Five-times national champion trainer Geoff Woodruff deserves a change of luck at Greyville and has two good chances of landing the Gr 1 eLan Gold Cup on Sunday with Master Sabina and Arch Rival.

Master Sabina has been prepared out of Summerveld for the marathon 3200m event, while Arch Rival will have to travel down from Randjesfontein. Woodruff said Master Sabina had not missed any work despite the buckets of rain which had hit KZN.

Woodruff said he would not like to separate the pair, but if he had to he would swing towards Master Sabina.

He said, “Master Sabina is faster over a shorter distance, I don’t think he would out stay Arch Rival and at the weights there is very little in it. I might be a bit biased but Master Sabina is the classier of the pair, he is a Gr 1 winner, and has a good turn of foot. If things go his way he is a big runner.”

Master Sabina, a six-year-old gelding by Jet Master, is the only Gr 1 winner in the field and duly carries topweight. However, Woodruff thinks he is up to it. He said, “He finished fifth in the Gold Cup two years ago, despite nearly being brought down.”

Woodruff also pointed out Master Sabina (pictured) had been unlucky in this year’s Vodacom Durban July, when circumstances forced him to be taken back early and he was then simply too far out of his ground. He ran on well but the race was already over.

Master Sabina also has the advantage of an inside draw of two. Gavin Lerena, who rode him to Gr 1 Sansui Summer Cup glory last November as well as in the July, is aboard again. He said recently, “I love riding this horse.”

Master Sabina has shown a liking for Greyville and in 2014 was an impressive winner of the Gr 3 tabGold 2200.

His stablemate, the five-year-old A. P. Arrow gelding Arch Rival, has a big chance on formlines. However, Woodruff believed one of the factors which was against Arch Rival was the tight nature of Greyville racecourse. He said, “He has run his best races on galloping tracks.”

Woodruff said he would like to see Arch Rival one wide in midfield as “he likes to run at them in the straight.” However, Raymond Danielson is going to have his work cut out finding such a position in the running from a wide draw of thirteen.

Arch Rival has won his last two starts, the Gr 2 Gold Bowl over 3200m and a Pinnacle Stakes event over 2450m, both on the galloping Turffontein Standside track.

In the latter event he beat the ruling Gold Cup favourite Enaad by 0,4 lengths and will now be 1,5kg better off with him. When comparing Arch Rival’s Gold Bowl victory to that of Enaad’s Gr 3 Gold Vase win over 3000m at Greyville, Arch Rival also comes out better than Enaad on a line through Smart Mart. On paper Arch Rival has a big shout.

Arch Rival’s last run on June 12 was seven weeks ago, but Woodruff said he was not the sort who needed a preparation run. He clarified, “He is lean and naturally fit. You can get him fit enough at home.”

He described Arch Rival as being “tall and elegant” and “good natured”. The imposing chestnut, who always runs in blinkers, is stereotypical of a stayer and looks to be a huge runner.

Woodruff will be out to end a hoodoo as he has finished second in the Gold Cup no fewer than four times without ever winning it.

David Thiselton