JP van der Merwe made the most of a pick-up ride when piloting 8-1 chance Smart Call to a smashing victory in the Gr1 J&B Met at a packed Kenilworth yesterday. It was almost as if Alec Laird’s filly had jumped in at the top of the straight as she powered past hot favourite Legal Eagle to win as she liked. Legal Eagle was 3,5 lengths adrift at the line with Captain America and Light The Lights filling the minor placings.

Weichong Marwing, who missed the ride on Illuminator in the $1 Million Dollar last Saturday because of a serious back injury, was also carded to ride Smart Call but Laird was undecided on who to replace him with until mid-week with names like Frankie Dettori and Dougie Whyte being bandied about.

But Laird eventually settled on Van der Merwe. “He’s done a lot of work on her and whenever I asked him to ride her he hopped on immediately even though he was not riding her in a race.”

“He was down to ride for Paul Reeves so I thought, why not?” mused Laird.

“Once I got the ride I kept on refreshing (the webpage) to see if I was still on,” said Van der Merwe. “I checked again this morning just to make sure.”

As races went it was straight forward for the winner. “I sat behind Anton and Legal Eagle and when I asked her she quickened away.”

Big occasions can get the better of Laird, a family trait inherited from his father Syd, who was also short on words and to the point in his victory speeches. “I was hoping to win; not as well as that,” he quipped. “She got a very good place sitting behind the favourite. She was in the right place.”

Owner Jessica Slack has a family pedigree filled with as much Black type as Laird’s and the home-bred filly by resident Mauritzfontein stallion Ideal World is out of the mare Good Judgement by the best racehorse ever bred at the famous Oppenheimer stud, Horse Chestnut.

“I knew she was a good filly,” gushed Slack, “but I didn’t think that good.”

The 16-10 favourite Legal Eagle was given every chance by Anton Marcus who looked to have ridden the perfect race at he took command in the straight. But there were no answers forthcoming once Smart Call quickened past.

Disappointments were stable companions Futura and Legislate. The latter dictated matters early but had nothing to come in the straight while Futura was never in the hunt.

However, although Snaith failed to land his first Met, his army of 36 runners produced eight winners and as consolation 8-1 chance Ovidio hammered home in the Gr 2  J&B Urban Honey Stayers from Coltrane and Kingston Mines. This eclipsed Snaith’s previous Met total of five and his record of seven in Port Elizabeth.

Corne Orffer has been around the block and finally cracked his Grade 1 duck in the Betting World Cape Flying Championship aboard the Brett Crawford runner Gulf Storm. In doing so Orffer snapped Snaith’s early run of winners – but it was a close run thing.

S’Manga Khumalo kicked favourite Carry On Alice for home through the 400m mark, a move that looked to have paid off 50m out. But Khumalo became increasing desperate as the line approached and was swamped 20m from victory. The blinkered Gulf Storm and Brutal Force wore the game filly down and with two short-heads separating the first three home the judges posted Gulf Storm from Brutal Force and Carry On Alice.

“Brett always had this race in mind. He aimed him for this race since he got back from Durban,” said Orffer of his first Grade 1 win.

A hoarse Crawford croaked, “Credit must go to Corne. He gave the horse a fantastic ride. Putting the blinkers on made all the difference.”
– Andrew Harrison
Lead picture: Smart Call winning the 2016 J&B Met (Liesl King)

The J&B Met has attracted a strong field, but five of the runners look a class above the rest and under the conditions, which are weight for age plus a Gr 1 penalty, the posted result will likely closely resemble the top of the bookmakers betting boards.

The race will also show whether the favourite Legal Eagle is something truly special.

The Greys Inn gelding’s only hiccup in his recent runs has been when hampered in the July. Nobody yet knows what his limit is, but a repeat of his best rated performances to date will be enough to win this race, which is over an ideal trip. He will be hard to beat from draw three with Anton Marcus up.

Last year’s winner Futura should find a good position from a draw of six before running all the way to the line.

Legislate reportedly needed his Queens Plate run, as did his stablemate Futura, and should be in the shake up. He has been targeted at this race from a long way out and is a Gr 1 Cape Derby winner over course and distance.

Captain America finished second to Legislate in that Derby, despite over racing, so could be a threat as he has learnt to settle since gelding. He ran on from a long way back in the Queens Plate for fourth after a slow start from a wide draw and is now well drawn.

Smart Call has been a revelation since coming from off the pace and the form of her impressive win in the Paddock Stakes was franked when Inara followed up by winning the Majorca Stakes.

Gold Onyx loves Cape Town and finished second in a weaker Met than this last year. His famed short run in can be very effective provided he finds a good spot in the running.

