Despite having his big-race ride Mucho Dinero scratched on the morning of Cape Town Met day, there was no stopping jockey Grant van Niekerk last weekend as he rode both Justin Snaith-trained runners Roman Agent and Rapidash to victory in the Listed Summer Juvenile Stakes and R7.5-million Gold Rush.
He also steered Triple Time to second in the Grade 3 Cape Stayers as well as Double Grand Slam (in the Grade 1 Majorca Stakes), Hunting Trip (Listed Olympic Duel Stakes) and Handsome Prince (Cape Slipper) to third in other feature races on that 11-race card.
While all those big-race mounts were courtesy of Snaith, two other Cape Town trainers – namely Candice Bass-Robinson and Greg Ennion – ought to benefit from Van Niekerk’s good form, which is likely to spill over to the eight-race card at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Tuesday 6 February.
Well-related What A Winter filly Dark Winter made an encouraging debut over 1000m in mid-December and she needn’t improve a great deal with the benefit of that experience to get Snaith and Van Niekerk off to a winning start in Race 1 over 1200m. It is worth noting that the form of that race has worked out well with two direct winners from that race, including Gimmefabulous who finished just 0.45 lengths ahead of Dark Winter.
Newcomer Aristotle was a costly purchase as a yearling and any market support for this Rafeef colt who Van Niekerk rides for Snaith in Race 2 should be taken heed of.
One Stripe makes the most appeal of the three raced runners in the lineup but there are several well-bred first-timers in the race and the market should provide a guide to their chances on debut.
Igugulethu – which is of Zulu/Xhosa origin and translates to ‘our pride’ – is Van Niekerk’s next port of call in Race 3 and presents him with an opportunity to right the wrongs of Bass-Robinson’s stable riders Aldo Domeyer and Gareth Wright, both of whom have failed to deliver the goods aboard this Erupt gelding who finished third over 1200m on Met day and second in three of his four previous outings.
Interestingly, Igugulethu filled the runners-up berth in his only start over 1000m so a return to this trip in Leg 1 of the Pick 6 could pay handsome dividends!
Gary Player won the last race on Met day with The United States gelding Riverstone and South Africa’s golfing icon could again land the spoils in the ‘lucky last’ (Race 8 over 1800m), as there is a good chance his Louis The King filly Family Power will return to form facing her own sex.
She stayed on from the widest draw to finish a creditable seventh, beaten just 5.40 lengths, against male opposition over 2000m last time out and would probably have finished closer were it not for interference at the 600m marker.
Van Niekerk rode the Ennion-trained three-year-old on that occasion and, unsurprisingly, resumes his partnership with Family Power who previously finished second in both her outings over 1800m at Hollywoodbets Durbanville.
Elsewhere on the card, title-chasing Richard Fourie should add to his tally with victories aboard last-start winners Dance Variety in Race 5 and Montelena in Race 7.
Clive Robinson
