Entries J&B MET

Mmmm.....sweet, sweet draw for Fabiani...

Dan De Lago could stop PP making history, but I hope not.

You are all forgetting that they will have to catch and pass RED RAKE....

I've said before the only value left is Red Rake, I still think if the Pocket runs his race he'll be very tough to beat. Every single horse is out at the weights.

Using Fabiani as the line horse from the Premiers run I would say Red Rake has a chance of toppling the champ. Dan De Lago maybe but I think 4-1 is too short.

I do like to see the best horses win but the mystique of the Met has gone with the way the current weights are set up...

PP, Red Rake, Oracy, Dan, Mother Russia and RJ .... the rest are there for the show

As Saksy has pointed out, Red Rake has an undeniable chance on a line through Fabiani. I don't think there is any collateral from to indicate where Oracy and Dan de Lago fits in and my gut feeling is that they are not good enough at these weights (which means that they will probably run 1-2).

Like most people I would love it if Pocket Power can make it 4 in a row, but strictly on the Queen's Plate run, he is going to struggle to finish in front of Fabiani (who should actually have finished closer to PP in the QP) and Fabiani is held by Red Rake on the Premier Trophy run.

So:
1st Red Rake
2nd Fabiani
3rd Toss up between Pocket Power and River Jetez

Trainer Mike Bass must have been in a good mood after the draw for the R2,5 million J&B Met (Gr 1) while Basil Marcus was very pleased with the pole position draw for his front running stalwart, Red Rake.



The draw for the Western Cape’s biggest race to be run over 2000m at Kenilworth Racecourse on Saturday, January 30, was made at the course before yesterday’s race meeting.



Red Rake’s draw was awaited with interest as he is almost certain to be the pacemaker.


Red Rake drawn1

Marcus said, “From draw one to eight would have been good so draw one is a benefit. He won’t have to work too hard to get to the front. Now we will just have to see whether he’s good enough.”



Marcus added that how beneficial the draw was would also depend on how the race panned out.



The bookmakers reacted to the draw by shortening Red Rake from 20-1 to 12-1.



In a field of 18, the champion Pocket Power drew in stall two, while Bass’s other charges Fort Vogue, Diamond Quest, River Jetez and Blue Tiger also received good draws in stalls four, seven, nine and ten respectively.


Fort Vogue Drawn 4


Blue Tiger drawn 10


Diamond Quest drawn 7


River Jetez drawn 9



Pocket Power’s inside berth is even better considering he has Red Rake on his inside and the hold-up horse Kapil on his outside. This means he should have plenty of room in the initial stages to advance into a handy position, using Red Rake as the lead.


Pocket Power drawn 2


Bernard Fayd’herbe might want to get him handy in order to avoid being shuffled back on the rail as he was in the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate.



Pocket Power’s winning draws in the previous three runnings of the Met have been nine, four and eight, while his draw this year of two has been the winning draw twice in the last 20 years.



The most popular winning draw in this period has been four, with four victories, so that augurs well for Fort Vogue.



The second favourite, the Charles Laird-trained Dan De Lago, drew well in stall eight, while his stable mate and third-favourite Oracy drew very wide in stall 17.


Dan De Lago drawn 8


Anton Marcus immediately jumped ship from Oracy to Dan De Lago as he had done for the same reason in the Vodacom Durban July when jumping from Smart Banker on to Our Giant.


Oracy drawn 17



Big City Life did not draw the magical number 10 barrier position from which he has won all three of his Grade 1 races. He drew 14.


Big City Life drawn 14



His stable mate Fabiani, who dead-heated with him in the Queen’s Plate, drew perfectly in five.


Fabiani drawn 5

If he is as effective over 2000m as a mile, he will be a huge runner, being 2,5kg better off with Pocket Power for a 1,25 length beating in the Queen’s Plate.



Kapil drawn 3
Stan Elley would have been pleased with Kapil’s draw at three as he will surely be dropped out early so the draw for him is never very important.

