D-day! The top-class Run For It looks overdue to get back to winning ways when he contests Saturday’s Gr2 Calulo Services Premier Trophy at Kenilworth
With ten of the fourteen runners in Saturday’s R300 000 Gr2 Calulo Services Premier Trophy amongst the first entries for the 2013 J&B Met, one would expect the big race picture to be clearer once this result is known. History shows, however, that this race does not produce the Met winners, with Angus the last horse to achieve the double. That was way back in 2003.
Brett Crawford trained Angus to that memorable double for Sabine Plattner Racing and the Phillipi trainer finds himself in a very different world nine years down the line. Sailing his own ship these days, he has the pleasurable pressure of training the current Met favourite Jackson, who bypasses this race.
Wing It
Crawford is represented by the capable Kahal gelding Black Wing , who is something of a lesser light than his highly regarded stablemate.
Black Wing is bound to jump at double figure odds, but one of the Murphy family’s favourite horses looked very promising last season, when still trained by Paul Gadsby out of Summerveld.
A winner of 5 of 10 starts, Black Wing ran a storming second to Knock On Wood in the KZN Breeders Million Mile, before an even more impressive effort when almost burgling the Gr1 Champion’s Cup when beaten narrowly by Master Plan.
Black Wing is now 1,5kgs better off with that one, and it is worth noting that he won four on the trot as a 3yo with the Gadsby yard and also ran a superb fifth in the 2011 Gr2 Charity Mile, when just 3,75 lengths adrift of Pierre Jourdan.
Black Wing has had one prep run in that well analysed Pinnacle Plate last month won by Variety Club. He made no show, but is bound to strip a lot fitter here.
Genuine. The consistent Master Plan is held at the weights by some of his opposition, but always tries his best and runs a game race
Plan Ahead
While probably held on paper by Black Wing, Champions Cup winner Master Plan has had an extra outing and may be closer to fitness.
He finished a decent enough 4,75 length third to Variety Club in the Green Point Stakes, and will be far more comfortable over the extra 200m here. He is 3kgs worse off with the Bass’ Castlethorpe for a 4,05 length beating in the Champions Cup, but the Bass runner has his problems, and Master Plan is probably still improving.
But Master Plan has a mountain to climb against Dennis Drier’s top-class mare Beach Beauty.
Beach Babe
The daughter of Dynasty is the only member of the fairer sex in this race, and she has her third run since an unplaced effort in the Vodacom Durban July.
With the Met as her main target this season, Beach Beauty was outpaced when stretching her legs and running just under six lengths behind Cap Alright in the Betting World Merchants last month
She does however meet Master Plan on 9,5kgs better terms than when beating him 1,50 lengths in the Greyville 1900 in her July prep run in May this year.
That is without question a winning turnaround, although Master Plan was to go on and display good improvement by achieving the Derby-Champions Cup double.
Mr Right
The right horse for us is the Justin Snaith-trained Run For It, a 5yo entire who has had only one run since putting in a storming rails dash when only 1,35 lengths back in fourth to Igugu in the 2012 J&B Met.
Run For It returned to action in a Progress Plate run over 1400m at Kenilworth three weeks ago. Over a distance short of his best, he was beaten 1,25 lengths when giving 4,5kgs to the top class 3yo Capetown Noir, who got first run on him.
That one was a subsequent desperately close second in the Selangor Cup to the outstanding King Of Pain.
Run For It is streets better than an average three –time winner and has two Gr1 seconds and a Gr3 runner-up credit on his race record. He is a horse that is threatening to convert those storming finishing efforts to great wins.
Versatile. Dean Kannemeyer’s talented Taipan looks to cement his Met claims with a big showing in Saturday’s feature
Snake-bite
Another Met entrant, the Dean Kannemeyer-trained Taipan was a workmanlike winner of the Woolavington run over 2400m at the end of October.
The lightly raced 4yo had demonstrated his versatility at his previous run with an eyecatching fourth in the Matchem. That was run over 1400m at Durbanville – a distance short of his best, at a course that would not have suited his action or racing style.
