Always a pointer to the Cape Guineas, the R400 000 Gr2 Selangor Cup is another one of those races that Joey Ramsden has made his own.
Joey Ramsden – dominant force in Selangor Cup
With four of the last five year’s winners hailing from his Milnerton yard, the charismatic Brit looks to have another bright prospect on his hands in the Australian-bred Table Bay.
This quality 3yo feature aptly illustrates the balance – or imbalance – of power that plays out in the ownership ranks.
South Africa’s champion owners Mayfair Speculators own four of the ten starters on Saturday and their famous springbok silks have been carried to victory by three of Joey’s four winners.
That’s dominance in anybody’s racecard and the old team are back for more with the exciting Redoute’s Choice colt Table Bay looking the part.
Table Bay – very impressive and expected to improve further
Table Bay won the Langerman by a nostril to end his 2yo term in style, but after a quite prep only really announced his arrival when blowing them away to win the Cape Classic at the end of October.
Rated 7kgs superior to his nearest rival, he tries the mile for the first time and looks to just carry too many guns for the rest.
His stablemate A New Dawn has only raced three times and won at his second start.
He came out after a six month break for his first start as a 3yo and ran the promising Edict Of Nantes to 0,60 lengths in receipt of 3kgs.
Technically that suggests he is held – but improved fitness and the obvious ability lurking below the surface suggests that this fellow is a live runner at best.
Redoute’s Choice has the honour of having sired the top two rated gallopers in the field and Mike de Kock throws a serious benchmark into the mix in the form of his unbeaten colt, Al Fahad.
Unbeaten Al Fahad – travels to take on Table Bay
Described by his trainer as a nice type of horse with lots of scope, Al Fahad is from a Zabeel mare and should go a mile and more.
It is worth noting that he beat subsequent Graham Beck Stakes winner Doosra over 1200m on debut and then stepped up to 1450m and beat Emperors Palace Ready To Run Cup placer Act Of Loyalty next time.
With Anthony Delpech no doubt having had the choice of riding The Slade, it is worth classing Al Fahad as a massive unknown quantity in this line-up. But he will have to bring his A-game at his first Cape outing to beat Table Bay!
Vaughan Marshall – saddles William Longsword
William Longsword is another Mayfair Speculators flagbearer who looks way above average.
Vaughan Marshall has brought this son of Captain Al along quietly, winning his last three on the trot emphatically against weaker.
A talking horse since way before his well-backed placed debut at end March, he is growing in stature with every run and is sure to be in the scrum when it counts.
Brett Crawford was in sparkling form at Kenilworth last Saturday and he saddles the Count Dubois colt, Edict Of Nantes, a winner of 3 of his 7 outings.
He had no luck in the Cape Classic when baulked and cramped before seeing daylight to get within 5,25 lengths of Table Bay.
He is a kilo worse off with the Ramsden champion here and has to overcome the worst of the draw.
The Australian-bred Our Mate Art has always looked to be a progressive youngster.
He has lost some of his hype since finishing within a heartbeat of Table Bay in the Langerman in receipt of 2kgs, and then comprehensively walloped in the Cape Classic.
He is well held by the Ramsden colt on that run and despite the best of the draw in his favour, looks hard-pressed to reverse the status quo.
Piere Strydom – African Night Sky scratched
Justin Snaith has been in sizzling form of late and his partnerships with Piere Strydom have produced some positive results in the past.
But African Night Sky is scratched.
His stablemate Cock-A-Hoop followed up his maiden success over the Durbanville 1200m with a spirited away win on the Fairview 1400m polytrack.
The son of Western Winter was considered good enough to contest the Langerman as a maiden. Unless he has improved dramatically on that 5,50 length finish behind Table Bay (who gave him 4kgs), he has no chance of beating the Ramsden star.
Glen Kotzen’s recent Listed Racing Association Stakes winner Gold Standard gets the sought after services of ‘big race’ Gavin Lerena.
Glen Kotzen’s Gold Standard – improving quickly and faces his first big test here
The son of Trippi is rated a progressive sort by his astute trainer, who wouldn’t be throwing him into this level of company if he didn’t feel he was up to it.
If the Fairview round-trip three weeks ago has not taken too much out of him, Gold Standard could challenge for the back-end of quartets .
Dean Kannemeyer – saddles The Slade
Trainer Dean Kannemeyer is on record as suggesting that the lighty raced The Slade is a serious racehorse.
The son of Philanthropist, a half-brother to Kannemeyer’s enigmatic one-time Gr1 winner Afrikaburn, is in the deep end here on paper, but it may be risky to underestimate him entirely.
After showing up well in KZN and winning his maiden at the second time of asking on the Greyville polytrack, The Slade has had one run in the Cape – finishing third to Mega Secret in a lowly rated handicap.
The visitor Al Fahad looks the only remote possibility of sinking the progressive Table Bay’s march to glory.
Unbeaten and an unknown factor in these parts, he will have to have everything go his way to stop the local star.
But Table Bay looks too good and could price himself up an early favourite for the Cape Guineas by winning as well as we expect.
