Met Day Trainer comments

By David Thiselton


Dennis Drier will go into the J&B Met on a high after winning the Grade 1 Betting World Cape Flying Championship with his brilliant five-year-old Var mare Val De Ra over the weekend and he was sure that his four-year-old Dynasty filly Beach Beauty would be “in the money” in this Saturday’s big one.



Drier’s chief comment on Beach Beauty is similar to what he said about Val De Ra last week.



“She is spot on,” he said.



He said he had just been keeping her ticking over since her runner up finish in the TBA Paddock Stakes and that he had been very happy with her Met gallop at Kenilworth last Thursday.



“Her work is done and hopefully in the Met they will go a decent gallop,” he concluded.



Beach Beauty’s loss in the Paddock Stakes had one brighter side in that she escaped a 2kg Grade 1 penalty for the Met.



Her devastating turn of foot is her chief weapon as she proved in the Grade 2 Gold Bracelet over 2000m on Super Sunday at Greyville. She is drawn well in barrier five and of interest is that the favourite Igugu, who won't be hanging around if there is no pace on, is drawn just two outside of her.



Alec Forbes earned widespread praise for a brilliant ride on Val De Ra on Saturday and his confidence will be up again after suffering a possible dent on L'Ormarins Queen's Plate day.



Drier was not too happy with the ride Forbes gave Beach Beauty in the Grade 1 TBA Paddock Stakes over 1800m on Queen's Plate day.



Forbes was reluctant to take the lead, before being forced to do so, and Beach Beauty pulled for her head for most of the way around before fighting on for a gallant second, showing that despite her tiny size she has a huge heart.



On Saturday Forbes did not blitz Val De Ra as he had done over the ultra quick Turffontein 1000m when winning last season’s Computaform Sprint.



Instead, after taking an expected early lead, he restrained her to some extent, knowing what an energy sapper the Kenilworth sprint track can be, and let her out in stages.



He later said modestly that everything had gone perfectly, but his tactics played a big part.



The winning moment was just before the 300m mark when he gave her some more rein at virtually the same instant that What A Winter was mounting his challenge.



She shot further clear and What A Winter now had a mammoth task to make up the leeway.



He got within about a neck, but Forbes reckoned she would have continued to fight him off if the race had gone another 50m.



Whatever happens Drier can look back on a memorable Cape Summer as the small string that he trained out of Philippi having won twelve races including a Grade 2 and a Grade 1 by Val De Ra.

Astro News, one of only two three-year-olds in the J&B Met to be run over 2000m at Kenilworth this Saturday, is a 33-1 outsider, but both trainer Greg Ennion and jockey Richard Fourie are bullish about the Silvano gelding's chances.


Astro News went into his last race, the Peninsula Handicap over 1800m at Kenilworth, off a merit rating of 101 and was drawn wide over a trip he had never tried before.


However, despite having to come from last, he finished just 0,4 lengths back in second after producing a flying finish under Fourie.



He is now merit rated 107 and carries bottom-weight of 52kg, meaning he is officially 6kg under sufferance with the favourite Igugu, who is the best in at the weights.

The Peninsula was only his second start since arriving in Cape Town from Durban and before that he had travelled to Johannesburg to win the Grade 3 Graham Beck Stakes for three-year olds over 1400m at Turffontein on November 5 for trainer Ivan Moore.



Astro News' journey from Durban was very tedious and after leaving at 6:30am on a Monday morning he only arrived at Ennion’s Milnerton yard at 8:30 p.m. the following Tuesday evening.


Ennion said, "The journey took a lot out of him and he is only now getting back to the horse he was when he left Durban. He is looking better and better all the time and is getting better and better. He came through his gallop (the Met gallops at Kenilworth last Thursday) very well. We didn't have to do a lot as he's a fit horse. Richard Fourie is confident of him being right there at the finish. He was drawn on the outside last time and had to come from last. He came for his run down the inside where the going on the day was inferior to where the winner was and would have won it in another few strides. Richard Fourie told me that it was a long time since he had felt acceleration in a horse like that. He flattens out and has a huge action for not a very big horse and, as well as his phenomenal acceleration, his work is very impressive. There is always a question mark when a horse hasn't been the distance before, but he's a Silvano, and although he's out of a Dominion Royale mare, he must be getting his stamina from the Silvano side, so I think he's thrown to the Silvano side."