Light The Lights has come into his own since gelding and his good turn of foot will be a valuable weapon over a suitable trip.

Punta Arenas’ honest third and fifth-place finishes in the last two years were in weaker fields, but the evergreen seven-year-old has actually shown improvement since then and is reunited with Ian Sturgeon, who rode him to an unlucky second in the July.

Paterfamilias has proved this season why he has always been held in high regard and has a place chance, provided he can find a good spot in the running from a high draw.

Helderberg Blue is very well at present but will find it hard to repeat his third of last year in a stronger field.

King Of Pain made no impression when coming from off them in the Queen’s Plate and his recent form does not inspire any confidence. Perhaps his best chance would be a scenario where he leads in a slow run race, an eventuality which saw him beating a top class field to win the Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge in 2014.

Master Sabina’s Summer Cup win came in his second run after a long layoff, so he could improve on it, but will need to under these tougher conditions and against better horses.

Mac De Lago stayed on for fifth from way back in the Summer Cup, but has a tough task at the weights.

Keambambuli has a hopeless task but might be used as the pacemaker.

Legal Eagle could take another step towards the Equus Horse Of The Year title by holding off the determined charge of Futura, and Legislate could finish third ahead of Smart Call and Captain America.

The Gr 1 weight for age Betting World Cape Flying Championship should also fall to a Sean Tarry-trained favourite, Carry On Alice, whose last run can be ignored. She has excellent early pace plus a devastating late kick and is officially 2kg better in at the weights than any other horse. The giant Brutal Force has come into his own since gelding, but Anton Marcus has chosen to ride Guinness, who is said to be back to his best. Trip Tease was scratched when bursting through the stalls on Queen’s Plate day, but will definitely be fit enough. If his starting woes don’t affect him he will be a big threat. Gulf Storm is interesting running in first-time blinkers over a trip short of his optimum. Daring Dave lost five lengths last time and still finished only 1,85 lengths behind Harry Lime in a strong Conditions Plate over course and distance, despite giving the latter 4,5kg. Harry Lime is on the up since gelding and could surprise.

The selection is Carry On Alice to beat Guiness with Trip Tease, Brutal Force and Harry Lime next best.

There are eight handicaps on the twelve race card, which makes it tough. However, an eye-catchingly good value price is the 12/1 a win and 22/10 for the first four about Silvan Star in race 5, a talented sort who was unlucky last time and could overcome a wide draw.
By David Thiselton
Picture: Legal Eagle (Liesl King)

Mike de Kock runs Ertijaal (Paul Hanagan), Forries Waltz (Christophe Soumillon) and stalwart Mujaarib (Dane O’Neill) in the Al Rashidiya (Gr2 over 1800m on turf) at Meydan tomorrow and cannot split them.

He said: “Our seven-year-old Mujaarib is a very happy horse this year as I noted last time. He is very fit, Forries Waltz too. Ertijaal is a class horse, talented but he races off his long break and will have improvement to come. It’s class versus fitness for our runners and I think they will all go well, but I’m not going to put my head down and pick between them.”

De Kock said that he is never keen on stepping out horses with very short intervals between runs but that he often has no choice at Carnival time, in reference to runners like Anaerobio, Banaadeer and Royal Ridge. “As it happens they’re all in wonderful shape. We’ve had no problems with them.”

De Kock’s comments on his other runners at Meydan this week:

Race 1: Handicap over 1400m on dirt (Thursday)
Alareef (Hanagan)
“Alareef looks back in good form, he has a good eachway chance.”

Race 2: Handicap over 1200m on turf (Thursday)
Winklemann (IRE) (Wayne Smith)
“He’s a new acquisition from Italy, running for Larry Nestadt, Gary Barber, Tony Bott and Marshall Finlay. We’d like to see what he’s about, this is too short and he will improve for the run.”

Race 5: Handicap over 1400m on turf (Thursday)
Anaerobio (ARG) (Soumillon), Banaadeer (AUS) (Hanagan) and Royal Ridge (O’Neill)
“We have three fit horses here, all are well. Anaerobio ran another good race last week, just behind Safety Check, Harry’s Son and Mastermind. That’s good form in any book and he’s a soldier, he should give of his best again. We’re trying Banaadeer over a bit more ground, he just hasn’t delivered over five furlongs and remains capable of better efforts. Royal Ridge also comes from the Safety Check race, he is lowest rated here but has some place prospects.”

