David Thiselton
Just about every winner on World Pool Gold Cup day was a logical choice and proved that form is king and theories like “fresh horses are at an advantage in the Champions Cup” should not be given much attention.
The first two home in the Gr 1 weight for age HKJC Champions Cup, Gladatorian and The Real Prince, both ran in the Hollywoodbets Durban July and beat home five other horses, all of whom would have fitted into the “fresh” category.
Gladatorian gave Stuart Ferrie a deserved first Gr 1 victory after a perfectly timed charge by Sean Veale and he was the logical form choice in retrospect.
He had already proved he stays 1800m with an impressive win at Hollywoodbets Scottsville over 1750m.
Gladatorian only has one way of running and that is to be left alone from off the pace and produce a late charge and having drawn two in a seven horse field, as opposed to eight in a twelve horse field in the Gold Challenge, he was always likely to have less ground to make up and was also likely to get a clearer run.
Dave The King had looked ominously like the winner approaching the final turn, because unlike the Gold Challenge when boxed in he had led at a slow pace early and this had allowed him to begin his well know long run in from the 800m mark.
However, one disadvantage he had is that opposition know him well now and know that he is not going to come back to the field.
The Real Prince might have been an impressive winner of the Hollywoodbets Durban July and he was equally eye-catching in the IOS Drill Hall Stakes, but he was unexposed over this trip.
Craig Zackey kept Dave The King’s in his sights when the latter began stretching them a long way out, but the Real Prince’s acid test was going to be whether he could make an impression on Dave The King in the straight.
Meanwhile, See It Again was enjoying much more luck than he had in the race last year as he had perfect cover from Montien, who was lying one out and one back and Gladatorian was perfectly placed behind The Real Prince on the rail.
To the surprise of a few The Real Prince was soon all over Dave The King and See It Again was proving last year’s run was all wrong, because he was also all over the big horse.
Keagan de Melo used his experience of the tight racing in Hong Kong to keep The Real Prince in.
However, Dave The King had left just enough room for The Real Prince to sneak through between him and the rail.
It then became clear that The Real Prince, despite hanging outward, had the measure of See It Again.
However, Gladatorian, as usual got into top gear at the 200m mark and was making inroads.
A deft change of whip-hand by Sean Veale as close to home as the 50m mark might well have been the difference between victory and defeat as Gladatorian found an extra gear surged past the three-year-old The Real Prince to win by 0,40 lengths with See It Again a further 1,20 lengths back.
Fire Attack was another closer who relished the fast pace in the latter half of the race and he ran on strongly to be beaten just 2,35 lengths.
Dave The King was beaten 2,95 lengths into fifth.
Gladatorian boosted the champion sire Vercingetorix’s earnings to over R36 million, which is likely a new record.
In the World Pool Gold Cup King Pelles proved in the Gr 3 Durban Gold Vase last time he is not only an out and out stayer but he also has class as he turned it on superbly off the back of a slow pace to give Gareth van Zyl and S’Manga Khumalo a second Gold Cup together. He proved worthy of his 5/4 starting price on Saturday and always looked the winner of the 3200m event.
Varsfontein-based sire Master Of My Fate was sire of both Gr 1 juvenile mile winners, the Alan Greeff-trained Golden Palm and the Mike de Kock-trained Jan van Goyen ridden by Richard Fourie and Callan Murray respectively, and both impressed as horses with big futures and confirmed what their respective stables thought of them.
In the Gr 1 Mercury Sprint the Tony Peter-trained Buffalo Storm Cody gave Buffalo Bill Cody a first Gr 1 win and he defied the weights, especially according to Gr 2 Post Merchants form, but Gavin Lerena had said before the latter race he was a much better horse around the turn and he had the advantage on Saturday of a previous sighting of the course.
The Dean Kannemeyer-trained Princess Of Gaul gave a further boost to Vercingetorix when winning the Gr 2 World Pool With Race Coast Debutante over 1200m in a thrilling finish under Craig Zackey.
The finish to the Gr 2 Follow @Worldpool on X Umkhomazi Stakes over 1200m was just as thrilling and the Paul Matchett-trained Zalatoris ridden by Keagan de Melo gave Varsfontein-based champion freshman sire Erik The Red a boost and he proved his 1,35 length beating in the Gr 1 Gold Medallion over this trip at Hollywoodbets Scottsville was worthy Gr 1 form.
Candice Bass-Robinson’s Rainbow Lorikeet (Querari) was a deserved winner of Gr 2 Bet With The World Gold Bracelet over 2000m under Aldo Domeyer as she was luckless in the Gr 2 Woolavington over the same course and distance and she was another runner to have not been affected by running in the July.
Bass-Robinson’s Future (Var) proved his class in the last race over 1000m, the Listed HKIR In December Umngeni Stakes with a storming finish under Domeyer to catch the favourite Outlaw King.
In the first race of the day, the Listed Michel Nairac Appreciation Stakes Darley Arabian over 1600m, the Peter Muscutt-trained I Salute You (Soqrat) looked a picture before hand and prevailed under Richard Fourie.
The day was a lesson for punters to look at form logic and to not look for the spooks that muddy the waters.
