– Written by Mark van Deventer
With Alistair Cohen and Vicky Minott presenting the World Sports Betting Cape Town MET barrier draw in a breezy and humorous fashion on Wednesday evening in the 1881 room at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth, opinion was divided amongst the trainers.
Ricky Maingard (AL MUTHANA drawn 7; WATERBERRY LANE gate 1) and Justin Snaith (DOUBLE SUPERLATIVE @ 2; PACAYA draw 3; ROYAL AUSSIE in 8; WITHOUT QUESTION 9 & MUCHO DINERO barrier 6) felt that gate numbers make no real difference over the easy 2000m course with its long back straight, while Brett Crawford (ANFIELD’S ROCKET barrier 4) believes it does matter – and securing an inner post and taking the shortest way home is nearly always advantageous.
There is not a great deal of evident pace in this year’s MET. Only a few have raced handily before, and the bulk of the entries are off-pace closers. Compiling speed maps is not an exact science. Often the race shapes up as being slow run and a true pace surprisingly unfolds, or an expected speed duel doesn’t materialise and the field jogs through sluggish early fractions.
(Image of SEE IT AGAIN by Chase Liebenberg)
At first glance, this year’s MET (Weight for Age) is unlikely to be run at a forceful tempo. Perhaps MONTIEN (drawn 12) will use his long stride to get over and dictate, while heavily favoured at odds on, SEE IT AGAIN (he has a big edge on class), will jump from gate 11 and veteran jockey Piere Strydom will try work out a smooth commute from a widish post.
WORLD SPORTS BETTING CAPE TOWN MET (Grade 1) – Race 9 2000m: Off Time 16h45
Draws were also pulled for the Cape Racing Gold Rush to be staged over 1600m. Even on the Summer course with sweeping bends and a long straight of 600m, draws definitively do matter over this distance. In a full field of 16 gunning for the R7.5 million bounty, low numbers were sought after.
Strydom will again need all his experience to navigate from draw 10 on BAVARIAN BEAUTY. Tony Peter’s G1 winning filly will be one of the more fancied runners. Adam Azzie’s READY TO CHARGE is hung out at 14; Sean Tarry’s STORM BRASCO fared worse at 16 and Justin Snaith’s RAPIDASH exits gate 13.
High class TAIL OF THE COMET is drawn in the middle of the pack at 8 right next to promising rival, INFRARED (7).
Ralph’s Racing’s entry JUST BE LEKKER (1) holds the inside alley, with PRITTI VICTORY (2), TAMIL TIGRESS (3), and Laurence Werners’ SUNSHINE DAY (4) favourably berthed nearby.
Cape Racing Gold Rush (Non-Black Type) Race 8, 1600m, Off Time 16h00:
(Gavin Rajah Models, Images supplied by Chase Liebenberg)
