Sand And Sea, cut from 12-1 to 7-1 for the Cape Merchants after his impressive return in the Tab Telebet Progress Plate, is not a certain runner at this stage and punters should hold fire until Dennis Drier clarifies the position.
Drier said after last Saturday’s race: “It is a great pity that the Merchants is only a week away. We will see how Sand And Sea comes out of this race and then decide.”
Dennis Drier (Nkosi Hlophe)
The four-year-old was a revelation. This was his first appearance for seven months – after being gelded and having an operation on his wind – yet he travelled well throughout and swept clear inside the final furlong to win comfortably. Significantly Anton Marcus said: “He is probably even better than this. His engine is still there, and he is willing and able.”
This was the trainer’s fourth Cape Town winner in three meetings but 16-10 favourite Pleasedtomeetyou switched off as abruptly as an Eskom outage after making the running at a decent clip and he finished with only one behind him.
Andre Nel said later in the afternoon: “The horse is sound but we had a couple during the week who started coughing.”
Candice Bass-Robinson was adamant after Nous Voila’s flop in the Western Cape Fillies Championship that the reason was the horse’s inability to handle the turn, and the filly proved her point by making all under Corne Orffer to floor the odds laid on WCFC runner-up Temple Grafin in the fillies Progress Plate. She started at 10-1 but you could have got 14-1 on course earlier in the afternoon.
“Nous Voila throws out a leg and as a result she doesn’t go well round a turn.” said her trainer, reflecting that Dutch Philip is much the same. “We will keep her up the straight and I think she can win a Group race.”
Glen Kotzen had originally intended to go straight for the Fillies Guineas with Temple Grafin but the decision to put the race back a fortnight threw his calculations and he is now glad it did. “The gap between races would have been too big but this was typical second run (after a rest) – she didn’t kick,” he explained. “I’m not unhappy and now we’ve just got to crack a draw next month.”
He was even less unhappy when the ear muff-fitted Expedite won the next under Craig Zackey, but not as delighted as Mike Stewart after Beethoven came good under an inspired Donovan Dillon in the opener to give the Noordhoek trainer an overdue first success of a hitherto frustrating season.
By Michael Clower
