L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate winner and popular J&B Met favourite Legal Eagle took his next small steps to a giant leap into South African horseracing history, when he put up a superb gallop and drew perfectly at stall-gate 3 for the big race at Kenilworth on Saturday 30 January.
Futura (Bernard Fayd’herbe) strides beautifully (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
The official Met public gallops and draw ceremony was held in balmy summer weather conditions at the Southern Suburbs venue on Thursday morning, with thirteen of the fifteen runners being put through their paces.
The two runners who made no show were Gauteng based Mac De Lago, who will arrive in the Cape 48 hours prior to the race, and the Geoff Woodruff-trained Deo Juvente, who is a doubtful starter following a freak exercise related accident.
Captain America (Corne Orffer) puts in the big paces (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
In a dreadful twist of bad luck, the Sansui Summer Cup runner-up was rolling in the sand in a work ring at Milnerton, when picking up a cut from a piece of glass, that had been exposed near the surface, from the high winds.
He was treated immediately but it apparently opened again, and given the recovery periods applicable to the antibiotics and medication that is required for the superficial cut, he is on the doubtful list.
His absence would reduce the field to fourteen – a disappointing outcome for the racing operator and for many punters, and the mathematics must have an adverse impact on betting turnovers. The switch of the Gr1 Investec Cape Derby and the Gr1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes from the Met programme to the Investec Day Of Dreams is also bound to have a detrimental effect
Light The Lights (Stuart Randolph) drew pole position (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Overall the gallops would have done little to change betting support patterns, although the two well fancied runners Legal Eagle and Futura, stretched nicely and showed their well-being.
In the absence of any genuine pressure on the gallopers and no times being taken, it is little more than a pre-event PR exercise in any event.
Smart Call (Anton Marcus) is thriving in the Cape (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
All of the more fancied runners drew decently, with Geoff Woodruff’s Master Sabina the only ‘casualty’ with a 14 gate.
R2 500 000 2000m
J&B MET (Grade 1)
| 1 | 6 | Futura | 60 | 119 | A | B Fayd’Herbe | Justin Snaith | |
| 2 | 5 | Captain America | 60 | 117 | A | C Orffer | Brett Crawford | |
| 3 | 4 | Legislate | 60 | 117 | A | P Strydom | Justin Snaith | |
| 4 | 14 | Master Sabina | 60 | 108 | T A | G Lerena | Geoff Woodruff | |
| 5 | 3 | Legal Eagle | 59.5 | 120 | T A | A Marcus | Sean Tarry | |
| 6 | 13 | Paterfamilias | 58 | 110 | BA | G van Niekerk | Mike Bass | |
| 7 | 15 | Gold Onyx (NZ) | 58 | 107 | T A | S Khumalo | Sean Tarry | |
| 8 | 10 | Punta Arenas | 58 | 107 | CA | I Sturgeon | Dennis Drier | |
| 9 | 2 | Helderberg Blue | 58 | 105 | A | D Dillon | Mike Bass | |
| 10 | 7 | King Of Pain | 58 | 103 | A | …………… | Joey Ramsden | |
| 11 | 11 | Deo Juvente | 57.5 | 106 | A | R Danielson | Geoff Woodruff | |
| 12 | 9 | Mac De Lago (AUS) | 57.5 | 102 | T A | A Delpech | Weiho Marwing | |
| 13 | 12 | Krambambuli | 57.5 | 101 | A | C Du Plooy | Justin Snaith | |
| 14 | 1 | Light The Lights | 57.5 | 101 | A | S Randolph | Glen Kotzen | |
| 15 | 8 | Smart Call | 57 | 112 | A | W Marwing | Alec Laird | |
| Same Trainer – Not Coupled on Tote | ||||||||
| (1,3,13) (4,11) (5,7) (6,9) | ||||||||
