Richard Fourie is the man in the hot seat on Saturday. Riding hot favourite Do It Again the pressure will be on but the 33-year-old shakes his head and smiles when asked if he will be feeling it.

“Not at all,” he says – but he has already given a fair bit of thought as to how the race will be run and where he will position his mount. “Do It Again is not the kind that you can bustle,” he explains. “If you niggle him the whole way he is not going to kick as hard as he can so you have to accept how he runs, place him accordingly and ride him like the good horse he is.”

The gallop is expected to be strong with Milton’s fondness for building up a good lead a deciding factor. Fourie disagrees about the last point. “Milton is a bit of a slow starter these days, then he unwinds and likes to run from the front. But there are others like Kampala Campari who went quite a clip when I beat him on Doublemint in the Peninsula Handicap. Head Honcho also likes to be up there and there are others like Undercover Agent.” He smiles again. “Yea, I think the pace will be on alright and that could play in my favour.”

Fourie admits that he was surprised how well his mount ran in the Green Point. It was the four-year-old’s first run since winning the Durban July five months earlier and the mile was widely expected to be too short for him. “I thought he would be a little bit out of his ground but he ran a superb race and he then he won the Queen’s Plate. It was run my way at a fairly quick pace and the best horse won.”

And the opposition this time? “There are many you have to respect. Last year’s winner Oh Susanna (on whom he won the Paddock Stakes) will be right there. She is very good – she was Horse of the Year for a reason – and she is working so well at home while we have put blinkers on Made To Conquer which has woken him up.”

Fourie has ridden in four of the last seven Mets and finished fourth on Gold Standard two years ago but it is his first ride in 2008 that stands out for him. Pocket Power won it but Fourie was second on the miler Our Giant. “I felt I was going to win and ever since I have believed that a good miler can win the Met.”

But Do It Again is much more than that and the acceleration he produced last time, making up six lengths in the final 300m, colours Fourie’s thinking. “What I feel is a bit in my favour is the smaller number of horses in the race. Even if I am sitting last I could be only six lengths off them. Certainly those in front of me will know I am going to come at them! Do It Again is a very good horse and I am pretty sure he can back it up.”

By Michael Clower   

Harold Crawford is making slow but steady progress in Cape Town’s Groote Schuur Hospital as he battles to recover from a stroke. It happened during the afternoon eight days ago and, according to daughter and assistant Michelle Rix, he collapsed and was found lying on the floor.

Apparently the stroke was caused by a clot in his carotid artery and the doctors operated on him to ease the pressure on his brain. “He has paralysis in his left arm and left side,” said his daughter. “He is having physio every day and they will do further tests this week but he is getting better.”

Crawford, 66, had the biggest win of his near 43-year training career when the now Mauritius-based Perovskia won last year’s Drill Hall. His stable has expanded since Michelle joined the team and set about attracting more owners. “My father is a strong old guy and I am sure he will pull through,” she said.

By Michael Clower

Head Honcho’s odds have tumbled since this page pointed out that he was overpriced at 33-1 following his impressive win in last month’s Premier Trophy and today you will be hard pushed to get much better than 13-1.

The vibes from the stable are good. Andre Nel, not exactly a member of the oozing-confidence brigade, is bullish. “I think the current odds are a fair reflection. He has done very well since the Premier and I believed he has improved.”

Nel had hoped to run the five-year-old in the July. “I tried to get him into the race and qualify him with a galloping weight and I thought I had done so but some of the KZN horses got in above him – and some of those probably didn’t see out the trip.”

Head Honcho ran on July day but in the Betting World 2200 which he won. His win in the Premier was his sixth success from his last seven starts but only his second run of the season – “I was always only going to give him two runs before the Met and if he hadn’t run well in the Premier he would have gone for the Peninsula Handicap.”

Keagan de Melo, who has ridden Head Honcho in five of his last seven races, has only ridden in the Met once before. That was two years ago when he finished down the field on 100-1 shot Cape Speed. The ride made such little impression on him that he can’t even remember it!

