Marinaresco put his run of bad draws behind him when rider Grant Van Niekerk stepped in to pick the plum number two position at today’s Sun Met draw ceremony at Kenilworth.

Marinaresco Liesl King

The second favourite earlier worked well over a mile with leading Investec Derby hope Horizon, ridden by Belinda Haytread of Pocket Power fame, and Van Niekerk’s mount stretched clear in the final 400m.

“It was just easy pace work,” said Candice Bass-Robinson while her jockey added: “I was pleased with Marinaresco, it was a good gallop and he is doing very well.”

Legal Eagle drew nine, not that it matters with Anton Marcus – he is so quick coming out of the pens – but the four-time champion was pleased with his mount’s work with stable companion French Navy (Weichong Marwing) although neither horse was asked to do that much.

“It was probably more for the well-being of the public but Legal Eagle is in a good place,” Marcus reported while Marwing added: “French Navy has definitely come on since the Queen’s Plate and he will be better over the Met trip. I think he can finish in the money.”

French Navy is drawn one and it was mostly outsiders who were hammered with wide berths. Even The Conglomerate, almost perpetually blighted with bad draws, has a decent spot in seven.

The Durban July winner was ridden by Jannie Bekker in his work with Macduff (Donovan Dillon) and the retired jockey got off saying: “If Frankie Dettori decides he doesn’t want to ride him I will be happy to take over!”

Bela-Bela Liesl King

With the big race only nine days away hardly any of the horses were asked to exert themselves in earnest and several worked on their own. Perhaps the most eye-catching of these was Bela-Bela (Anthony Delpech). The grey filly went a mile with her tongue lolling out. “She loves her work and she is doing well,” said the well-pleased rider while an impressed Justin Snaith added: “She has to have that come-on look and she was very impressive.”

Whisky Baron also looked good in his solo spin over 1 400m and rider Greg Cheyne said: “I couldn’t have been happier with that – he is maintaining his form beautifully. There are some top horses in the race but mine is on the up and on the way he won a Grade 2 last time he is definitely reaching their level.”

One who did not gallop was the Cape Guineas second Gold Standard and Glen Kotzen reported: “I galloped him over ten furlongs here ten days ago, the ground was very firm – they are watering but the South-Easter dries it up – and he was jarred afterwards. I will have him fit and fresh on race day.”

By Michael Clower

The draws for the country’s richest Grade 1 race were done on Thursday after the horses galloped publicly.

Most of the unwanted wide berths were taken by outsiders. Dean Kannemeyer, still looking for his first Met win, fared particularly badly with Cape Speed drawing widest of all at No 15 and Mambo Mime only two places better.

Whisky Baron gallop – Liesl King

Hassen Adams, owner of Mac de Lago, recalled that his 2011 winner Past Master started from gate No 15 and his horse in this year’s Met fared only marginally better at No 14.

The one who really benefitted was Marinaresco who was drawn wide when second in the Durban July last year and when disappointing in the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate. Grant van Niekerk picked pen No 2. “I’m glad Mr Shirtliff is not doing the draw because he only gets bad ones”, the jockey joked.

The Conglomerate, whose long run of bad draws included the July which he won, the Summer Cup and the Queen’s Plate, fared much better this time, drawing at No 7. He also worked well when he went with stable companion Macduff (Donovan Dillon). The Conglomerate was ridden by retired jockey Jannie Bekker, who got off and announced: “If Frankie Dettori decides he doesn’t want the horse I will be happy to take the ride!”

For once the gallops took place in a light drizzle, ideal for the horses but not for the sizeable crowd of onlookers, and Legal Eagle (Anton Marcus) was the first to work alongside French Navy (Weichong Marwing). They were not asked to do that much – and with the big race only nine days away nor were most of the others – but Marcus expressed himself satisfied with the favourite. “That was more for the well-being of the public but Legal Eagle is in a good place,” said the four-time champion.

Marwing, who won this race on legendary Horse Chestnut in 1999, was every bit as pleased with French Navy and said: “French Navy is not the most impressive worker but I was happy with him. He has definitely come on since the Queen’s Plate and he will be better over the Met trip. I think he can finish in the money.”

