BIG CITY LIFE LEADS HOME 3-Y-O CHARGE IN 2009 JULY
Big City Life (SAF) crowned a superb season by annexing the 2009 Vodacom Durban July at Greyville on Saturday, seeing off a spirited challenge from Zirconeum (SAF) with pacemaker Forest Path (SAF) staying on for third place and ensuring a clean sweep for the 3-year-olds. Outsider Thundering Jet (SAF) was fourth, just ahead of stablemate and hot favourite Pocket Power (SAF).
Big City Life was the first one out of the gates and eventually settled in third as Forest Path went out to make the running ahead of Aluminium. Zirconeum sat in fourth with Thundering Jet and Smart Banker next best. River Jetez, who many felt was the main danger to Pocket Power sat in midfield but all eyes were on the backmarkers, with Pocket Power third last for much of the race, only Kapil and Outcome behind him.
Pocket Power had dropped out to last by the time they turned for home but he was shown daylight as he went for a run down the outside and started to make up ground. However, the real action was still taking place up front with Forest Path not exactly stopping and Big City Life and Zirconeum still travelling with a bit in hand. Big City Life took charge about halfway down the straight and although Zirconeum pressed him all the way to the line, she was always going to come off second best as Big City Life confirmed his status as the best 3-year-old around and placed himself in pole position to dethrone Pocket Power as Horse Of The Year.
The race was a triumph for trainer Glen Kotzen who has been having his best ever season and jockey Greg Cheyne who rode a copybook race. Both had been very bullish going into the race and their stable star fully repaid their faith.
Big City Life has simply gotten better as the season has progressed and while his win in the Daily News 2000 had not initially looked as emphatic as expected, it turned out to be a dress rehearsal for the July as almost identical tactics were used, the son of Casey Tibbs sitting a lot handier than usual and kicking for home early in the straight. This was his third Gr1 victory of the season and lest we forget, he also won the Gr 2 KRA Guineas, a race which for many years also enjoyed Gr 1 status and which many feel still deserves top-tier status. The Equus award for champion 3-year-old is a formality but with Pocket Power having also won three big Gr 1 races this season - and the Champions Cup still an option - it will be interesting to see what transpires when the panel casts votes for Horse Of The Year.
The scary thing for the opposition is that Big City Life looks the sort who will be even better at age four and his connections have a multitude of options to ponder over as far as his future plans are concerned.
Zirconeum ran the race of her life in second and the daughter of Jallad upheld her proud record of never having run a bad race in two hectic seasons of top-level racing. She was up with the pace throughout and her effort never flagged as she chased the winner all the way down the straight.
Forest Path remains an enigma but this effort showed just what he is capable of when in the mood. Despite doing the hard work up front, he stuck gamely to his task in the straight and was only beaten two lengths at the end.
Thundering Jet would certainly have raised a few eyebrows in fourth. He's always hinted that he is capable of bigger things but his overall profile seemed him well short of what was required here. He was nicely placed and at around R8 a place, his supporters will be delighted at the resolve he showed when the heat was on.
Inevitably, much of the post-race talk centred around Pocket Power's failure to add to his already stellar record. The champion may have disappointed his fans on the day but a bit of perspective should show that he didn't really let himself down: he had plenty of work to do turning for home and to come from that far off in a relatively slow-run race was always going to be a tall order, even for a horse of his calibre. He was conceding at least 7kg to the four horses that beat him home and he was within three lengths of the winner at the line so he certainly wasn't disgraced.
A topic of discussion that might linger a bit longer is the relative strength of this season's 3-year-old crop. On the whole, they certainly haven't looked the part for much of the season relative to their older peers but on the biggest racing day of the year, they came up trumps in no uncertain terms.
Big City Life is a 3-y-o colt by Casey Tibbs (IRE) out of Dollar Crisis (SAF) by Goldmark (SAF). He is owned by Messrs R W Deacon, H J Basson, G A Hauptfleisch, G S Kotzen & G W Mitchell and was bred by Mrs J A Wintle.
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