Cheers Bob another great post

Impressive Bloodstock SA Cape Guineas winner, Noordhoek Flyer, who lowered the colours of the much vaunted Galileo’s Galaxy, aims for a Classic double when he lines up for the R600 000 Investec Cape Derby (Gr 1) to be run over 2000 m at Kenilworth Racecourse on Saturday, January 30.

The Investec Cape Derby is one of three cracking Graded features on the supporting card for the R2,5 million J & B Met (Gr 1) in what promises to be a bumper day’s racing to round off the Cape Sizzling Summer Season.

Galileo’s Galaxy is missing from the Derby line-up but the race has still drawn a full field of 16 so trainer Dean Kannemeyer’s runner will not be short of opposition.

Cape Classic winner Captain’s Secret was beaten less than two lengths by Noordhoek Flyer in the Guineas where he drew towards the outside of the field. The draw has not been kind again but the extra 400m should make things a little easier for jockey Bernard Fayde’ Herbe.

Veteran trainer Alan Higgins saddles fourth placed Guineas runner Ancestral Fore with the pride of Port Elizabeth, Bold Silvano, a close-up sixth in the Guineas, also in the line-up.


R600 000 Investec Cape Derby (Grade 1) 2000m to be runat Kenilworth on Saturday, January 30.

Sc# Horse Mass MR Draw B A T Jockey Trainer
1 NOORDHOEK FLYER 57.0 106 ( 94) 5 A K Neisius Dean Kannemeyer
2 CAPTAIN'S SECRET 57.0 104 ( 92) 11 A B Fayd'Herbe Mike Bass
3 ANCESTRAL FORE 57.0 101 ( 89) 2 A R Fourie Alan Higgins
4 BOLD SILVANO 57.0 101 ( 89) 6 A W Kennedy Gavin Smith
5 IRISH FLAME 57.0 97 ( 85) 4 A G Schlechter Dean Kannemeyer
6 CHINDIT 57.0 94 ( 82) 8 A P Strydom Basil Marcus
7 LIZARRE 57.0 94 ( 82) 3 A S Cormack Michael Miller
8 AIM HIGH 57.0 92 ( 80) 15 A *K Teetan Glen Kotzen
9 BRAVURA 57.0 92 ( 80) 18 A A Marcus Joey Ramsden
10 ROBERT THE BRUCE 57.0 92 ( 80) 13 A F Coetzee Justin Snaith
11 CELTIC FIRE 57.0 91 ( 79) 9 A T N Rapson Alan Greeff
12 PADDY O'REILLY 57.0 91 ( 79) 1 B A R Danielson Glen Kotzen
13 FEET OF FIRE 57.0 88 ( 76) 7 B A O Noach Darryl Hodgson
14 HAMMIE'S BOY 57.0 83 ( 71) 12 A G Hatt Mike Bass
15 DOUBLE EXPOSURE 57.0 82 ( 70) 17 B A K Jupp Basil Marcus
16 QUICKSHOT 57.0 82 ( 70) 16 A M Byleveld Vaughan Marshall


The second Grade 1 supporting feature on the day is the Klawervlei Majorca Stakes to be run over 1600 m. One of the most important races for fillies and mares on the racing calendar, the Justin Snaith-trained Sparkling Gem will be looking to put the record straight after finishing a gallant second to Mother Russia in last year’s event.
Mother Russia has dodged the return clash this year and instead will take on the colts in the J & B Met.

Rated the equal of Sparkling Gem is last season’s champion sophomore filly, Lady Windermere. Trainer Glen Kotzen’s runner has been a touch off colour in two sprints this term but reeled off back-to-back Grade 1 victories towards the end of last season, the SA Fillies Sprint and the Garden Province Stakes respectively. She should strip at her peak for this event.

Avontuur Estate Cape Fillies Guineas (Gr 1) winner, Field Flower, is also in the line-up along with other smart three-year-olds, Croc Valley and Gluwein.


R500 000 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes (Gr 1)1600 to be run at Kenilworth on Saturday, January 30.

