Crown Of Gold:Ramsden gelding has a stamp of class and stays well.
Proven staying ability lies at the core of unravelling the Gr3 Tekkie Town Winter Derby puzzle at Kenilworth on Saturday.With a genuine pacemaker in the race, a true test of stamina is on the cards. And that means that there will be no bluffing or gamesmanship over the 2400m, on ground that could also be unforgiving.
This is the third and final leg of the Tekkie Town Winter Series. And the one that seperates the men from the boys. A serious test of staying ability is in prospect and there will be no dawdling or Cape crawling from the jump, thanks to a guy named Joey, and A Boy Named Sue.
Stay The Knight
The weekend weather prospects could well play a role and if any one of the eleven carded three year olds don’t stay 2400m, then they stand no chance of collecting a cheque. We are left second-guessing with close to half the field yet to have tried the mile-and-a–half in their careers.
Justin Snaith’s Casey Tibbs gelding Why Worry has come into his own in recent months and after running a genuine race when finishing fourth and only 3,50 lengths behind Tribal Dance in the East Cape Derby, he came back to Cape Town and won the Winter Classic in sensational style with a late dash to fetch and beat Hill Fifty Four in a close finish.
He is the obvious choice as the highest rated fellow in this level weights contest, and has the added advantage of his regular rider Richard Fourie to guide him around the circuit.
Despite Why Worry’s obvious claims, we are leaning towards Joey Ramsden’s stable elect of Crown Of Gold, who looks to have a serious stamp of class about him. This gelding is from the same family as the Ramsden success stories Silver Mist and Shades Of Indigo, and he runs in the Jooste silks, for which Joey trains a few winners every week of the season.
Admittedly, the Silvano gelding finished marginally behind Why Worry in the East Cape Derby, but was given a continent to traverse by his young rider JP van der Merwe, who left him with too much to do.We are ignoring that run and trusting that he has overcome the 2000km road round-trip after a month back at home.
Glen Hatt has been on board in all his three wins and he puts his leg over on Saturday from the best draw. With Aldo Domeyer likely getting the nod to go out and make the pace on his stablemate A Boy Named Sue, Hatt will be able to tuck Crown Of Gold in and wake him up in the final 300m. He looks to have everything going for him.
Over The Hill
The Joostes green, yellow and black is also worn by Hill Fifty Four, a progressive son of Captain Al who has been extremely consistent with three wins from his last four runs. He was unlucky to go down narrowly in the Winter Classic when collared late by Why Worry. There is not much between the two of them, other than the reality that we know that Why Worry can see out every inch of this trip. Hill Fifty Four’s forward running style is also a cause for concern, as he frankly doesn’t look like a colt that will stay 2400m. We could have the Vaughan Marshall inmate all wrong though.
Dean Kannemeyer’s coupling of Leo Rapax and Hollard Street are probably not the strongest pairing he has ever sent to post for a Group race, but both would have a shout at their best.
Leo Rapax was sold by Lammerskraal Stud after commencing his racing career with a bang at the Neil Bruss yard. Rodney Dunn and Warren Laird now race him in partnership and he has certainly come into his own in his last two starts when running on very well late. He is probably the stable elect based on riding arrangements but is held by Crown Of Gold on their meeting over 2000m at Kenilworth in April.
The second of the Kannemeyer entrants is the Wilgerbosdrift bred Hollard Street who won a terrific race against his elders over this trip way back in October last year. The handicapper was also impressed by that smart Durbanville effort and bumped him up the ladder accordingly. He has battled to put it all together in five runs since, but we know he that he stays and that means he must be considered if running to his supposed best ability.
Arms Length
The game Right Approach colt Sergeant At Arms has relocated from Gavin Smith in Port Elizabeth to Mike Stewart in Noordhoek. The little chestnut left Cape Town a maiden in August last year and returned home just a week ago a two-time winner and with four place cheques from his 13 Eastern Cape starts. That would probably amount to mission accomplished.
The risks of comparing the two provinces formlines is obvious, but on a line through a good horse like Lord Badger, he cannot beat the Snaith’s Why Worry. And unlike Why Worry and Crown Of Gold, we don’t know whether he stays this far either. He is a horse that needs to be ridden conservatively and produced when the rest are falling down in the final 400m. A place prospect.
Darryl Hodgson’s Putney Flyer could be something of a dark horse, if recovered fully from his overreach, which saw him being scratched from the Winter Classic.
He is by the new talking stallion Miesque’s Approval, out of a Fort Wood mare, and stayed on strongly 1,75 lengths behind A Boy Named Sue over 2500m last time. He strictly shouldn’t get past A Boy Named Sue here as that afternoon he received 4kgs and they meet at level weights on Saturday. But Putney Flyer has done little wrong since trying distance and he probably has more forward scope than the Ramsden pacemaker.
Jackson
The high-riding Ennion yard sends out the Australian-bred Super Seven, who ran a modest fourth 5,65 lengths behind Why Worry in the Winter Classic. This is his first try at this sort of ground, but the Snaith runner should have his measure again.
The Maine Chance Farms bred Punta Arenas cost all of R525 000 as a baby, and seemed to be on the right track when winning at his second outing. He also won his fourth start over 2000m in an MR 78 Handicap at Kenilworth. He was considered good enough to run in the Investec Cape Derby and finished 9,35 lengths behind current July favourite Jackson.
The creative mathematicians would probably say that Jackson would win this by ten lengths, so that brings Stan Elley’s Punta Arenas into the picture. Not necessarily, and he would still have to lift his game. But it is interesting and noteworthy that Felix Coetzee gets aboard.What concerns us the most is that he is lightly raced,and this inevitably indicates soundness issues.
Predictable
Next to Puntas Arenas, Barossa Valley is the second of the Phillipi representatives in this race and this son of Eyeofthetiger was touted as being quite promising after winning his maiden at his fourth start. He has not carried that form through to anything of consequence though, and tries 2400m for the first time. He should not trouble the better performed group here.
A fascinating race with a good pace is guaranteed, if A Boy Named Sue runs. Thus the likelihood too of a fairly predictable result.
While he has proven himself an eminent conditioner of two years olds and milers in recent times, Joey Ramsden has few peers when it comes to training stayers in these parts. He appears to hold the key in the race.
We are thus going with the classy Crown Of Gold to hold our value dark horse, Putney Flyer and with Why Worry finishing late into the place money.
If Hill Fifty Four stays, he could be thereabouts, while Sergeant At Arms and Punta Arenas can boost the quartet of things go their way and they stay.
