Last year’s Sun Met winner Whisky Baron will renew rivalry with the Mike de Kock-trained Noah From Goa in the Group 1 Jebel Hatta over 1 800m at Meydan on Saturday week after running so well in the Zabeel Mile last Thursday when he finished fourth to Janoobi with Noah From Goa third.

Noah From Goa (hamishNIVEN Photography)

Brett Crawford said yesterday: “I was over the moon with the way he ran and Colm O’Donghue was very excited with the horse. We knew he was going to need the run and I thought Janoobi was the horse to beat because he had been working exceptionally well.

“Whisky Baron has come out of the race great and the plan is next the Jebel Hatta and then, if all goes well in that, we could aim him at something on World Cup night.”

Corne Orffer, Crawford’s stable jockey in South Africa, is confident he will be fit for Kenilworth tomorrow after being taken ill on Saturday morning, being sick and suffering from diarrhoea.

He said yesterday: “I woke up 100% but I started feeling ill at work and I took myself to hospital where I was put on a drip to put back the electrodes. It was just a 24-hour bug – apparently it can take over within seconds – but I feel a lot better today and I will be fine for Tuesday.”

The very much in-form Richard Fourie will be out of action for seven days from Wednesday after being given a week’s interference suspension for his riding of runner-up Ladysmith at Kenilworth on 17 February.

By Michael Clower