Search
where the horse is always the hero
Article Item
Posted 2014-11-26 21:34:11  
LAIRD LOOKING TO TOP LOUIS IN SUMMER CUP

 

The Gr 1 Gauteng Sansui Summer Cup brings the spring/summer feature race programme in Gauteng to a climax and the Turffontein showpiece sees a renewal of rivalry between last season's Triple Crown hero Louis The King and various charges of trainer Alec Laird (pictured) who chased him home in that series. With a significant weight turnaround in favour of the Laird contingent, he looks well set to come out on top here, although choosing the right one among his four runners is a far from easy task.

Laird has already drawn first blood this season, with Bezanova winning the Charity Mile at the beginning of this month and Louis The King having to settle for third in that race. However, Louis's camp will be confident of reversing the form as he was returning from a four-month break and was clearly in need of the run.  He will prefer the extra 400m here and while Bezanova deserves the utmost respect, he should struggle to confirm the form if Louis The King produces his A-game over this course and distance.

The best-performed of the Laird runners from a Triple Crown perspective was As You Like, who came out of the series with a 3-3-2 record and gave Louis a real battle in the two latter legs, the SA Classic and SA Derby. If the form of those two races is to be taken literally, then, with a 5kg swing in weights, and jumping from a very favourable draw, As You Like should turn the tables handsomely here. He does, however, have some questions to answer around his current wellbeing, coming into the race off two below-par efforts. Louis The King beat him comfortably in the Charity Mile despite conceding him 4.5kg but As You Like was clearly nowhere near his best that day. Of course,  it is not easy to work out if he is ready to reproduce his top form of last season come Saturday, but if he does, he is arguably best-weighted to win here.

Given that As You Like is under a slight cloud on his last couple of efforts, Laird's best hopes may lie with the pair of Bouclette Top (fourth in the first two legs of the Triple Crown) and Earl Of Derby, who ran on from well back to finish third in (appropriately enough) the Derby itself.
Bouclette Top has been gelded and finds himself a whopping 6kg better off with Louis The King on their meetings last season. He's had a satisfactory prep, finishing a respectable fifth in the Charity Mile, and showed last season that he can relax and unwind a late kick, so although he only has form up to 1800m (he was well below par in the Derby) the 2000m trip should not pose any problems. Louis did finish ahead of him in the Charity Mile conceding him 5.5kg, so he won't be scared of giving away weight again, and may yet have the last laugh. It's one of many intriguing scenarios that has been thrown up in the aftermath of the Triple Crown clashes.

Earl Of Derby re-opposes Louis on 5kg better terms on their Derby meeting and ran a cracking trial for this race when flying up for second in the Gr 2 Victory Moon Stakes over 1800m. He looks ideally course and distance suited and the only concern is a dreadful draw, although that is not a deal-breaker at this track.

Louis The King is the obvious spearhead of trainer Geoff Woodruff's team, but the yard suffered a blow when Master Sabina - a serious contender here - had to be withdrawn. Of his remaining three runners, Killua Castle did well to finish fifth in this race last year but his recent form is uninspiring, while Rake's Chestnut's claims rest on a single, career-best effort when almost toppling champion Legislate in the Daily News 2000. Things have gone wrong in all three races since then and while there are valid excuses for each of those failures (he dislodged jockey Anton Marcus in the Charity Mile) he simply has no current form that one can work on. Only the race will tell if he can reprise his Daily News heroics here.

That leaves Lockheed Jetstar, a lightly-raced 6-year-old who has clearly had his share of problems, but has shown good improvement this year, winning the listed Thukela Handicap and running well after a four month break when fourth in the Charity Mile. He is talented but his best form is around a mile and he ventures into unknown territory here in terms of distance. If he stays, he should be involved in the finish.

While the Laird and Woodruff yards are likely to garner the most attention, understandably given the quality and quantity of their contenders, it would be foolish to think of this a two-trainer contest and there are a good few others who warrant close attention.

Topweight No Worries has regained top form and established himself as one of the better middle-distance performers in the country. His narrow defeat in the Charity Mile was full of merit, as he conceded 2.5kg to Bezanova and jumped from the widest draw of all. As with Louis The King, the weight is a bit of a dampener on his expectations of actually winning, but his sheer class means that he should be close up in the finishing stages.

