Gold Circle Pty (Ltd)

Today's Racing :

Punters to say Thanks John

David Thiselton
The Grade 1 Canon Gold Cup to be run over 3 200m at Greyville on Saturday is always one of the most intriguing races of the year. This year there looks likely to be a genuine pace and the true stayers could come to the fore. Hospitality is an out-and-out stayer and his best chance will be to run the field off their feet. He is likely to set a cracking pace under seven-times Gold Cup winning jockey Felix Coetzee and he won’t be stopping at the end. He will however be vulnerable to those horses that stay the trip and can quicken from behind. Thanks John best fits this bill and showed a touch of class when winning his last start easily over 2 500m. Predestination also has a turn of foot and fits into the profile of a Gold Cup winner as he stays well and is carrying a light weight. However, he is 1kg worse off for a two length beating by Thanks John over 2500m. The progressive Highveld raider Winning Leap stays all day and can go from the front or from off them. He is getting better all the time and the only concern is whether as a three-year-old he has a touch too much weight. Both Winning Leap and Santa were short of work due to unseasonal rain when finishing first and third respectively in the Gold Bowl over 3200m at Turffontein. Nevertheless, Santa is now 6kg better off with Winning Leap for a 4,25 length beating while second-placed Starzene is 5kg better off with Winning Leap for a 0,75 length beating. Santa, who stays well, is perfectly drawn in five with Anton Marcus up while Starzene has a tough 20 draw especially considering she likes to be handy. Ancestral Fore won the slow-run Lonsdale over 2 400m at this course easily. However, on pedigree he has stamina doubts and also carries a big weight for a three-year-old. The compressed weight scale does help the higher weighted horses though and he is trained by Mike de Kock who always has his horses super fit. Vertical Takeoff had to come from last in the Lonsdale after being drawn wide and ran on well. This time he is drawn well so can be placed where ever his top jockey Pierre Strydom wants and he should stay the trip. Sangria Girl loves Durban and will likely be better ridden than in the Lonsdale where she had to come from 16 lengths back despite having won from start to finish in the J&B Reserve Stayers over 2 800m. Reconcile went down to the start striding out superbly in her penultimate start over 1 800m and after winning Felix Coetzee gave her the thumbs up as a Gold Cup type. She didn’t go down as well next time out so look out for her going down as she has a light weight and her yard give her a good chance. Robinson Crusoe stays the trip and with a likely good pace won’t have his normal worry of being too far back. He has a touch of class, although he was beaten 5,5 lengths by Hospitality in the Chairman’s over the Kenilworth 3 200m and is now only 2kg better off. There is confidence coming from Speed For Gold’s yard who think he should stay the trip having won over 2 400m as a three-year-old. He has a good turn of foot and will be able to come from off them with his good draw unlike in the Greyville 1900 where he was too handy. Mokaro won last year but has had an interrupted preparation this year. He also has to defy top weight and a wide draw, although the stronger the pace the more he will like it being a true stayer. La Foce has a bit to do on 3200m form with Santa, but he is from the De Kock yard. Omaha Beach finished second in 2007 carrying top weight and third in 2008. A problem was found that explained his last two below par runs and it has been sorted out according to his trainer, Joey Ramsden. His wide draw is a concern. The selection is Thanks John to beat Hospitality with Predestination, Vertical Takeoff and Sangria Girl next best although on a difficult Pick 6 day a fair strategy could be to only include the Bass, Ramsden and De Kock couplings.

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