Going For Gold? The supremely consistent Drill Sargeant goes for an eighth win when contesting the Listed Glenlair Trophy at Arlington
It will be boots and all as many punters pin their hopes on the Eastern Cape’s most military of stayers in the R130 000 Listed Glenlair Trophy to be run over 3200m at Arlington on Friday. Dynasty’s son Drill Sargeant is one of the most consistent fellows around and he may signal a Gold Cup aspiration with a win in this marathon event.
The Eastern Cape, with its traditionally lavish staying programme, has long been the breeding ground for the confidence of many a staying sort over the years.
Memories
One that springs to mind is the dour longhauler, Stateway. Trained by the late ex jockey turned conditioner Arthur Miller, the son of Free State , coincidentally out of the aptly named mare, Strange Behaviour, won the Glenlair Trophy on 14 August 1992 under Delano Pieterse , beating a horse called Foxy Soviette.
In racing’s inevitable world of links and twists and turns, the second placer was ridden by a jockey turned TV star called Gavin Venter, who coincidentally is the partner today of Drill Sargeant’s trainer, Tara Laing.
Now if that isn’t a long story of a small world, then it may be worth noting that Stateway went on to rock the 1994 Gold Cup boat under Andre Hoffman at 33 to 1, when he stayed on to beat the brilliant Surfing Home in South Africa’s premier staying test.
Interestingly that race was worth all of R500 000 gross those nineteen years ago, and with Ladbrokes having made an exit recently, the race appears to be sponsorless in 2013.But then it was run for R1 million rand last year and some quarters are actually questioning why we don’t breed more stayers in South Africa?
Progressive
That digression is a touch of historical trivia and while it hardly stamps Drill Sargeant’s Gold Cup aspirations, few will argue that he may well make his way up the East Coast of Africa for Super Saturday in two months time. A winner of 7 of 23 starts, the Joostes 4yo gelding just gets better with each run and has won 6 of his last 9 starts.
He won his last start in a Pinnacle Stakes over 2700m, when moving ahead strongly to beat Solo Flight by 1,25 lengths. That is the same horse that beat him at their previous meeting in the Lakeside Handicap , after things went awry off a slow pace. Drill Sargeant is now 3,kgs worse off with Solo Flight.
Honest
Two horses that may keep him honest are both raiders from other provinces. Mike De Kock’s Galileo’s Destiny and Mike Stewart’s Paddy O ‘Reilly. Paddy O’Reilly travels up from The Dunes in Noordhoek to take his place here after returning to form with a rattling good second last time out in an MR 94 Handicap over 2500m at Kenilworth behind Barossa Valley.
The unsound son of Dynasty has not won in over two years, but did run an excellent second in the 2011 Gr3 Chairman’s Cup at Kenilworth over 3200m. He finished ahead of In Writing there, who would go on to win the Gold Cup the following year.
Destiny
Galileo’s Destiny is an interesting entry indeed. The enigmatic New Zealand bred Galileo’s Destiny ran just over four lengths behind the July bound Heavy Metal in a Pinnacle Stakes at Turffontein last Saturday.
While he is the class in the race, he is a rather in and out sort who in his defence has campaigned at the highest level for much of his career. His sole test at genuine ground was his tilt at the 2011 Gr1 SA Derby, when dead heating with English Garden for second behind the award winning stayer Seal.
It is rather strange that he has not been tried over more ground again, and this change of scenery and test of stamina may be the catalyst he is looking to get his career back on track.
Good Lady
The mare Inca’s Spirit has won eight races and ran a cracker in this race last year when going second behind Jervis. That tells us that she goes every inch of the trip and her last run was fair when fourth behind Solo Flight in the Lakeside Handicap.
She was just over a length behind Drill Sargeant there and meets him on 1,5 kgs better terms here. Jacques Strydom’s Solo Flight appears to have found form over ground at his few starts and ran on doggedly for second behind Drill Sargeant in a Pinnacle Stakes last time out.
He now meets the Laing horse on 3,5 kgs better terms and previously beat him a length in receipt of 1,5kgs. The latter result arose largely as a result of a lack of pace.
Cape Hope
Hot. The red hot Snaith stable is represented by the Dynasty mare, Audrey Rose
Mike Bass sends out the New Zealand bred gelding Golden Parachute who has won 7 races and is a fair stayer on his day. The son of Montjeu ran a fair fifth after a three month break when only weakening late for 4,30 lengths behind the classy M’lords Throat in a MR 102 Handicap over 1800m at his opening run since relocation from KZN.
Justin Snaith’s gallant mare Audrey Rose has run two good races since her recent return to Port Elizabeth. She carries a galloping weight here and enjoys running handily.
She stayed on well at her last start when only outrun late by her stablemate Alvilda in a fillies and mare MR 86 Handicap over 2000m. Her dam won up to 2000m, and one gets the feeling that she will have the energy for this test.
Gavin Smith’s Labeeb gelding Jervis won this race last year, and he has not won again since. He is an out and out stayer, but has some ground to make up with Drill Sargeant.
Proven Stayers
While anything can happen over 3,2km in the Eastern Cape, we cannot find anything else to trouble the classier proven stayers. Drill Sargeant is a confident first choice to beat Paddy O’Reilly and Audrey Rose.
That would be a terrific and historic trifecta for the top class stallion Dynasty. It is not an impossible thought, although the classy Galileo’s Destiny and Inca’s Spirit are capable of muddling the picture.
