David Thiselton

The big news at the end of last week was the scratching of Star Major from the Gr 1 HKJC Champions Cup which effectively takes him out of the running for the Equus Horse Of The Year Award.

The connections have renounced the false rumour that he had been sold and said the temperature he was shown to have had before his scratching from the Hollywoodbets Durban July had remained in flux and had put him out of work for eleven days, which was no way for a horse to go into the Gr 1 weight for age Champions Cup.

See It Again is in the pound seats for the Equus Horse Of The Year award having won the Gr 1 wfa Sun Met and the Gr 1 wfa Premier’s Champion Challenge. If he can add a third Gr 1 weight for age race he will surely be a shoe-in.

However, Questioning and The Real Prince are also still in the running.

Questioning is the most in-form horse in the country and could add the G1 weight for age Mercury Sprint to his Gr 1 wfa Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge win. He has also won two Gr 2s, the Khaya Stables Diadem Stakes over 1200m and the IOS Drill Hall stakes over 1400m.

In fact Questioning might even be considered if not winning the Mercury provided See It Again does not win the Champions Cup. The reason for the consideration would be that he narrowly beat See It Again when a short-head second in the King’s Plate and he beat an admittedly below par See It Again by 5,45 lengths when winning the Gold Challenge.

However, open Gr 1 weight for age wins usually carry the day in the Equus Horse Of The Year award.

The Real Prince could join See It Again on two Gr 1 wfa wins if landing the Champions Cup as he was the winner of the King’s Plate. If he wins the Champions Cup he will also have levelled the tally between himself and See It Again this season to 3-3.

Both horses have had two Gr 1 wfa places besides their wins, with See It Again finishing a 0,25 length third in the King’s Plate and a 3,75 length second in the Gr 1 Wilgerbosdrift HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes, while The Real Prince was a 1,25 length third in the Met and a 2,95 length fourth in the Gold Challenge. So See It Again will probably edge it between those two even if The Real Prince wins the Champions Cup.

However, Questioning could spoil the party for both of them.

The five-year-old Querari gelding has transformed this season from a hard-knocking Gr 1 sort into a horse with the X-factor and he will be going for his fifth victory in succession in the Mercury, presuming he takes his place.

The only reason for him not to take his place would be the unfortunate wide draw he has landed.  However, such have his performances been of late coupled with his obvious zest for racing that it would be no surprise to see him storming to victory, provided he can find some cover around the turn. However, he will need plenty of luck and even then he is up against the highest rated horse in the land, Buffalo Storm Cody.

The latter demonstrated his class last time out in his preparation run for the Mercury when eating up the ground late with his huge stride in the Gr 3 Post Merchants. That was run over the same 1200m course and distance as the Mercury and the weight turnaround will see him 2kg better off with Post Merchants winner Jet Force for a half-a-length beating.

However, Buffalo only beat Tenango by a short-head in the Post Merchants and faces him on the same terms. Furthermore, Tenango has landed a plum draw. Tenango was a 1,60 length second to Buffalo in last year’s Mercury when jumping from draw 13 compared to Buffalo’s 9, so on the draw reversal from that race he has a chance too.

Buffalo has a fair draw of nine this year out of the 24 entries still standing their ground, so should come into a nice draw.

The Gr 1 SA Fillies Sprint winner Asiye Phambili also comes into it with her 2,5kg gender claim and she has landed draw eleven among the entries.

Others to consider are the in-form Taxi To The Moon, while Cosmic Speed and Cats Pajamas are capable sorts who have not landed favourable draws.

In the Champions Cup See It Again’s chief opposition could come from his own stablemate Eight On Eighteen.

The Lancaster Bomber gelding is the reigning Equus Horse Of The Year, but has had an interrupted season. His run in the Gold Challenge can be ignored as he was caught wide behind an unsuitable slow pace. He put up a fine workout at the Hollywoodbets Durban July Gallops and Richard Fourie has since been quoted as saying it would require a crowbar to separate him from Eight On Eighteen, so good did he feel in the gallop.

Eight On Eighteen will appreciate the step up in trip and has drawn a fair six out of 12. He will come in nice and fresh having not run in the July.

Running in the July did not stop Gladatorian from winning the Champions Cup last year and he has landed a plum draw again.

Legal Counsel can’t be ignored either having run a short-head second to Questioning in the Gold Challenge and second to See It Again in the Met. In the July he was asked to lead with topweight and it proved too much. He should appreciate the step down in trip in the Champions Cup and is a tough horse.

Former Equus Horse Of The Year Dave The King has won this race before, but is not in the best form, while Main Defender would have been capable of winning this race at his best, but also needs to bounce back.