Hollywoodbets Durbanville will be a hive of excitement and activity on Saturday 23 September with Cape Racing hosting a Braai & Gallop – to celebrate Heritage Day (Sunday 24 September) before the Springboks play Ireland at the Rugby World Cup – alongside a competitive nine-race card.
The Listed Settlers Trophy (Race 7) heads up an interesting card and last year’s winner, Justin Snaith-trained Somerset Maugham, will be back to defend his title.
This Trippi gelding, whose full-brother is dual Grade 1 winner Charles Dickens, has taken time to come to hand and often left his connections scratching their heads. But he looks to have hit his straps now and could go on to fulfil the bags of potential he once promised.
While he has remained consistent throughout his four years of racing, winning five of 27 starts and placing in another 14, Somerset Maugham has flattered to deceive on more than one occasion.
However, racing off a career-high merit rating of 102, the recently turned six-year-old looks to be at the top of his game and ought to confirm as much by making a successful defence of his title. Should he do so, it is likely to catapult Somerset Maugham on to bigger and better things during the Cape’s Summer Of Champions season.
Last year’s victory may have come via the boardroom, after a hard-fought battle with Han Solo to whom he was conceding 1kg, but it was his first outing over 2000m and he has only run once over the distance.
In his last start 80 days ago, Somerset Maugham got the better of King Regent over 1600m on the winter course at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth and that form has worked well, with the latter’s recent victory adding to the three direct winners to have come out of that race on 5 July.
A wide No 10 draw and JP van der Merwe aboard for the first time – with stable jockey Grant van Niekerk opting to ride Triple Time instead – may put off some people but should result in Somerset Maugham starting at an inflated price which must be taken advantage of.
He has proven himself at this level, maintaining commendable consistency doing so, is obviously effective over the distance and has a good record at the course. His two stable companions in the race, however, have a few questions to answer.
Snaith’s three-pronged attack is completed by Future Swing who is unexposed over 2000m and will be trying the trip for the first time. This son of Futura ought to improve after a much-needed comeback run following a rest during which he was gelded.
Van Niekerk partnered Somerset Maugham and Future Swing in their most recent outings but has opted to ride last-start winner Triple Time instead, after Sean Veale steered this four-year-old son of Twice Over to victory last time in what was the flashy grey’s second run back from a rest and gelding.
He is ideally drawn in stall No 1 and will line up at peak fitness but there are doubts as to whether he is at his best over 2000m. His only start over this distance was in the Grade 1 Cape Derby last season when he was beaten almost 10 lengths and finished seventh of the 10 runners with blinkers fitted.
His subsequent gelding and the removal of his headgear has seemingly benefited Triple Time who will play a leading role if he sees out the trip. Being out of a Var mare, however, does cast doubt over his effectiveness at 2000m which could, ultimately, sway the result in favour of Somerset Maugham who has no such issues and will represent better value.
Snaith’s plethora of stable stars in recent times includes retired champions Jet Dark and Captain’s Ransom as well as stalwart Rio Querari, a former Equus Sprint award winner. The latter has remained in training as a seven-year-old and makes his eagerly anticipated reappearance in Race 8 over 1000m.
Given his record at the course and the success he’s achieved with Van Niekerk in the irons, Snaith’s charge is impossible to oppose and should make a winning comeback under favourable conditions.
Like Somerset Maugham and Rio Querari before him, Vaughan Marshall-trained Mojo Man is another runner drawn widest of all but whose progress it should pay to follow in Race 9. This Rafeef colt performed consistently and at a good level as a juvenile but then improved for the addition of blinkers, winning both (consecutive) starts over 1000m with the headgear fitted. Unsurprisingly, Marshall retains the blinkers and the services of Bernard Fayd’Herbe aboard Mojo Man, who makes his seasonal and three-year-old debut bidding to complete a hat-trick of 1000m wins.
Clive Robinson
