MJ Byleveld’s mount is the only horse in the field to have come anywhere near winning a Grade 1 and adjusted merit ratings indicate that he has nearly seven lengths in hand.
“He is well in but you’ve got to take these ratings with a pinch of salt,” says Vaughan Marshall whose feet are invariably firmly on the ground. “However he has been doing very well and he worked well when I took him to Durbanville for a gallop.”
No, there is no special weight of expectation from Marshall. It’s the lack of it on the part of his rivals that is so telling.
Heartland (9-2) is the one horse in the field who could make the big time – even if the form of his wide-margin debut is hardly worth the paper it’s printed on – and Justin Snaith believes he is the real deal.
“Heartland is a very good horse,” he says but it’s the colt’s fitness that gives the champion trainer serious reservations. “We asked to gallop him at Kenilworth and they wouldn’t let us. I’ve got to find a race for him and I’m using this as a gallop rather than going for glory. I want to see him running on at the end and then have him ready for another day.”
Langerman winner Act Of War is forecast 18-10 second favourite but Anton Marcus’s mount has to give weight all round, including 4.5kg to Mljet, and he hasn’t raced for 15 weeks. “He is pretty fit although not fully wound up but it’s a very stiff task,” says Joey Ramsden who also runs the once-raced maiden winner Prince Of Eden (14-1) – “It was quite strong maiden form and we are giving him a run here to see where we are with him.”
Mike Bass, bidding for his sixth Cape Classic in 13 seasons, relies on 20-1 shot Sheer Trouble whose Durbanville defeat of last Saturday’s easy winner Bruno reads well. But the master has doubts whether the horse’s class is quite up to this. “He has come on a bit but I’m not expecting too much and I’ll be delighted if he runs a place.”
Glen Kotzen, very much on song, is hopeful of a strong performance from 16-1 chance Zingaro who trounced Brutal Force before disappointing at Durbanville where he refused to settle early on. His trainer believes the course didn’t suit him and the handicappers put him in too high. “We are running Zingaro because we want to test him,” Kotzen adds, “and he definitely has a shout.”
Moonlight Runner has some solid form but the forecast 25-1 is a fair assessment of his chance, Al Capitano is a 33-1 shot and the once-raced Saint Donan is the rank outsider at 50-1. Favourites have a good record, winning half of the last 12 runnings and making the frame in the other six.
Zingaro should get an early boost from Brutal Force who is evens favourite to win the opening maiden. But it’s more a question of how far. The colt needs to win by a wide margin to get into next month’s Lanzerac Ready To Run so expect to see Marcus shoot him out of the pens and attempt to stretch away.