Marinaresco impressed when worked over 1600m with stable companion Horizon (Belinda Haytread) and Van Niekerk said: “I was pleased with him. It was a good gallop and he is doing very well.”

Heavily backed Whisky Baron worked on his own over 1400m and rider Greg Cheyne said: “All good – I couldn’t be happier with that. He is maintaining his form beautifully.”

Bela-Bela (Anthony Delpech) was the other runner high up in the betting to go well, working on her own over 1600m with her tongue lolling out. “That was a proper gallop and she was very impressive,”said Justin Snaith.

Gold Standard did not gallop after being jarred up on firm ground when worked at Kenilworth 10 days ago. “I will have him fit and fresh on raceday,” vowed Glen Kotzen.

The field for the R5-million Sun Met celebrated with Mumm (Grade 1) over 2000m in order of saddlecloth number, draw, horse, trainer, jockey, weight and merit rating:

Same trainer: (1,7) (3,13) (5,10,14) (6,8) (11,12)

Vodacom Durban July winner The Conglomerate has been eased from 16-1 to 20-1 for Saturday week’s Sun Met despite being ridden by Frankie Dettori.

Betting World has made surprisingly few changes to its prices considering it had a book of 23 horses on Monday morning and there are now just 15 runners. There were 14 in each of the last two years and in 2007 when Pocket Power chalked up the first of his three wins. Other than that 15 is the smallest for a Met field in the last 25 years.

Legal Eagle remains 6-4 favourite and Whisky Baron is also unchanged at 9-2 but Marinaresco has been cut from 7-2 to 5-2. That said, fourth favourite  Bela-Bela has taken a walk from 13-2 to 9-1. Other prices are 11-1 Gold Standard, 14-1 It’s My Turn,20-1 Captain America, 40-1 Mac De Lago, French Navy, Brazuca, 66-1 Baritone, 100-1 Cape Speed, Mambo Mime and Macduff.

The eight who were not declared were the Mike De Kock trio Bold Rex, Heavenly Blue and Al Fahad, the Geoff Woodruff pair Master Sabina and Deo Juvente, St Tropez (Joey Ramsden), Nebula (Brett Crawford) and Rocketball (Gavin van Zyl).

Michael Clower

Glen Kotzen has taken the bold step of running his top three-year-old Gold Standard in the R5 million Sun Met, thus forgoing the chance of winning the Gr I Investec Cape Derby where the big bay would likely have been hard to beat. There is sound reasoning to his decision despite the race having not been won by a three-year-old since Mike de Kock did it twice successively with Horse Chestnut and Badger’s Coast in the years 1999 and 2000.

Kotzen has no doubt the Trippi colt will stay the 2000m trip and said, “People say Trippi’s don’t stay 2000m, but this one will stay every inch of it. We gave him a hard gallop over 2000m at Kenilworth recently and he put up an excellent performance. He has a very stout female line too. His second dam is the champion Olympic Duel, who won the Met herself (and her foals include Gr 1 Daily News 2000 winner Flying Duel as well as a number of other 2000m horses and stayers). We train his half-sister All Mine and she has won over 1600m and placed over 2000m despite being by Var.”

Gold Standard won his maiden third time out over 1600m at Durbanville by a comfortable 3,25 lengths. There was a lot of clamour about Craven’s win over the same distance on the same day and in spite of Kotzen pointing out that his horse had run a quicker time it fell on deaf ears. However, he is now able to say I told you so in no uncertain terms.

Gold Standard first travelled down to win the Listed RA Stakes over 1600m, a race which has produced two Vodacom Durban July winners, including the Kotzen-trained Big City Life. He then won the Gr 2 Selangor Cup over 1600m at Kenilworth at odds of 28/1, relegating the deemed unbeatable Table Bay to third, beaten 2,65 lengths. Then in the Gr 1 Grand Parade Cape Guineas he finished a 0,5 length second to the impressive William Longsword. This pair had a dominant look about them as they drew clear,  beating the rest of the field, headed by Table Bay, by 3,25 lengths.

