A dismal effort by the favourite Night Trip opened the door for the well-travelled Big Cat to grind his way to a shock victory with a sustained effort down the inside rail in the R150 000 Cape Mile at Kenilworth on Saturday.
Big Cat (JP van der Merwe) upsets the calculations to win the Cape Mile (Pic – Wayne Marks)
Unconsidered in the betting for the non black-type feature at 25-1, few punters saw the prowling cat in the shadows and the 6yo chestnut gelding made it a winning opening run for his new trainer under J&B Met winning rider, JP van der Merwe.
Big Cat has been around.
Stan Elley – eye for a good horse
He started out life with Stan Elley (the man who signed for him as a yearling) in Phillipi and upon Elley’s retirement at the end of last season, he joined the KZN outfit of Dennis Drier.
Now that Drier has returned home after the Cape season, the strapping 6yo has been left in the care of Brett Crawford, and he is obviously enjoying his new home, judging by the enthusiasm of his victory on Saturday.
The miler is Big Cat’s a-game, and well drawn at 2, there was nothing complicated about the way Van Der Merwe settled him in midfield as Milton went off to lead them.
With a few, including the weak favourite Night Trip, opting to go outside in the run for home, Big Cat went down the inside rail and simply ground away, making up lengths inside the final 200m to win by a length in a time of 97,52 secs.
Besides the feature double (he saddled the Prix Du Cap winner Cuvee Brut), Crawford also produced the exacta, with Sail South coming on late for second, after having to check around Hard Day’s Night at a crucial point at the 250m marker.
Big Cat as a yearling
Sheer Trouble improved nicely and looked dangerous late in the race – he secured third a further 0,75 lengths behind, and shaded the pacy Milton who always runs an honest race.
Night Trip never showed and ran 7,75 lengths downfield.
Big Cat races in the Badge Boys silks and was bred by Maine Chance Farms. He is a son of Black Minnaloushe, out of the two-time winning Fort Wood mare, Blue Heather.
He was bought by Stan Elley for R600 000 on the 2011 Cape Premier Yearling Sale and took his stakes tally to R522 400 with 7 wins and 14 places from his 34 starts.