Sc# Horse Mass MR Draw B A T Jockey Trainer
1 LADY WINDERMERE 58.0 104 (104) 6 A *K Teetan Glen Kotzen
2 SPARKLING GEM 58.0 104 (104) 9 A F Coetzee Justin Snaith
3 GOAT 58.0 98 ( 98) 10 B A T A Marcus Paul Lafferty
4 LOVE IS IN THE AIR 58.0 98 ( 98) 11 A K Neisius Mike Bass
5 FAVOURITE ISLAND 58.0 96 ( 96) 8 A P Strydom Vaughan Marshall
6 TUVANA SILVA 58.0 96 ( 96) 2 A T M Byleveld Alan Greeff
7 GIANT'S JEWEL 58.0 94 ( 94) 1 B A T P Cosgrave Dylan Cunha
8 TEMAIR 58.0 94 ( 94) 4 A S Randolph Mike Bass
9 COCOA BEACH 58.0 90 ( 90) 5 B A S Cormack Basil Marcus
10 FIELD FLOWER 53.0 97 ( 87) 7 A G Schlechter S H Page
11 CROC VALLEY 53.0 90 ( 80) 12 A G Hatt Mike Bass
12 GLUWEIN 53.0 90 ( 80) 3 A A Delpech Mike de Kock
Couplings: (4,8,11)



The J & B Reserve Stayers (Gr 2) is most always the last event on the J & B Met card and once again has attracted a top class field headed by last year’s winner, Mokaro.

Since then, trainer Stephen Page’s runner has won the Canon Gold Cup (Gr 1) and more recently the Cape Summer Stayers Handicap.

Mokaro will be giving weight all round here including accomplished stayers Bill of Rights, Arctic Fleece, stable companion Noble Wood and Tan Can.


R300 000 J & B Reserve Stayers (Gr 2) 2 800 m to be run at Kenilworth on Saturday, January 30

Sc# Horse Mass MR Draw B A T Jockey Trainer
1 MOKARO 58.0 109 (109) 2 B A R Fourie S H Page
2 DIAMOND QUEST 56.0 98 ( 98) 9 A K Neisius Mike Bass
3 BILL OF RIGHTS 54.5 104 (104) 4 A A Marcus Mike Bass
4 ARCTIC FLEECE 54.0 97 ( 97) 6 A W Kennedy Jacques Strydom
5 CASEY'S SON 54.0 97 ( 97) 8 A M Byleveld Glen Kotzen
6 NOBLEWOOD 54.0 97 ( 97) 10 A G Schlechter S H Page
7 TAN CAN 54.0 97 ( 97) 14 B A A Delpech Dean Kannemeyer
8 FRANKIE DE WHEELS 54.0 95 ( 95) 7 A K Jupp Mike Bass
9 OLYMPIC GOLD 54.0 92 ( 92) 3 A S Cormack Glen Kotzen
10 CLOAK OF GOLD 54.0 67 ( 67) 16 A ............... S H Page
11 ROBINSON CRUSOE 52.5 93 ( 90) 13 A *K Teetan Glen Kotzen
12 SANGRIA GIRL 52.5 92 ( 92) 17 A R Danielson Greg Ennion
13 DIRECTORATE 52.5 89 ( 86) 1 A ............... Dylan Cunha
14 GOLDEN PARACHUTE 52.5 85 ( 82) 5 B A G Hatt Mike Bass
15 HOSPITALITY 52.5 84 ( 81) 11 A F Coetzee Mike Stewart
16 DANCING LADY 51.0 91 ( 88) 15 B A M Yeni Mike de Kock
17 GILMORE GIRL 51.0 86 ( 83) 12 A ............... Dylan Cunha
Couplings: (1,6,10) (2,3,8,14) (5,9,11) (13,17)


Journalist: Andrew Harrison (Gold Circle)

Noordhoek Flyer/ Sparkling Gem / ????

So is Diamond Quest going to run in the Met as a warm-up before attempting the Reserve Stayers?

2000m + 2800m = 4800m ...finally they running him over his correct distance