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 (Liesl King)

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.”

Helderberg Blue (Nkosi Hlophe)

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

With 36 horses carded to run at the J&B Met meeting on Saturday, trainer Justin Snaith will have little time to socialise at the 12-race meeting and that will suit him fine – it means he can turn off his cell phone after Race 3 and pray that when he turns it back on again there are no death threats.

Justin Snaith (Nkosi Hlophe)

Historically it’s a no-holds-barred day for Snaith and he chuckles: “If it has four legs and is feeling good, it’s running. My horses are all really well and ready for action.”

But he is loath to single out those he prefers because “although my intentions are always good, in the past I’ve had death threats from disgruntled punters. It started on Met Day in 2007 when Gulf Trade got rolled in Race 9 and only stopped about a year ago (after he won the national trainers’ championship). But, even so, when I’ve got more than one horse running on Met Day, I won’t put myself in the firing line. Some punters have huge bets at this meeting.”

And that horses can make fools of people is highlighted by last weekend’s Investec Cape Derby result. Although Snaith warned fans in the pre-race interview that eventual winner It’s My Turn was “working the house down”, most still sided with his better-fancied stablemate Black Arthur, who finished fourth.

Futura (Liesl King)

When pressed about his tips for this Saturday, he suggested punters should follow the jockeys. “I’ve gone for the best jockeys on my better-fancied horses – Piere Strydom, S’manga Khumalo and, where I could, Anthony Delpech. They are all ordinarily top jockeys but at the moment are riding the best in their careers. They’re hot property.”

Three of his minor-race runners, he says, are progressive and could be well handicapped – Prince Of Wales (Race 11), Baritone (Race 12) and, maybe, Star Express (Race 2).

He has three runners in the Met but will not separate his two stable stars – Futura, who won this race last year while in the care of Brett Crawford, and Legislate.

“It’s a close call,” he says. “Futura ran a bit of a flat race when fifth in the Queen’s Plate – he didn’t enjoy the slow pace and is certainly better than that. He will be ready come Saturday. Legislate (second to Legal Eagle in the Queen’s Plate) seems to be back to the same form as when he won the Cape Derby, the Daily News and the Durban July as a three-year-old.

“We are the underdogs,” he says, pointing out that Futura would be getting 0.5kg from Legal Eagle in a handicap and Legislate would be 1.5kg to the good over the big-race favourite.

Legislate (Liesl King)

“Legal Eagle has got it all going for him. Sean Tarry’s team have the confidence.”

Snaith’s third runner is Krambambuli, who is hopelessly out at the weights but is versatile in that he can lead or come from just off the pace. Many trainers will be hoping Snaith has him in the race to set a good and steady gallop so every horse has an equal chance.

Snaith is noncommittal at the suggestion though, saying, “That’s not something I like to do.”

He is taking it one race at a time with Futura and Legislate, but there is a possibility one of them could travel to Jozi for the summer-autumn season. A team decision will be made after Met Day.

“I was very comfortable in Durban last year but the stables I used then are now occupied and I’m concerned where I might be put. Before I take a string to Durban I’ll need to make sure my horses will be comfortable. The other option is to raid from my Turffontein satellite yard.”

– Nikki Garner for TABnews

The J&B Met meeting Pick 6 is always difficult to catch, but it is still worth having a go due to the potential big payout, and this year the expected pool is R8 million thanks to a R2,2 million carryover.

Brutal Force (Liesl King)

The first leg is a potential stumbling block as it is a Listed two-year-old event in which weight is decided by number of wins and there is also a filly’s allowance. The two Justin Snaith runners look to have scope and so does the other winner in the field, Felicity Flyer. However, they have to give away weight so the best route looks to be to take the field without the non-runners, which would mean including seven runners.

It gets no easier because the second leg is a fillies and mares handicap over 1400m. However, Silvan Star looks a classy sort and was most unlucky not to remain unbeaten in her second start last time out over this course and distance. She must have a big chance again despite a wide draw. Qing is an impressive sort and is drawn well under Piere Strydom, and she should be effective over this trip despite likely preferring a touch further. She has to overcome a seven point raise but looks up to it. Those two could perhaps be risked as the only two for the Pick 6.

The third leg is a tough MR 96 Handicap over 1200m.  Space Launch is back to a winning mark and can do better than last time when finding no cover.  Captain Swarovski won that race in good style and this scopey sort could continue to progress off a four point higher mark. Sea Fever and Captain Sam both ran well in a strong form race over 1100m and could be included. Mister Matchett ran a cracker last time out when out at the weights and has to be considered. Rodney is stepped back in trip and has good form over sprints so is another one to be considered.

The fourth leg is the Gr 1 Betting World Cape Flying Championships over 1000m and a top class field lines up. Carry On Alice’s last run can be ignored, as nothing went right for her, and she is the one to beat. Brutal Force is ever improving since gelding and must go in to the equation. Trip Tease is officially the best weighted horse in the race and has a high strike rate. Guinness is a classy Gr 1 winner who is said to be back to his best. Harry Lime is an outsider to consider as gelding has brought the best out of him and he won in fine style last time out, suggesting he is better than his merit rating, and he could continue to progress.

Guiness (Nkosi Hlophe)

The fifth is the big one, the J&B Met, and it could be at the mercy of the favourite Legal Eagle as his limit is still unknown and the best he has shown to date would be good enough to win anyway. He could be a banker, although the one possibly capable of beating him would be Futura.

The final leg is the J&B Urban Honey Stayers in which an upset is always possible, especially when considering the likelihood of the infamous “Cape Crawl” playing a part. However, the SA Oaks winner Pine Princess is well weighted and looks the one to beat. Solid Speed ran a fine preparation race when winning over 1600m and will appreciate the step up in trip. Last year’s winner Kingston Mines can be included along with last year’s runner up Coltrane, while the reliable Current Event could defy his merit rating, the well weighted Hot Ticket is a class act on his day, Masterly has the masterful Piere Strydom up, Ovidio could be yet to show his best and Gallica Rose is third best in at the weights and interesting over this trip.

This provides a guideline for the most difficult of bets, and taking it usually adds some excitement to the day as the dream of winning big is always a possibility.

By David Thiselton