Trainer Dean Kannemeyer has the five-year-old Silvano gelding Power King as well as he had him before his famous victory in the Vodacom Durban July in the build up to Saturday’s Gr 1 Sansui Summer Cup over 2000m at Turffontein.
Power King will travel from Summerveld to Johannesburg on Friday and the one concern could be the altitude adjustment. It is generally agreed that horses raiding the Highveld from the coast will struggle at distances beyond a mile, but what is often ignored is that Summerveld is already a third of the altitude of Johannesburg and this could explain why horses raiding from that particular KZN centre have been successful in middle distance and staying races at Turffontein in the past.
Power King had an excellent seasonal reappearance, when flying up for second in a Pinnacle Stakes event over 1200m on the Greyville turf on November 1.
Kannemeyer has not wanted to over exert him in his preparation and his next serious bit of work was last Thursday, when he had a gallop over 1200m on the Summerveld grass. “Boom, he was ready,” said Kannemeyer, who added big race jockey Stuart Randolph had also been pleased with the workout.
Power King has a plum draw of five and was only given a three point raise for his July win. He will still have to shoulder second topweight of 58,5kg off his 109 merit rating in what looks to be an ultra competitive race, so it is not going to be easy, but he is the fancy of a number of pundits and is the second favourite at 6/1 with Betting World.
There is about 23mm of rain forecast this week up to and including Saturday. Kannemeyer pointed out, “Power King won the Winter Guineas in soft going, finished second in the Winter Derby in the mud and won a Scottsville race on firm ground, so he can handle all conditions. He is a genuine horse with a big heart and his preparation has gone like a dream, he’s very well.”
Kannemeyer, whose main base is at Milnerton in Cape Town, has been with Power King at his Summerveld satellite yard this week.
By David Thiselton
Picture: Power King (Nkosi Hlophe)