Head Honcho, though, is quite a different matter. “He has improved every time I have ridden him. As a young horse he lacked confidence but he has been improving off each win. He was very, very impressive in the Premier and in a way I was quite surprised how well he won but not so ability-wise. I always knew he had a big one in him.”

However the horse is not a straightforward ride. “He seems to pull quite a bit. He is a natural front-runner and he likes to gallop so that is obviously the plan for Saturday.

“This is his biggest test to date and so I would like to have one or two to follow but, if that is not possible, I wouldn’t be afraid to take it up myself.”

And what chance does the jockey give the fourth favourite? “Realistically, it is going to be hard to beat a couple of them but the way he is improving I think he will run in the first four.”

He and Kampala Campari will be Nel’s first Met runners with 2013 winning rider Aldo Domeyer on the second string. “I think he has come on from his last run and he should put in a game effort,” says his trainer. “He has done well and he has earned his place but I have my doubts that he really sees out ten furlongs.”

By Michael Clower

Ashburton’s Duncan Howells is bullish about the chances of his three raiding runners for the Sun Met meeting, Fiorella, Thanksgiving and Mr Greenlight, and Summrveld’s Gareth van Zyl is hoping to earn some black type with Ovation Award.

Howells said, “All three are fit and well and the main concern was how they would travel. They all travelled exceptionally well and have settled in nicely so I am very happy. Choice Carriers did a very good job.”

The horses did pace work at Milnerton on Saturday morning and their big race rider Mark Khan will be there today (Tuesday) to give them all a final blowout. Mr Greenlight last ran just before travelling so is not being asked to do as much as the other pair.

Fiorella runs in the Grade 1 Bidvest Majorca Stakes over 1600m. She is quoted at 20/1 by World Sports Betting, but has never lost to either of the joint 28/10 second favourites Snowdance and Lady In Black. She caught Snowdance in the shadow of the post in the Grade 2 Daisy Fillies Guineas at Greyville, beating her by a head, and Lady In Black was beaten 2,85 lengths into fifth place in that same race. Fiorella later beat Lady In Black by a quarter of a length in the Grade 1 Woolavington 2000 when finishing a narrow second to Oh Susanna. However, in her last start she was a touch disappointing when managing only a 6,2 length fourth in the Grade 2 Ipi Tombe Challenge over 1600m at Turffontein. She will now have blinkers fitted for the first time.

Howells said, “Mark Khan suggested the blinkers as she battled to quicken in the Ipi Tombe and he reckons she now needs further. But when I saw her going down at Turffontein that day I thought she looked a bit flat and she duly ran a flat race. But right now she is looking as fit and well as I had her for the Guineas so I am expecting a very good run.” She does have a tough draw of eleven to overcome.

Thanksgiving is the top merit rated male in the Cape Derby and the second highest merit rated horse behind the filly Second Request. However, Howells pointed out in retrospect he had run to about 107 when second to the unbeaten star Hawwaam in the Dingaans. He turned it on impressively last time out over 1600m at Greyville and being by Dynasty will be improving all the time. His full brother Stormy Affair won over this 2000m trip. Thanksgiving has the bonus of a plum draw of two and has attractive odds of around 11/1 with bookmakers.

Howells said, “He does like to race from off them but the draw saves us from having to find a position. He will love the step up in trip and is a big runner.”

Mr Greenlight is drawn widest of all in the 13-horse field for the US$500,000 CTS 1600 and is quoted as an outsider at 28/1. This Gimmethegreenlight colt drew away impressively last time out over 1600m on the Greyville poly in a relatively strong Graduation Plate event and won as he liked.

Howells said, “There is speed on the outside so that should help us find a position, but it doesn’t really matter where he comes from. He came from stone last in his first win, although that was just a maiden, and we pressed him last time and had him handy to see whether he was good enough and he improved dramatically. He is on the up and is still unexposed. He has a lot of scope and will be very competitive. I didn’t really have him quite right in his penultimate start over 1800m but Stuart Randolph got off and said ‘You don’t know how good this horse is’, he gave him a helluva good feel. He is fitter now and improving.”

