Abercrombie - Classy sort who could relish the extra ground
Trainer Joey Ramsden’s four-pronged attack on Sunday’s Gr3 Langerman at Kenilworth looks likely to continue his 21st century dominance of this juvenile feature. The only men standing between Ramsden and a glorious seventh win appear to be Mike Bass and Karl Neisius.
The needle is there. The Bass challenger, the Trippi colt Abercrombie, will be ridden by veteran Neisius on Sunday. The colt was ridden by Bernard Fayd’herbe when a desperately unlucky loser of the Cape Nursery last time out. The heavyweight rider came in for some flak after that overconfident ride and he switches allegiances to ride the smart grey King Of Pain here for Ramsden. So there are some creases to be ironed out and minor scores to be settled.
A Lifetime
Can Mike Bass win his first Langerman in fifteen years? It was as long ago as 1997 that the white-socked powerful galloping son of Hard Up, Hard Knot carried the day for the stable under Gerrit Schlechter at 12-1. Mike has since forgotten what the trophy looks like, while Joey Ramsden has in the ensuing years made it his own.
No modern-day trainer can touch Ramsden’s record in this race. Since 2001 he has lifted the trophy a quite extraordinary six times. But his stranglehold goes beyond that.
In 2001 he won it with Bill Nelson’s Jallad, Steiger. In 2002 he ran second and third with Double Stretch and subsequent Gold Cup winner Major Bluff. In 2003 he ran second with Rodriques for Peter and Pirjo Carr. In 2004 he won it with the subsequent multiple Group-winning sprinter Something Else for Richard and Carol Taylor and UK-based owner Malcolm Caine on a winter’s Saturday to remember.
In 2005 he recorded a historic stable quartet when he trained the first four past the post. Heat Of The Night, who subsequently raced with success in the USA, beat Radar and Grand Duke with Dunedin Star running fourth. In 2006 he won it with Subastador who ran in the interests of Auctioneer Alf Duncan, Breeder Craig Carey and Joey himself.
In 2007 he won it with subsequent 2009 Gr1 Champions Cup winner and conqueror of Pocket Power, Ivory Trai,l for father and daughter partnership, Jack and Nancy Mitchell. 2008 and 2009 were uncharacteristically dry years. In 2010 he went second with Dead Cert. In 2011 he banked the first and second cheques when Variety Club beat Master Mascus. That’s a splendid record and something akin to Terrance Millard’s love affair with the Fillies Guineas!
Grey Skies
King Of Pain- Improving with every run and will go very close
Ramsden’s 2012 assault is headed by the improving grey King Of Pain, who is one of only two two-time winners in the race. The son of Greys Inn, who got his name from a Sting song of the 1980’s, won his maiden in smart style on debut in a winner’s race and then came out to run a solid third and 0,40 lengths off The West Is Wide in that contentious Cape Nursery where Abercrombie was flying, too late. King Of pain was just 0,20 lengths behind Abercrombie there and now has to give the Bass colt 2kgs. So paper says that King Of Pain should come out behind Abercrombie again.
But it is not that simple. In the Cape Nursery, run on very soft ground, King Of Pain ran down the less favourable inside going in a small field, and took ages to get going. He looked like a horse that would be infinitely happier over a little further, and he confirmed that next time out when winning a 1400m Juvenile Plate in good style. He is by Greys Inn out of a Strike Smartly mare, so should easily go ground in time.
Grounded
Abercrombie goes around the turn for the first time after three good runs up the straight. There is no doubt that he could be considered an unlucky loser of the Cape Nursery after being stuck behind the popular clamour for the outside rail and then flying through very late when the gaps opened. His dam won up to 1800m and his finish speaks of a horse that will relish the 1500m trip.
Corne Spies’ Lord Jonathan is the most experienced runner in the field with nine outings to date. It is his first time beyond 1200m and both his wins were achieved at Fairview. He was also comprehensively beaten by the debut winner King Of Pain and now meets him at level weights again. Lord Jonathan ran under a length behind the winner The West Is Wide in the Cape Nursery, but has in the interim travelled to Eastern Cape for an unsuccessful bash at the Dahlia Plate. He has had a heavy schedule for a young horse.
Vaughan Marshall and MJ Byleveld team up with the Alado colt Half Moon Hotel, who has earned at all three starts. He coughed when running a rather weak fourth when beaten 7,50 lengths by King Of Pain over 1100m in April. Marshall’s colt gave King Of Pain 3kgs then and now receives 2kgs from Ramsden’s colt. One feels that it won’t be enough to turn the tables as King Of Pain has improved and gone from strength to strength since that first meeting.
New Broom
Sweep Forward
The Justin Snaith trio includes two winners and a maiden and his best may well be Richard Fourie’s mount, Sweep Forward. Poorly drawn at 13 on Sunday, this son of Captain Al made his debut in a feature when running into fourth and 5,75 lengths off The West Is Wide. He then came out and won his maiden going away over the Kenilworth 1200m.How strong was the opposition? Naval Victory has failed again after being backed at Durbanville last week, while Oceans Edge did come out and win last Saturday.
Snaith has grabbed the pole position draw with his Jallad gelding, Pole Star. This fellow has been a model of consistency in his four outings and was running on at the finish of the Cape Nursery when under a length off The West IsWide. We assume that Fourie had the choice of rides though, so must believe that Sweep Forward is the better of the two.
Snaith’s third entrant Terminator is one of three maidens in this race, but was backed to win the Dahlia Stakes at Fairview in his last outing when going down 1,50 lengths to Le Var. He gets the services of Felix Coetzee which cannot harm his prospects but has his first run around the turn.
Fortune Cookie
Parado
Ramsden has an interesting runner in the Silvano gelding Parado who win his maiden in scintillating style over 1400m at Kenilworth. No winners have emerged from anything behind him, but he was backed into 6-10 to win the Somerset 1200. That betting coup failed and he flopped dismally and ran stone last 10,25 lengths. Jockey Andrew Fortune, who has worked him and trumped him up prior to that run to be something quite special. We will wait and see.
Black Coral is Ramsden’s other runner to have drawn well at 2. He also shed his maiden over 1400m at Kenilworth on an objection. He then finished 8,25 lengths behind King Of Pain. It is difficult to make much of a case for him.
Paul Reeves sends out Tiger Tiger, who was an impressive winner on debut. He was then run off his feet when finishing last behind The West Is Wide in the Cape Nursery and there is little to indicate that he will challenge the more fancied horses here.
Dirty Draws
Count Emmanuale and Here I Am are recent maiden winners who could improve but are poorly drawn and may struggle against the likes of King Of Pain and Abercrombie.
While they receive weight, it is also difficult making any sort of a case for the likes of the maidens Sanshaawes and Shepherds Purse.
The weather may play havoc with our assessment if the going turns to a chocolate cake mix, but it looks a straight fight between Abercrombie and King Of Pain. Bernard Fayd’herbe jumps from a better draw on King Of Pain and he knows Abercrombie’s foibles and vulnerable areas well.
Throw in the Ramsden factor for extra confidence, and we will side with him to give Greys Inn another Group winner.