Kotzen said, “Had they gone a decent pace I think he would have won it. However, if he had won it he would have had to carry a 2kg Gr 1 penalty in the Met and we would then have likely gone for the Derby instead. Looking at the Met, Legal Eagle has beaten the same horses, he has never been challenged by a younger horse and I think the current three-year-old crop is quite strong.

If you look at Bold Rex, who was beaten 7,65 lengths in the Queen’s Plate, Gold Standard is actually eight lengths better than him on collateral form through Heavenly Blue. Plus we have the further 2kg pull because Legal Eagle has to carry a Gr 1 penalty. If you look back in history, Gimmethegreenlight won the Cape Guineas and without the ensuing Gr 1 penalty he guaranteed wins the Met, because he was beaten into third by just 1,15 lengths. So I am very excited about next Saturday’s race. He is really well. It would be nice to crack a good draw, but it’s not too important as he came from last to win the Selangor.”

Richard Fourie is in top form and rides him for the third time in succession.

Gold Standard will not be galloping at the Met Gallops this morning (Thursday), although he will be on course for patrons to view in the parade ring. He had the recent hard workout over 2000m and another grass gallop would not fit into his preparation program.

Kotzen has a strong team of horses on the lucrative day and his comments on the rest of his runners will appear in the Racegoer next week.

David Thiselton

Ruling champion trainer Sean Tarry will have short-priced runners in both $500,000 races on Saturday next week when the Sun Met celebrated with Mumm headlines the programme.

Sean Tarry (Nkosi Hlophe)

The big-money races, each worth R6.74 million at yesterday’s exchange rate, are restricted to graduates of Cape Thoroughbred Sales auctions with the first over 1200m and the other over 1600m.

Tarry has four horses in the CTS Sprint, including hugely talented but volatile Cloth Of Cloud. The three-year-old daughter of Captain Al has won all three of her races to date, including beating her male counterparts in the Grade 1 SA Nursery over 1160m at Turffontein on Champions Day at the end of April last year.

On all three occasions, Tarry held his breath and crossed fingers and toes that she behaved. He subsequently tried on a couple of occasions to bring her back, but “just couldn’t get her going and couldn’t force the issue”.

He finally won the battle in time for the CTS Sprint, although he does admit, “I’d prefer another couple of weeks, but we’re very close. She’d be considered the stable elect.”

S’manga Khumalo will ride Cloth Of Cloud, while French Legend will have the services of internationally acclaimed Frankie Dettori.

“We got it a bit back to front and French Legend’s the one most ready for this race and she’s doing well. But she’s the lowest rated of my four and has to travel from Johannesburg,” said Tarry, adding she would probably arrive at the Cape the day before the race.

Feature placed Myfunnyvalentine and Exquisite Touch, the mounts of Craig Zackey and Weichong Marwing respectively, are expected to “go a lot closer” than in their last runs, but “it’s a very tough race”, said Tarry. “People have been waiting the whole year to run their horses in these two $500,000 races so nobody will be hitting anything for a six.

Safe Harbour (Liesl King)

“Myfunnyvalentine’s form is very good. She needed her last run over 1000m (when tiring to fifth) and should be ready now,” he said. “Exquisite Touch ran well to Green Pepper at Turffontein in November, giving weight and needing the run. She’ll be fitter and should run a lot closer.”

Safe Harbour finished second to Just Sensual in the Cape Fillies Guineas and to Bela-Bela in the recent Paddock Stakes and is the pick of his two runners in the CTS 1600.

Tarry thinks Cape Guineas winner William Longsword and Just Sensual are the horses to beat but says: “Safe Harbour is not without chance, given she wasn’t beaten far in either the Cape Fillies Guineas or the Paddock Stakes.

“Safe Harbour has had a lot of racing in the Cape so we’ve been trying to keep her fresh. She’s doing well, though, and is probably where we want her.”

Weichong Marwing retains the mount, while Khumalo will be on Tilbury Fort, who – like French Legend – will raid from Johannesburg.

“I’m taking a bit of a chance with Tilbury Fort because although he’s fit and well and progressive, he’s out at the weights and is not quite in this class yet.”

Nicci Garner for TABNews