Talented. Mike De Kock’s Desert Sheik presents a danger to The Hangman
The Hangman looks to be a popular banker choice for punters in Saturday’s R500 000 Gr2 The Dingaans run over 1600m at Turffontein. There really don’t appear too many capable of lowering the Gr1 Premier’s Champion Stakes winner‘s colours.
W ell executed. Pardon the pun, but that is the generally cold, calculated manner that the gelded son of Jallad goes about his profession of winning races and he is a horse that appears to be maturing and improving very fast with each and every run.
Besides Ready To Run Cup winner Rock Of Arts and Graham Beck Stakes shocker Francois Bernardus, every likely candidate appears to be turning up for this race.
Banker – Sean Tarry’s The Hangman looks the best bet of the day
Master
The master jockey Piere Strydom probably had a few choices of fair rides here and we trust his judgement with The Hangman, a gelding that he has ridden in his last four starts.
The Hangman has won 3 from 9 and gave notice of great things to come when winning the Gr1 Premier’s Champion Challenge in the final days of his two year old season.
His three efforts as a 3yo have yielded two seconds and a win.
He took forever to get going in the Graham Beck Stakes when narrowly beaten by Francois Bernardus and then set the record straight with an end-to-end win at his next outing in a Graduation Plate.
The Hangman has won his only try at a mile (a Gr1 at that!) and we are at a loss to find anything to stop him on Saturday.
The Hangman’s stablemate, The King And I looks a fair sort in the making and after winning his maiden by a runaway 10,75 lengths, he came out and followed up in a Novice Plate over the Turffontein mile.
The King And I is drawn 2 and is ridden by young Cape jockey Grant Van Niekerk. He does not look in the same league as The Hangman at this point.
Approaching
Mike De Kock won’t be bankering the Tarry coupling in his Pick 6 and his pair of Desert Sheik and Emerald Approach must be considered.
At level weight The Hangman still looks stronger than Desert Sheik, but the Trippi colt has won his last three starts and may be better than rated.
Desert Sheik won an MR 84 Handicap narrowly at his last outing beating Dubai Dizzy and Fantastic Mr Fox, and now takes his step up 200m further. His four-time winning dam only won up to 1400m, so time will tell.
De Kock stable jockey Anthony Delpech rides Emerald Approach, who is a winner of 2 of his 4 starts. The beautifully-bred colt won his last start in an MR 74 Handicap by 3,75 lengths beating the admittedly moderate Albert Dock.
Alec Laird’s Gitiano has pulled an awful draw and disappointed his supporters with a below par 8,25 length finish behind Francois Bernardus in the Graham Beck Stakes.
His previous form was promising and he perhaps warrants the chance of redeeming himself – even though we are not convinced that he will stay the mile.
Well Held
GeoffWoodruff’s coupling of Sabadell and Killua Castle also deserve a second consideration.
Sabadell won two of his first five and then ran fourth and only 4,35 lengths off Francois Bernardus in the Graham Beck Stakes. He is held by The Hangman on that and his Gr1 Premier’s Champion Stakes fifth, but he may have improved since and he must have a solid place chance.
Killua Castle was slightly one-placed late in the Emperors Palace Ready To Run Cup when a fair third and 2,50 lengths behind Rock Of Arts. The Australian-bred son of Churchill Downs looks a rather nice sort in the making and gets Gavin Lerena for the first time.
Stuart Pettigrew’s Zestful is held by The Hangman on their last run and while he is already a two-time winner, he would be a surprise here.
Weiho Marwing’s three-way coupling may find friends amongst Pick 6 players, but are all longshot choices.
The Albert Hall gelding Danesco is partnered by Glen Hatt from the 1 draw, but has little genuine chance on his poor Graham Beck Stakes effort when finishing 12,50 lengths off Francois Bernardus.
All Heart
Kevin Shea rides the two-time winner Living With Heart who is yet to put in a bad effort in four racecourse starts. Although poorly drawn at 13, he is capable of running a place.
The third Marwing string is the Muhtafal gelding Here Comes Billy, who ran a shocker in the KZN Guineas Trial. He was reported lame on the near-hind after the race, and could bounce back if recovered.
David Rahilly’s Sugar And Shake cost just R10 000 and is proving one of the bargain buys of the National Two Year Old Sale.
The modestly bred colt ran a tremendous third when 4,25 lengths behind shock winner Francois Bernardus in the Graham Beck Stakes and is the most experienced runner in the field with twelve races under his belt.
Jeff Freedman’s Wild One scored on debut and then ran an eyecatching third behind Love Struck in the Betting World Guineas Trial a fortnight ago. This son of Mogok could have unlimited improvement still to come and may be worth considering as a quartet inclusion.
Verdict
If the Handicapper has it right, The Hangman should be a good thing.
We also see it that way, despite the improvement to possibly come from a few improvers.
