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The Grade 1 R1-million Betting World Cape Flying Championship to be run over 1000m at Kenilworth on 24 January is likely to have tremendous strength in depth and one of the biggest and most competitive fields seen in this race for many a year.
The prestigious weight-for-age event will not only bring together horses of all ages and both genders, but also from all provinces. Of the 18 horses still standing their ground, three are females and three are three-year-olds, while four are from Gauteng, two are from KZN and one is from Port Elizabeth.
Three of the six Grade 1 winners in the field are female, the mare Fly By Night and three-year-old Gauteng fillies Carry On Alice and Alboran Sea. Both Fly By Night and Carry On Alice beat the boys when winning Grade 1 contests so won’t feel intimidated by their presence.
The other Grade 1 winners are speedy KZN pair Normanz and Captain Of All and evergreen Port Elizabeth seven-year-old Copper Parade. Captain Of All and Copper Parade will be coming off a first and second respectively in the Grade 2 weight-for-age Khaya Stables Diadem Stakes over the Kenilworth 1200m. Piere Strydom rode Copper Parade to a brilliant win in last season’s Grade 1 Computaform Sprint and has been declared to ride him in the Cape Flying Championship already.
Champion trainer Justin Snaith has four entries, including Daring Dave who has been targeted at this race from Day 1 of the season.
Mike Bass, who has won the race four times in recent years including twice with the world-class sprinter What A Winter, has three entries including tough seven-year-old gelding Castlethorpe, who was a supplementary entry. His other two runners are Fly By Night, who is one of the likely favourites, and Tevez, who finished third last year.
Gauteng trainer Sean Tarry, who won with the champion sprinter Mythical Flight in 2007, has entered exciting SA Nursery winner Carry On Alice and she is sure to make her presence felt.
Charles Laird will travel from KZN with Normanz. He has already declared Anton Marcus to ride him, exciting news for punters who have missed the great champion since he was sidelined with a thumb injury.
Dennis Drier, who won with brilliant filly Val De Ra in 2012, will also attempt to take the trophy back to KZN with Captain Of All.
The Cape Flying Championship, which used to be known as the Jack Stubbs Memorial, has a rich history and the trophy is littered with the names of great sprinting champions. It is always an enjoyable meeting to attend and this year should be especially so due to the highly competitive nature of the field.
Furthermore, the R1-million Cape Thoroughbred Sales Stakes over 1200m, a well-subscribed restricted sales race, will add intrigue to the day’s racing.
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