Pomp and Power was an emphatic winner of the Cape Derby, proving that not only is he a very smart horse up to a mile but is even more effective over middle distances, as one would expect based on his pedigree.
He came through down the inside rail to out-finish Universal (speed score 105), after that one had seen off favourite, Double Superlative. It was an excellent performance by the big-hearted, son of Vercingetorix, worthy of a fine speed figure of 106 +.
“Don’t try make them stay” conceded trainer Dean Kannemeyer as Cosmic Highway (s/s 111) successfully turned back to sprints to win the G2 Diadem Stakes, after being campaigned up to 1600m. It’s not that he is a slouch over a mile – after all he nearly beat Pomp and Power despite a tough trip in the Concorde Stakes, but it could be that sprinting really is his forte.
Fellow three-year-old, Trip of Fortune kicked on best of the rest to sneak second, ahead of Rio Querari who wasn’t striding out and is yet to regain the form of last season when he was hitting some seriously big speed numbers.
Princess Calla justified favoritism in the Prix du Cap in a dominant front-running show. She had run gamely in higher class races and proved much the best dropping down to G3 level over an ideal 1400m distance.
Piet Steyn lifted both Nurseries with two unfashionably bred cheapies that he selected based on their physical appearance. We’re Jammin (s/s 91) and Epsom Girl cost only 15K each and have already provided Steyn with a fantastic return on that modest investment.