Ovation Award arrived in Cape Town last Friday. This Stagelight colt has won both of his starts this season easily over 1800m and 2200m respectively and is another one who is on the up. In his last start he beat horses of the calibre of Dark Moon Rising, Crowd Pleaser and One Man Show comfortably, although he was only carrying 50,5kg.

Van Zyl said, “He has done his main work already and has been doing nicely at Milnerton. He is better as a three-year-old and has proven himself better over this sort of middle distance. He has also proven himself against some of the better older horses in KZN. So it is worth taking a chance. However, realistically we are hoping to place and a win will be a bonus.”

By David Thiselton

There is an eight race meeting at the Vaal Classic track tomorrow and it should pay dividends to play the exotics.

The first leg of the PA over 1600m sees a banker in Hareer as he ran well on debut over 1200m and now faces an uninspiring field over a step up in trip he will relish. Furthermore, he is drawn in pole and has champion jockey Lyle Hewitson aboard.

In the first leg of the PA over 1600m Pilou with Hewitson up will make a bold bid for his fourth victory in succession. He is a good front runner and although six points higher in the merit ratings from his last run, he is now drawn in pole as opposed to eight out of eight last time over this same course and distance. Morning Catch will be a threat being half-a-kilogram better off for a half-a-length beating last time. He also has a better draw than he did then. Greek Fire is a classy sort who would despatch this field if producing his best as he is potentially better than his 92 merit rating. However, he is a quirky sort and is drawn wide. Those three are chosen to get punters through the exotics, simply because the racing on the day is competitive and risks have to be taken. Nordic Rebel was hard to ignore as he has a fine record over this trip and is consistent. Divine Odyssey also has a chance. 

The next race over 1600m is the toughest on the card and the advice is to go wide. Lock Him Up is chosen as the winner as he has turned the corner since the blinkers were removed and steps back to the trip of his last win. Festive Linngari has improved and should enjoy the step down from 2000m as his only win was over 1700m. Rockstar Child is well drawn over a suitable trip and having been thereabouts lately is two points lower in the merit ratings. Sammi Moosa won well in her penultimate against her own gender with a 4kg claimer up.

However, she ran well last time in a race over 1400m where the winner got away from them and was staying on. It is never easy against the boys but she warrants consideration from pole position with the excellent Warren Kennedy aboard. Molleloa is an interesting runner as he is having his third run after a layoff and after plummeting down the merit ratings he sneaks into the handicap with the minimum weight, although he will have to improve on his last two runs. Well Connected has ability and has been in good form over this trip. He has a wide draw but Muzi Yeni is one of the best at finding positions from difficult draws. Street Flyer, Gonnafly and Zerodarkthirty can also be included.

In the fifth race over 1450m Blonde Vision is chosen as the best bet on the card. She finished close up in the Listed Secretariat Stakes over 1400m and is the best weighted horse in this race. Monopolize is distance suited and has some class so could be a danger. Only To Win is second best in at the weights and is only half-a-kilogram out with Blonde Vision on official merit ratings but is more exposed.

The sixth race over 1200m is another tricky contest. Seattle Tango finishes well and is interesting dropped in trip. Twelve Oaks has ability and had excuses last time so Kennedy might bring out the best in her. Last Girl Standing drops back to her best trip. Those three are selected for the Pick 6 but for the less risky Jackpot the suggestion is to go wider.

In the seventh race over 1200m Carbon Atom is chosen as the value bet of the day. He has talent and was a touch unlucky last time when narrowly beaten by Regal Graduation, who came out and won on Saturday. He is a banker consideration but for the risk averse the well regarded Whitehaven can be included and Sporting Monarch has always been a fair sort and his win last time could have been confidence building.

In the last race over 2400m Flirty Girty is hard knocking and distance proven. Eternal Summer is not far off her and was staying on over 2000m last time so will enjoy coming back to this trip. Poison Ivy will relish the step up to this trip being by Golden Sword and was ahead of Eternal Summer over 200m last time. Laconia is by Lateral so will enjoy the step up in trip. Viserion was staying on and finished narrowly behind Poison Ivy and Eternal Summer last time over 2000m, so can also be included.

By David Thiselton