Anton Marcus has called for the Maine Chance Paddock Stakes and the Klawervlei Majorca to be switched in future years.

The four-time champion made his plea after leaving the opposition for dead on Same Jurisdiction in the final 100m of the Grand Play Conditions Plate. Duncan Howells is going to run the 11-10 favourite in both races.

Marcus said: “You want to go a natural progression from a mile to nine furlongs. That’s self-explanatory and common sense should prevail. It was [originally] a pretty poor decision from the powers-that-be.”

Tar Heel, who has lost races he should have won in the past by refusing to settle, may be entered for the Betting World Cape Flying Championship after coming good under Marcus in the Racing Association Need For Speed Sprint. He really stretched away in the final 200m although his rider warned: “I think six furlongs is his absolute ceiling.”

Joey Ramsden added: “I have been trying to teach him to settle. He could well have a go at the Cape Flying although I don’t think he is quite good enough.”

Brutal Force is the stable’s main hope for the Met-day sprint and he is to return from Johannesburg in the next few days despite earlier plans to leave him there until a week before the race.

Ramsden explained: “We have had to give up on that idea because you just don’t know what the state vet could do with AHS travel restrictions.”

Captain Chaos, who started joint favourite with Tar Heel, was hardly at the races by comparison and will step up in trip with Ronnie Sheehan observing: “They took him off his feet.”

Heartland, who battled hard under Bernard Fayd’Herbe for a narrow win in the Cape Premier Sales Jet Master, is likely to be entered for the Queen’s Plate this morning.

Justin Snaith said: “I don’t know what sort of chance he would have but off 102 what else could he do? I will talk to the owners.”

The former champion trainer sent out the 2 000^th winner of his hugely successful career when The Merry Widow kicked off the stable’s four-timer. This was the first of three winners in the Drakenstein blue.

Current Event, who showed a fine turn of foot at 20-1 under S’Manga Khumalo in the Grandwest Cape Summer Stayers, looks a natural for the J & B Jet Stayers on January 30 although he would meet runner-up Kingston Mines (who won last season’s race) on 4kg worse terms.

Quote of the day: “We’ve got 1 000 kids here today and I will spend any amount of money to see them happy.” Hassen Adams.

By Michael Clower