WSB Cape Town Met day – action aplenty! (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
An important scientific complimentary tool of the trade for punters and racing enthusiasts, sectional timing data can enhance both the form study and horseracing viewing experience on both KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape race meetings.
In a new weekly column entitled Time Is Money, we look at some of the past weekend’s highlights, and commence with Saturday’s Hollywoodbets Kenilworth WSB Cape Town Met racemeeting.
No rain fell in the seven days prior to this prestigious meeting and as a result 65mm of irrigation was added to the track during this same period.
The penetrometer reading was given as 25. Most significantly though it was 23 in the straight and 27 on the turn. This gave us a very unusual situation where the going was good on the straight course and soft on the bend.
The false rail was in its original position from the 1700m mark with a 2m spur at the 600m mark. The outside running rail was moved inwards 4m from the 600m mark.
There was a light to moderate north westerly tail wind of 7-25km/h.
Salute! JP van der Merwe (Oriental Charm) glances across at Richard Fourie and Eight On Eighteen (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
World Sporting Betting Cape Town Met Gr1 2000m
ORIENTAL CHARM made the early running and although the overall time of the race was 0,12 seconds slower than the only other event run over 2000m on the day, the Gr3 Summer Fling Stakes, they entered the turn in a time over 2 seconds faster.
The field was well strung out at that point with the heavily supported favourite EIGHT ON EIGHTEEN easily 9 nine lengths off the pace.
What is interesting here is that in all of the races around the turn, the sectional times for most of the runners showed an average increase in speed between the 600m and 400m markers of approximately 0,8 seconds. They then showed a similar amount of time in slowing over the final 200m. Did they all really speed up at the 600m marker? I suggest not. They naturally quickened because they hit the better going early in the straight, but what about the final 200m? Food for thought.
The winner of the Green Point Stakes in soft going in his penultimate outing, ORIENTAL CHARM went to the closer than usual outside running rail entering the straight and at that point the Met was still being run 1,4 seconds faster than the Gr3 Summer Fling Stakes.
The 3yo EIGHT ON EIGHTEEN meanwhile steadily began to make headway at the top of the straight and under a well-judged ride from Richard Fourie, he got up 50m from home. The comparisons with the Gr3 suggest that the early pace in this race took its toll on the leaders in the straight.
One for the notebook from this race is Eight on Eighteen’s stable companion PACAYA. Freely available at 40/1 on the off, this son of Trippi lost two lengths at the start after taking a bump and becoming unbalanced. As a result of this he raced in the rear and was a good 4,5 lengths behind the winner entering the straight. He ran-on very strongly over the final 300m and was only beaten a length and three quarters.
Gavin Lerena and Rascova return with the Woodhill Racing Team (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Maine Chance Farms Majorca Stakes Gr1 1600m
The pace was slow early and led by the very hard held FATAL FLAW, the field was very tightly bunched on moving into the bend.
The Snaith trained DOUBLE GRAND SLAM was the first to make a move and with the race looking wide open, she struck the front 400m out. Sporting a compression mask and ear muffs, the eventual winner RASCOVA had always been handy and was on the heels of Double Grand Slam when that one struck the front approaching the 400m marker.
Both finished well and in a thrilling finish RASCOVA only got the verdict by a short head. A very false paced affair.
Frequent flyer! Craig Zackey and Gimme A Prince make it a double (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
HKJC World Pool Cape Flying Championship Gr1 1000m
Run at a good pace throughout, the Flying Championship was won in a time just 0,29 seconds outside the course record.
The nibbled at outsider CRUISE CONTROL made the early running whilst the eventual winner GIMME A PRINCE sat seventh of the fourteen some four lengths off the pace.
He ran on strongly as the early leaders all began to slow over the final 400m and after striking the front 200m out, won going away. Also worthy of note in this race is LUCKY LAD who finished third. Sean Tarry’s charge was still positioned eleventh going through the 400m. He had to switch out for a run 250m from home and although he was unable to make any headway on the winner, he cut through the leaders late on.
Tsogo Sun Summer Fling Stakes Gr3 2000m
As mentioned earlier in this column the overall time of this race was 0,12 seconds faster than that of the Met and the sectionals suggest that it was run at a truer pace. Allowed to drift at the track as if a good run was out of the question (6/1 out to 16/1), the mare TIME FOR LOVE made most of the running.
She kept up a healthy gallop throughout and fought on gamely when challenged by the always handy RAINBOW LORIKEET 200m out.
The pair quickly drew clear, and separated by just a neck at the wire, they had the rest well beaten.
City Of Cape Town Politician Stakes Gr3 1800m
With Richard Fourie taking the ride on REGULATION after this one put up a very smart gallop with his stable companion and subsequent Met winner Eight On Eighteen, it was no surprise to see this son of Legislate heavily supported into favourite.
On leaving the stalls it was FRENCH FLAME and NATIVE RULER who elected to make the running whilst the money horse sat eighth of the eleven. The pace was not a hot one early on and with the field quite tightly bunched rounding the turn, GARRIX who had raced in the rear, began to circle runners. Indeed, entering the straight he was nicely positioned in third.
A length behind Garrix at that point was the eventual winner ZEITZ. Garrix kept on strongly over the final 400m to take second position, but having clearly used up energy on the turn, he could find no extra when Zeitz began to draw clear, 200m out.
As for Regulation, he never got into the race, and although he was reported as having to steady 150m out it didn’t really make a great deal of difference.
SABC Olympic Duel Stakes (L) 1200m
Known for her speed, the Querari filly CANDY TOWN fairly flew when the gates opened and going through halfway, she was 7 lengths clear.
The friendless I’M SO PRITTI (10/1 out to 25/1) sat in the box seat in second, with the tightly bunched remainder a minimum of two lengths behind her. Candy Town gave her all at the business end of the race and only relinquished her lead when swamped close home.
In what was clearly a falsely fast run race then, the cleverly positioned I’m So Pritti struck the front 120m out and held on by three quarters from the faster finishing DISTING.
The runner up had been kicked by another horse en route to the start and was also brushed by MIA MOO in the closing stages. Also of note are the card changes for Disting. She raced without the compression mask. Wore a tongue tie and sported blinkers for the first time.
Sectional timing data, which has been produced by the internationally acclaimed French company McLloyd, who also provide the service to French and Hong Kong horseracing, is currently available on the Winning Form website (www.winningform.co.za) and on the Gallop site (www.gallop.co.za)
