as “Gold Cup” day, notwithstanding the fact that it has to vie with four Gr1 races on the programme!
Current ante-post favourite for the two-mile slog is defending champion Nebraas, who will attempt to become the first dual winner since Highland Night completed the double in 2003. The son of Vercingetorix is in the form of his life and mounts his defence off a smart hattrick of wins, amongst which the Gr3 Caradoc Gold Cup and Gold Bowl.
Black Thorn wins the DSTV Gold Vase (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
He is one of the formidable trio of stayers Sean Tarry will saddle on Saturday, the other two strings to his bow being the progressive Gr3 Gold Vase winner Black Thorn, while Shango captured the Gr3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup and warmed up for the Gold Cup with a fine third in the Consolation July.
This year’s line-up features just one member of the fairer sex in the Silvano mare Smoking Hot. By the sire of previous Gold Cup winners Aslan and Wavin’ Flag, this proven stayer has placed in both the Gr3 Gold Bowl and Java Stakes. In addition, her trainer Candice Dawson will be aiming to become the first woman to train a Gold Cup winner since the late Anne Upton saddled Furious to victory all the way back in 1980.
Such was the esteem of the Gold Cup that it was not uncommon for July contenders to have a crack at the marathon distance. Those who pulled off the double in modern times include the Terrance Millard-trained trio of Devon Air, Occult and Illustrator, while Space Walk, a July winner by default, also went on to claim the Gold Cup.
Illustrador – 1990 Gr1 Natal Newspapers Gold Cup
SA Derby hero Aragosta will be on a retrieval mission following his ninth place in this year’s Hollywoodbets Durban July.
He certainly has history against him, considering that since 1977, only a trio of sophomores have managed to lift the golden trophy, the most recent of which was 2010 winner Ancestral Fore, who, like Aragosta, was trained by De Kock.
Aragosta is one of two SA Derby winners in Saturday’s line-up. Fabian Habib will saddle 2020 winner Out Of Your League in a bid to build on his third in last year’s Gold Cup. Remarkably, his half-brother Paybackthemoney chased Paths Of Victory home in the 2020 Gold Cup.
Watch Aslan win the Gold Cup:
Another interesting morsel of information, the widest winning margin in recent times was recorded by Rack And Ruin, who bolted up by 7.50 lengths in 1970. His victory was a coup for bookmakers, as he started at 25-1 and led home two 40-1 longshots.
Remarkably, only once has there been a deadheat in the history of the race, that when Pacer and Don The Stripe shared the honours in 1977. The latter was the second Gold Cup winner for Michael Roberts and came six years after he had steered Rainstorm to victory for Herman Brown.
Reminiscing about those days, Michael continues: “When you jumped from the top of the straight, it was unbelievable. From the start, you had to get into a good position, if you were drawn badly, you could get too far out of your ground…”
A renowned master of pace, he adds: “You have to be a good judge of pace. Going past the Drill Hall, someone would inevitably get a rush of blood to the head and take off. You have to ride your horse conservatively. The late Fred Rickaby used to say, ‘Read a book for the first half of the race and wake up for the second half’!”
Roberts laments the dearth of staying races on offer: “Unfortunately, they don’t make provision for regular staying contests over 2500m, 2800m, races to build up towards the Gold Cup. There are only limited opportunities for a good stayer.”
During his training career, Michael has had only one Gold Cup contender, The Decagon, who ran unplaced in the 2007 renewal at age eight.
“Of course I would love to train a Gold Cup winner,” he admits.
“I currently have a promising stayer in Hey Bill, who recently won for the fourth time, over 2400m. If his merit rating had been higher, yes, I would have taken the risk.”
Next year, perhaps?
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