Super Sunday at Greyville is the obvious focus of this week’s racing newsletter – and there were some fine performances to record for posterity.
Dave the King, who runs around 113 at a peak, came out fresh and firing in a race run to suit his sustained galloping style, proving best in the G1 Champions Cup over 1800m. The Global View gelding’s 46.1 second 800m to finish sectional got the job done. He was chased in by second-again, Cousin Casey.
Consistently placed at the top level, Surjay (speed score 107) snapped a 624-day losing streak in the G1 Mercury Sprint. Here too the race panned out beautifully, for the well-positioned, Vercingetorix gelding to finally crack it.
Both juvenile features over a mile were concluded in virtually the same final time so the fillies VJ’s Angel (s/s 97 +, sired by Gimmethegreenlight) in the G1 Champion Stakes and the remarkable win machine Quid Pro Quo (s/s 98, by Lance) got similar numbers.
VJ’s Angel did finish especially quickly -22.5 seconds for the final 400m, taking advantage of a favorable set up to beat the colts, whilst S’manga Khumalo had to ride a pearler on the widely drawn, hot-favourite in the G1 Douglas Whyte Stakes, rousting QPQ to be handy from gate 12, then draw off from Fatal Flaw (s/s 94.)
The 3200m Gold Cup, now lamentably reduced to G3 status, is one of the last remaining tests for genuine stayers in SA. Master Redoute (Querari) prevailed in an exciting skirmish over the persistent, Shoot the Rapids with the stamina laden, Ponte Pietra running boldly over ground – as his breeding suggested he could. Future Swing was close in fourth.
Cat’s Pajamas (s/s 93, by Rafeef) and Just Reckless (s/s 91 +, by Gimmethegreenlight) took out G2 juvenile sprint features earlier on the card with decent figures and are sure to improve as they mature physically.
Backed into favoritism, Red Palace (s/s 104+, by Potala Palace) won the G2 Gold Bracelet over 2000m under tight wraps, as the market anticipated, with stiff, Saartjie (s/s 104) closing sharply late in a spirited stretch run from far off the pace.
An exceptionally smart performance in the night cap by King of the Gauls (s/s 106 ++) suggests that he will be a major factor in Graded sprints in future.
The Vercingetorix three-year-old used natural speed to overcome draw 14, (no easy feat in races at this biased course over 1000m) and cleared off to win the Umgeni Handicap in some style with a come home fraction of 21.86 seconds. That suggests the performance is worthy of an upgraded speed fig of 112. He is a bright long-range prospect for the Cape Merchants and G1 WFA races thereafter…