Race 7: Handicap over 1600m on turf (Thursday)
Rock Cocktail (AUS) (Smith), Liquid Mercury (Sam Hitchcott) and Mutamakkin (AUS) (Hanagan)
“Mutamakkin is my pick of the three. He’s doing exceptionally well and is a horse I thought highly of in South Africa. Rock Cocktail is likely to improve on his last run and Liquid Mercury will come on with this start behind him, he looks promising.”

Saturday meeting, Meydan:

Race 7: Handicap over 2000m on dirt
Baroot (GB) (Smith)
“He won his Maiden in pretty good style recently, enjoyed the 1900m on dirt and won’t have a problem with the extra 100m. He’s rated lowest in the race after beating a weak field, but he may well be better than his rating and could be competitive.”

– mikedekockracing.com

Picture: Ertijaal (Liesl King)

Brett Crawford is bullish about his J&B Met candidate Captain America and rates his seven-horse team on the day as having one or two other chances too.

Captain America is doing well and is just being kept ticking over this week. The big horse will attempt to defend the yard’s J&B Met title as Crawford won it last year with Futura.

Captain America has never won beyond 1600m. However, Crawford pointed out he had not given the Captain Al five-year-old many opportunities to prove he stayed the 2000m Met trip. He looked to be the only horse still running at Legal Eagle as they reached the line in the L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate over 1600m. He had to come from a long way back in that prestigious Gr 1 weight for age race, after not getting a good start from a wide draw, and was only 2,9 lengths back at the line despite casting a shoe.

He is now drawn perfectly in five. In his three attempts at 2000m and beyond to date, he over raced in both the Cape Derby and the Daily News 2000, but was still only 1,25 lengths and 1,4 lengths respectively behind Equus Horse Of The Year Legislate in both. He was then badly hampered at the start of the Vodacom Durban July when beaten five lengths. All of those races were before gelding and perhaps the most significant of Crawford’s points was that the big horse had learnt to settle since the gelding. He proved this when leading from start to finish in the relatively slow run Gr 2 Lanzerac Alta Mater Green Point Stakes over 1600m.

Crawford will be trying Gulf Point with blinkers on for the first time in the Gr 1 Betting World Cape Flying Championships over 1000m and admitted he would likely “get it in the neck” if it brought out improvement, as this horse is already a five-year-old and has a Gr 1 runner up finish to his name. However, it could be a shrewd move as this horse’s record points to him preferring 1200m and he could perhaps do with a little bit of sharpening up over the minimum trip. The Sail From Seattle gelding is honest and consistent and is rated only five points lower than the highest rated Trip Tease. He is officially the fifth best weighted horse in the race and looks to have enjoyed a good build up, so he could be the dark horse. However, he is officially 4.5kg out with Carry On Alice, which will make winning it tough.

Crawford mentioned Morning Light in the second and Vilikazi in the eleventh a two of his best runners on the day as they had been doing especially well.

However, his most popularly supported horse on the day could be his sixth race contestant Zubbadubbadoo, who has a well documented fairytale story behind him.

By David Thiselton

Mike Bass has two runners in Saturday’s J&B Met, last year’s third-placed Helderberg Blue and the Gr 2 Premier Trophy winner Paterfamilias.

The maestro trainer continues his own brave personal battle to get back to full health, but this has not diminished his closeness to his beloved horses and his intuition in knowing just how well they are.

He said, “Helderberg Blue is particularly full of himself and is drawn well so will do the best he can do, but I am not sure whether that is good enough. He finished third last year and I would be happy with that again.”

The five-year-old Jet Master gelding is drawn two, but faces a stronger field than last year and stable jockey Grant van Niekerk has abandoned him in favour of Paterfamilias.

Bass agrees Paterfamilias has more ability of the two, but was concerned about his wide draw of 12 in the 14-horse field.

He said about the six-year-old Trippi gelding, who has this season proved why he has always been so well regarded, “He galloped very well the other morning. He has had issues and is back to his best. He has also matured, so has been running better races lately. If he can get a spot from the draw he will have a shout. However, it will take a lot to get in from there and I think the draw could cost him.”

Bass has three runners in the Gr 1 Betting World Cape Flying Championships and said, “It’s a race with a mixture of horses and we would be happy to get into the money.” He singled out Line Break as one who had been doing well, although he was not convinced he fitted into this class of field. The mare Fly By Night is a Gr 1 winner, but her raceday performances have become a bit difficult to predict. Six-year-old Tevez has finished third and fourth respectively in the last two runnings of the race and is ideally suited to the tough course as he packs a strong finish.

The day to day running of the Bass yard is in the capable hands of Bass’ daughter Candice Robinson, and the formula is proving successful as they walked away with the Gr 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes trophy last Saturday courtesy of Inara.

By David Thiselton