The top class Kingvoldt is all set for his fourth win on the trot
Trainer Joey Ramsden is set to saddle his eighth Langerman winner in the 21st century when he sends a quartet of runners to post for the R200 000 Gr3 event to be run over 1500m at Kenilworth on Sunday. The impressive Ramsden Langerman honour roll includes a certain Variety Club, who won it in 2011.
The Cape Of Good Hope Nursery winner Kingvoldt is a natural first choice but there are whispers that his less exposed stablemate Act Of War is as good, if not better than him.
Time will tell, and for now the betting may be the best guide for nervous punters.
But we cannot see that, given Kingvoldt’s impressive cv to date.
Numbers Game
So while Ramsden certainly has strength in numbers on Sunday as he boasts 4 runners in the 7 horse field, his assault is spearheaded by the Cape’s top 2yo this season in the Western Winter colt Kingvoldt, who looks a serious racehorse in the making.
Kingvoldt has chalked up victories in the Listed Somerset 1200 and the r3 Cape Of Good Hope Nursery at his last two starts. All of his three wins have been over the Kenilworth 1200m.
Kingvoldt is set to shoulder topweight at his first attempt at distance around the term. He is bred to handle it.
The Langerman weights are framed as follows:
A winner of a race is set to carry 2kg extra for each such win. Additional penalties for Graded race winners are 2kg, while Listed race winners carry 1kg extra.
All penalties are cumulative to a maximun of 58,5 kg for colts, which is the weight that Kingvoldt will carry.
He is set to give his recent maiden winning stablemate Act Of War 4kgs, which some will argue will be a leveller.
Battle Signs
A Dynasty colt with a big reputation (there are a few of them about), Act Of War was a runway maiden winner at his second start and he looks to have the blood for this journey. His dam won up to a mile.
Sean Cormack rides Act Of War for the Joostes.
Longstanding
The third of the Ramsden quartet is Catkin, a son of Horse Chestnut who won at his third start over the Kenilworth 1400m.
He is out of the good racemare Catalina (Badger Land) who was also trained by Joey for the same longstanding owners, Gisela Burg and Martin Wickens. It has been twelve years since Major Bluff ran third for them and they would love to win this.
The fourth of the Ramsden runners in Cotton Hill, who was not perservered with and ran 12 lengths behind in the Listed Somerset 1200. He was beaten on debut by Kingvoldt, and looks held again.
Deceptive
Justin Snaith saddles the Count Dubois colt Door Of Deception, who ran on for a 6,75 lengths third in the Cape Of Good Hope Nursery. He gets 4kgs from Kingvoldt, but will have to improve further to get within a winning reach.
The two maidens at the bottom of the scale get six kgs from Kingvoldt. But it probably won’t be enough.
Do Be Snappy was beaten 8 lengths by Kingvoldt in the Nursery last time and while he could enjoy the extra 300m here, he should still battle.
Renate du Plessis travels with the Slew The Red gelding Star Of Fury from PE.
He has not placed in three starts and looks unlikely to feature in this company.
Credentials
If ever a trainer had the credentials to win a race, Joey fits the bill here.
Kingvoldt is an automatic choice for us and based on his record it is difficult to oppose him.
If anything can beat him it may be the weather and the underfoot conditions. But then they all have to run on the same track.
The Ramsden Riot
Milnerton based Joey Ramsden has an overwhelming grip of steel on the Langerman.
No modern-day trainer can touch his record in this race and the love affair is something akin to Terrance Millard’s with the Fillies Guineas over three decades ago.
Since 2001 Ramsden has lifted the trophy seven times.
And his winners all train on, which is the acid test for juvenile features. We see so many falling by the wayside.
In 2001 he won it with Bill Nelson’s Jallad gelding, Steiger. He was to go on and run seconds in both the SA Classic and the SA Derby.
In 2002 he ran second and third with Double Stretch and subsequent Gold Cup winner Major Bluff.
A year later he ran second with Rodriques for Peter and Pirjo Carr.
In 2004 he won it with the subsequent multiple Group-winning sprinter Something Else for Richard and Carol Taylor and UK-based owner Malcolm Caine on a winter’s Saturday to remember. The son of Dominion Royale was originally named Double Click but had his racing name caned in honour of one of Caine’s father’s favourite films.
In 2005 Ramsden recorded a historic stable quartet when he trained the first four past the post.
Heat Of The Night, who subsequently raced with success in the USA, beat Radar and Grand Duke with Dunedin Star running fourth.
In 2006 he won it with Subastador who ran in the interests of Auctioneer Alf Duncan, Breeder Craig Carey and Joey himself.
In 2007 he won it with subsequent 2009 Gr1 Champions Cup winner and conqueror of Pocket Power, Ivory Trail for father and daughter partnership, Jack and Nancy Mitchell, who led in Legislate after his super Gr1 Daily News 2000 win last Saturday.
2008 and 2009 were uncharacteristically dry years. In 2010 Joey went second with Dead Cert.
In 2011 he banked the first and second cheques when the brilliant Variety Club beat Master Mascus. The two have enjoyed diverse careers with Variety Club’s international exploits well documented and the stuff of movies, while Master Mascus was exported to Mauritius.
In 2012 he won it with King Of Pain.
The handsome grey son of Greys Inn won by two lengths and was led in by his proud Mauritian owners Mellisa and Dharmesh Naik, who own him in partnership with Brian and Kathy Finch, and Wayne and Belinda Kieswetter. He cost only R80 000 at sale.
