David Thiselton
The Dean Kannemeyer-trained Gimmie Rules stamped his Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas credentials in no uncertain terms at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday when displaying his fine turn of foot and winning a B Stakes event over 1400m comfortably under Craig Zackey, despite still showing obvious signs of inexperience.
Officially he was the joint best weighted horse according to official merit ratings together with Coastal Commander, but it nevertheless takes a special horse to come from off a slow pace and running green and wide into the straight on the tight Hollywoodbets Kenilworth Winter course and still getting up, let alone a three-year-old doing it facing decent older horses in a merit rated band event (B Stakes) off a 98 merit rating.
He made it look easy, making up most of the leeway under the hands until being given some backhanders at the 200m mark that saw him extending and he then coasted home to beat Handsome Prince by half-a-length with Jet Rules a head further back.
Kannemeyer pointed out the penny had still not dropped.
It was after all only the fourth career start for the Gimmethegreenlight colt.
He said, “He doesn’t know what it is all about (yet). Looking at him coming around the turn he was still all at sea.”
He added, “I had no doubt this horse would stay on and he’s looking for a mile.”
He revealed, “I brought him here last week and put him in behind a horse to teach him to quicken up. You could see he still didn’t know what to do today, but once he flattened out he started to go away. But we always said from the beginning here is a horse who will go 1600m to 2000m quite comfortably. So this was his final prep for the Guineas and I can assure that he will only improve with racing. We will have to wait and see. What did he beat today? But he couldn’t do more than win.”
Craig Zackey confirmed the pace was slow.
The strong headwind did help Gimmie Rules though and Zackey said, “Just knowing I was on a strong, strapping horse I knew I could bide my time. I put him under pressure at the 200m mark, but it was only at the line he felt like he was releasing.”
This horse is a full brother to Gimme A Prince and The Real Prince, as well as to Gr 3 winner Gimmie’s Countess, and will be out to give the Kannemeyer yard a tenth Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas success, a seventh for Dean with his father Peter also having won three.
Gimmie Rules and his stalwarts siblings are all by Gimmethegreenlight and all are Khaya Stables homebreds.
Adding to the feeling he will get the mile despite the speed he possesses is that The Real Prince won the Hollywoodbets Durban July, whilst Gimme A Prince is an Equus Champion Sprinter but also placed third in the prestigious Gr 1 wfa L’Ormarinns King’s Plate over a mile.
A look at the draws for the Gr 2 Punters Cup over 1600m on November 22 provides the probable reason why Gimme The Rules ran on Saturday as he drew 17 in the Punters Cup.
He fared way better in the Cape Guineas, landing a fine draw of five.
25 horses appeared in the first entries for the Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas on Monday.
Almost all of the big names are there: Jan van Goyen, Tin Pan Alley, Trust, Vapour Trail, Happy Verse, Good For You and also Viva’s Liberte, who like Gimmie Rules is a Khaya Stables homebred, although he is trained by Candice Bass and he blotted his copybook last time out when only managing fourth in a Class 4 event over 1600m running off a 95.
A notable absentee among the Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas entries is the Candice Dawson-trained Gr 2 Omoda Golden Horseshoe winner Chronicle King, who will obviously stay in Johannesburg and take a more conservative route.
Vaughan Marshall will also be going for a seventh Cape Guineas and will have a strong hand with Vapour Trail and Better Man.
The latter is under the radar, but has impressed in his last two starts, winning over 1600m and 1800m respectively.
However, his form was not too well franked by his runner up last time. King’s Quest, who could only manage a 3,50 length fourth on Saturday in a Class 4 event over 1950m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth.
In that race the Kannemeyer-trained Khaya Stables homebred Vercingetorix colt Gallic Victor was all the rage but this Cape Guineas entry was beaten 4,55 lengths into fifth place, despite receiving 2kg from the winner Coco’s Hero. The latter is a three-year-old by Fire Away and this James Crawford-trained colt stamped himself as a Gr 1 SplashOut Cape Derby candidate when getting up under Grant van Niekerk.
Meanwhile, Gimmie Rules is now 5/2 favourite for the Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas with the sponsor. Jan van Goyen is at 5/1 Tin Pan Alley is 7/1, Good For You is 8/1 and Trust and Malmesbury Missile are both 10/1 shots.