Taipan did not disgrace himself during the KZN Champions Season with a fourth in the Derby and a solid second to Heavy Metal in the Listed Darley Arabian . He will be a major player here on the longer run-in of the summer course off a solid pace, and should not be disregarded as a stayer.
Ramsden’s Trio
Joey Ramsden had an uncharacteristically quiet afternoon on the big Avontuur day last Saturday, and the Cape champion trainer sends out a trio headed by the rather inconsistent, but extremely talented Bravura.
The enigmatic Bravura ran a great race when conceding 3kgs and only going down just under a half length to the phenomenal Igugu in the J&B Met. Two poor efforts followed in Gauteng in the Horse Chestnut Stakes and the Champions Challenge, and the son of Silvano was subsequently rested.
His return run un the 1400m ‘Variety Club’ Pinnacle Stakes was an impressive second position, but his subsequent Green Point Stakes effort was unimpressive-despite the excuse of having run quite wide. Bravura needs to prove that he is capable of stringing two good efforts together, but should not be discarded as a no-hoper!
The Windrush gelding In A Rush has battled to regain the level of form that saw him scoop the title of Eastern Cape champion juvenile in his 2yo season.
He finished fifth and only 5,80 lengths behind Variety Club in the Green Point Stakes at level weights, and appeared to plod somewhat in the latter stages. That is an indication that In A Rush simply either needs further, or really doesn’t stay at all.
That question will be answered with his first run further than a mile and if he stays the trip, he must have a place chance on best performance, although not well drawn.
The 6yo gelding Lion In Winter has not visited the winner’s enclosure since Guy Fawkes day in 2011, when winning a Conditions Plate over the course and distance. He never showed in the Green Point Stakes recently, and must show serious improvement to win this.
Quiet
Trainer Mike Bass is yet to assert himself amongst the feature winners this summer and the veteran sends out a mixed bag coupling, headed by the 2011 Gr1 SA Classic winner, English Garden.
The son of Camden Park was quietly fancied to run a bg race in the July, but finished in midfield.
He did, however, run on smartly when finishing 1,25 lengths behind the Schweppes 2200 and East Cape Derby winner Tribal Dance when giving the younger horse 2kgs in a Conditions Plate over 1800m on the winter course in his return run.
We can only assume that Karl Neisius would have had the option to ride English Garden, and as he has sided with the younger Taipan, we must prefer the Kannemeyer runner.
Thukela Handicap winner Brown Penny, bounced back to form with a showy win over the course and trip in an MR 94 Divided Handicap last time. He gave the highly considered M’Lord’s Throat 3kgs and a 1,50 length beating there. This is stronger, but the son of Fort Wood must rate an outside chance.
Castlethorpe makes up the Bass trio. The son of Not A Single Doubt ran on steadily in the Betting World Merchants last time to finish 2,75 lengths off Cap Alright. His last win was in a Pinnacle Stakes over 1200m at Clairwood in mid-may and he should battle here.
That, despite the high of his excellent 1,25 length second to Variety Club when giving him 1,5kgs in the Gold Challenge six months ago
The Darryl Hodgson-trained Mystic Moon ran unplaced in the recent Algoa Cup in Port Elizabeth and his poor recent form gives him very little chance here.
Stephen Page’s 6yo gelding Cask has something of an affinity with this particular race. He won it in 2010 and then ran a good second behind 2011 winner, Chesalon. That 2010 Premier Trophy win was Cask’s last victory, and he cannot be considered a major threat this time round.
Piet Steyn’s handsome Australian-bred League Of Honour is a powerful galloper, but looks outclassed in this company.He also has the 12 draw to overcome.
The Office
This race looks tailormade for Justin Snaith’s Run For It.
He is well drawn at 2, perfectly distance suited and will be running at them late off what is bound to be a genuine pace. Bernard Fayd’Herbe will add value and knows the son of Dynasty well enough, having partnered him in his last three outings.
He is expected to get the better of the unexposed Taipan and Drier’s high-class mare, Beach Beauty.
Black Wing and Master Plan could make up the minor quartet money.