Judicial was an impressive winner of the Victory Moon Stakes and will be even better over the extra furlong here. He is handily weighted and his ability to drop out early should negate a poor draw, a sentiment that also applies to the smart filly Athina, who will be doing her best work late and should be included for trifecta and quartet purposes.
Bold Inspiration has won four in a row and although taking a steep jump in class,  looks relatively unexposed. Sean Cormack takes the ride for Charles Laird and he is another one who has to be included in calculations.

Disco Al is a dual winner of the Algoa Cup in Port Elizabeth and faces an obviously tougher task here. Having said that, he ran some decent races in Durban during the winter against competitive opposition and he does pack a good turn of foot. If he is not undone by the altitude, he could well make a bold bid here.

Jet Belle is a remarkably versatile mare who posted graded race victories against her own sex over six and ten furlongs last season. It's a stretch to see her winning in open company here but she does have reasonable place prospects if things go her way.

Wavin' Flag is given relatively little prominence here, not out of disrespect - he is one of only two Gr 1 winners here and is thus more accomplished than most of his rivals here - but simply because the trip looks to be much too sharp for the Gold Cup winner.

Glorious Jet has regained some sort of form of late and should be running at them late, although a minor placing looks the limit of his aspirations. Stablemate Everest actually finished ahead of Glorious Jet in the Victory Moon Stakes, a game third after making the running in heavy conditions. His overall profile, though, leaves him short of troubling this calibre of opposition.

Sovereign Mint put together an excellent run of four wins coming into the Charity Mile but did not really make an impression there and looks to have his work cut out over this longer trip, having essentially shown his best form in the 1400m-1600m range.

Enchanted Silk completes the line-up and while she has posted some smart wins, her bare form leaves her with a very stiff task against this level of opposition.

Given that it is essentially a large-field handicap, it is not surprising that favourites have a relatively poor record in this race, and that it has thrown up more than its fair share of upset results.  Bouclette Top might sound like a slightly outlandish first choice, but he's got the weight and the draw and hasn't been too far behind in most of his big-race efforts. This race may just have come at the right time for him and he is a marginal selection to take the honours at what should be decent odds. There are threats aplenty, of course, of which the main one may come from stablemate Earl Of Derby. Louis The King ticks just about every conceivable box, but for all his undoubted class, the weight has to be a worry and while the heart may be willing him on, the head suggests he may have to settle for the placings. Others to command serious respect include No Worries, Judicial, Athina and Bold Inspiration, while As You Like is difficult to assess on his most recent form but if he reproduces his best, has genuine winning claims at the weights.

Rate:
Email link to a friend | Printable Version
  • South Africa
    Displaying 10 ResultsSee All
    aiden o'brien splits with long time rider2 days ago

    A significant development has occurred in the world of horse racing as Aidan O’Brien and his l...

    View | Add Comment
    richard fourie: 218 and counting2 days ago

    Richard Fourie has hit home 218 winners after today's Kenilworth meeting in the quest to beat Anthon...

    View | Add Comment
    jockey, trainer in charge disagree with dead heat post race comments2 days ago

    Miss Argonaut won an excellent race for Peter Muscutt and owner Jason Muragasa at Kenilworth on Satu...

    View | Add Comment
    kennedy rides another gr1 in new zealand 2 days ago

    South African Jockey Warren Kennedy claimed yet another New Zealand Gr 1 event when he was took out ...

    View | Add Comment
    south africans arrive in united states in first shipment in decades 2024-03-08

    It's been a closely guarded secret that a shipment of 11 horses has arrived in the United States, to...

    View | Add Comment
    peter case: state declines to prosecute nha official 2024-03-08

    STATE DECLINES TO PROSECUTE THE NHA’S SPECIAL INVESTIGATING OFFICER ON ASSAULT CHARGES Mrs Ma...

    View | Add Comment
    fourie hits 200 and gimme a nother won't be winning any triple tiara2024-03-06

    Richard Fourie, the current darling of the punters, has topped the 200winner mark for eg season an...

    View | Add Comment
    main defender shoots to a 131 merit rating 2024-03-05

     Main Defender has had a whopping 10 point Merit rating increase from a 121 to a 131 meaning th...

    View | Add Comment
    sandringham summit minor abrasion after classic run2024-03-04

    Star Colt, and the best 3 year old in the land on ratings, Sandringham Summit, has been reported to ...

    View | Add Comment
    mark khan celebrates maiden victory with debut runner2024-03-02

      Former champion jockey Mark Khan secured his first triumph as a trainer with his inaugural r...

    View | Add Comment