Jack Milner
It doesn’t get better than this!
The 10-race card at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday is one of the best assembled in some time and the highlight of the meeting, the R3-million L’Ormarins King’s Plate, is a tour de force.
The 1600m event is one of three Grade 1 races on the day, the others being the Cartier Paddock Stakes over 1800m for fillies and mares, and the World Pool Cape Flying Championship over 1000m. They are backed up by two Grade 2 events and a Grade 3 race.
There are a number of outstanding betting opportunities for punters, starting off with the fact this is a Hong Kong World Pool meeting so one will be betting into massive TAB pools for all Win, Place, Exacta, Quinella and Swinger bets.
Then there is a R1-million carryover kicking off the Pick 6 with a likely pool of R4 million.
In addition, there will be three Jackpots on the 10-race card, Races 1 to 4, 5 to 8 and 7 to 10.
There is hardly a horse of any significance omitted from the King’s Plate with the field comprising the current and previous Equus Horse Of The Year in Eight On Eighteen and Dave The King respectively, the Hollywoodbets Durban July winner The Real Prince, Grade 1 Champions Cup winner Gladatorian, Grade 1 Premier’s Champions Challenge victor Fire Attack, a previous two-time Grade 1 champion See It Again, with recent Grade 1 HWB Cape Guineas winner Jan Van Goyen representing the three-year-olds.
The “back benchers” include last year’s Grade 2 KZN Guineas winner Sail The Seas and current Grade 2 Green Point Stakes runner-up Garrix.
It is a phenomenal field and it really is not easy to pick a winner.
However, that is my job and I’m going to side with Jan Van Goyen to follow up on last year’s champion three-year-old, One Stripe, to do it for the younger set.
He is now proven over the course and distance, is beautifully drawn in gate No 2, and will receive the current weight-for-age allowance of 5kg from his rivals.
Trainers Mike and Mathew de Kock make no bones about the fact that he is a top-class individual and the manner in which he swept aside the much-vaunted Cape opposition speaks volumes.
It is worth noting that jockey Callan Murray, who rode both horses in their respective wins in the Guineas and Green Point Stakes, has elected to stay with Jan Van Goyen and in addition, carrying the same weight over the same track and trip, Jan Van Goyen completed an easy win in 0.32secs faster than stablemate Dave The King who was flat to the boards.
The former is now carrying 5kg less.
Trainer Justin Snaith has a very strong hand with Eight On Eighteen, See It Again, Sail The Seas and Legal Council. Eight On Eighteen has not raced since finishing second in the Durban July. That is something which could work either way for him.
He might just need a run but he is probably better over further so coming back fresh could work in his favour.
However, there was a lot to like about See It Again’s Green Point run where he lost ground at the start but flew up to run third, beaten just 0.35 lengths. If he jumps on terms this time and with Andrew Fortune riding like a demon, this six-year-old is quite capable of winning this.
For the Pick 6 it might be worth going wide.
The Cape Flying Championship is dominated by one runner – Buffalo Storm Cody. However, while trained Tony Peter acknowledged yesterday that he has the best sprinter in the country, he admits he is entering unchartered water.
“This is the first horse I have taken to the Cape and I don’t know much about, but I did try to get information from some top yards on how to travel.
“The other issues as that people tell me he has a shocking draw (No 13). However, he is a versatile horse and he can go with the speed or come from off them.
“He is the best horse in the race and he’s a real ‘meneer’, nothing bothers him.”
Tony’s father, Paul, travelled with the horses who left on Tuesday and confirmed they had travelled well and ate up yesterday morning.
“Both Buffalo and The Equator looked good and relaxed so now we’re just hoping for the best,” he said.
Jack Milner’s selections
Race 1: 10 Champagne Castle, 5 Catwalk King, 12 World Series, 1 Roskilde
Race 2: 10 Pink Pigeon, 9 Sohot Sowhat, 2 Miss World, 5 Jordash
Race 3: 12 Loving Prague, 9 Azzurri, 3 Mauritius Kestrel, 2 Nightrain
Race 4: 13 Princess Of Gaul, 10 Quickstepgal, 2 Mia Moo, 11 Lowveld Lily
Race 5: 9 The Equator, 2 Regulation, 1 Native Ruler, 3 Zeitz
Race 6: 5 Double Grand Slam, 1 Reet Petite, 7 Sukhumvit, 4 Rainbow Lorikeet
Race 7: 13 Buffalo Storm Cody, 1 Tenango, 5 Asiye Phambili, 15 Kingdundee
Race 8: 2 Jan Van Goyen, 10 See It Again, 7 Eight On Eighteen, 5 Sail The Seas
Race 9: 7 Master Of Paris, 8 Ahead Of The Facts, 5 Triple Time, 4 Holding Thumbs
Race 10: 1 Beware, 16 Delta Pride, 2 Roland Garros, 13 Touched By Angels
BEST BET
Race 3: 12 Loving Prague
VALUE BET
Race 9: 7 Master Of Paris
BEST SWINGER
Race 10 1x16
BIPOT
R256
Leg 1: 2, 5, 9, 10
Leg 2: 12
Leg 3: 2, 10, 11, 13
Leg 4: 1, 2, 3, 9
Leg 5: 1, 5
Leg 6: 1, 13
PLACE ACCUMULATOR
R144
Leg 1: 12
Leg 2: 2, 10, 11, 13
Leg 3: 1, 2, 9
Leg 4: 5
Leg 5: 13
Leg 6: 2, 7, 10
Leg 7: 4, 5, 7, 8
PICK 6
R2100
Leg 1: 1, 2, 10, 11, 12, 13
Leg 2: 1, 2, 3, 7, 9
Leg 3: 5
Leg 4: 1, 13
Leg 5: 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10
Leg 6: 2, 4, 5, 7, 8
JACKPOT 1
R180
Leg 1: 1, 2, 5, 10, 12
Leg 2: 2, 5, 9, 10, 11, 13
Leg 3: 12
Leg 4: 1, 2, 1o, 11, 12, 13
JACKPOT 2
R140
Leg 1: 1, 2, 3, 7, 9
Leg 2: 1, 5
Leg 3: 1, 13
Leg 4: 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10
JACKPOT 3
Leg 1: 1, 13
Leg 2: 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10
Leg 3: 2, 4, 5, 7, 8
Leg 4: 1, 2, 16