Ennion didn't have anything negative to say about Astro News, but admitted, "That's the sort of horse you have to have to be able to run in races like this!"


He concluded, "I think he's a runner and so does my jockey."

Would love to read trainer comments for the derby

Yogas Govender has five runners on J&B Met day, including The Grade 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes hopeful Barcelona Winter, and his minor race contenders all look to have chances, although he reckoned his best runner on the day could be Approach Me, while another very interesting runner is Lake Arthur.


He said about Barcelona Winter, a four-year-old Western Winter filly, who finished second to Ebony Flyer in the Diana Stakes over 1400m and third to Covenant in the Sceptre Stakes over 1200m, "She is consistent and has earned her place, but whether she is this class we don't know, but we've got to take our chances.


Approach Me, a four-year-old Right Approach filly, runs in the ninth, a Fillies and Mares 84 Handicap over 2000m, and is second topweight.


Govender said, "She is a nice filly with good form, she is distance suited, doing well and well drawn. Having a look at the field I would say she is probably our best runner on the day."


Lake Arthur, a four-year-old Jet Master gelding, runs in the eighth, a MR96 Handicap over 1200m, having done very well against some good sorts over further including finishing a one length second to Castlethorpe in the Grade 3 Winter Guineas.



Govender said, "He has good form, but I think I've been running him over the wrong distance. He won easily over 1200m and 1400m in his first two starts and has a lot of speed. We've tried him over further, but I don't think he stays, so we're dropping him back now and I think he’s a runner."


In the first, a MR88 Handicap over 1400m, his six-year-old Royal Academy gelding Reigning Monarch, lost six lengths at the start last time and ran on well to be only 1,25 lengths back to Entrador over 1200m.


He has won over 1400m before and is well drawn.



Govender said, "He handles the trip and it suits his style of running as he comes from off them, he won't disgrace himself."


In the fourth, a MR 103 Handicap over 1600m, he runs the six-year-old Fanatic Dane gelding Caymen Island, and Govender said, "He is hard-knocking and ran a very good third in the Peninsula (Grade 2 Handicap over 1800m) despite meeting interference. It’s a bit on the sharp side and he's been a bit unlucky. He hasn't got a good draw again, but he's doing well and we’re hoping for a big race."


Govender summed up his day by saying it’s always tough to win on Met day, but the yard was ticking over nicely and he had good competitive runners.

Great stuff hibs..

Thanks a million..

If anyone is able to get their ands on Mike Azzies comments on Potala Palace, please,please,please post for us.

Thank u

Sure Tipster is on the Job(tu) what a brilliant job he does

any of you guys going to be at kenilworth on saturday ?

Good stuff, was wondering about a few of the govender runners. Now some comments on the kannemeyer runners would be epic.

Solotrama Wrote:

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> any of you guys going to be at kenilworth on
> saturday ?


Scotia ,Oscar,Hotline for sure

Don't forget Zoro we need a driver.....lol

Hibs the more I read bout Beach Beauty the more I like this horse..thanks for the update!..and I see she has been backed

Solotrama Wrote:

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> any of you guys going to be at kenilworth on
> saturday ?
Jack Parow
Cooler Than Ekke (I)


You think you're cooler than Ekke (means 'I', so like 'me') because you smoke Yves
Saint Laurent cigarettes.
You think you're cooler than Ekke (me) because you've got a tattoo of a snake on your tette (boobs).
You think you're cooler than me because you've got a poster of Led Zeppelin above your bed.
You think you're cooler than me because you're at the J&B Met each year (A South African horse-racing event where people wear crazy outfits).-D
You're old news, I come with raw beats
You lie and wait, I go searching for something
You're ice tea; I'm witblits (colourless spirit / alcohol)
You're light beer, I'm spirits
You're the old with the new fresh look
I'm the guy with the Pep Stores pants (generally considered to be a store of cheap pricing and quality)


i'm not cool enough to go!!!:S