South Africa has long been a core member of the Asian Racing Federation and has also been the point of origin for some very classy horses that have run in Hong Kong. Of note in recent times are pattern winners Horse Of Fortune and Nassa, while emerging four-year-old Singapore Sling finished a notable second in the Hong Kong Classic Mile last week.
This year we have expanded our recruitment of horses for the Hong Kong International Sale to South Africa, with our team having attended the Cape Premier Yearling Sale, purchasing four yearlings over the past week. The Club has worked very closely with the South African authorities and horse movement experts, along with the Asian Racing Federation and the IFHA’s International Movement of Horses Committee, to help ease some of the horse movement restrictions from South Africa to other jurisdictions. One of the hopes is that this would include more direct shipments to Hong Kong in the future. This would certainly enable another choice source of yearlings or previously-raced horses for Hong Kong Owners and trainers.
It’s also a special day for Hong Kong and South African racing, as we will arrange the very first live simulcast from South Africa to Hong Kong, carrying six races from the Met day at Kenilworth Racecourse. Local fans will find much of this new, but there are definitely some familiar names amongst those riding on the big day. Richard Fourie, Callan Murray, Greg Cheyne, even Anthony Delpech and Anton Marcus who had all ridden in Hong Kong before, will be riding tonight. Many of them have had success at this meeting before and it will be interesting to see if they can have more success on this big night in Cape Town.
The Met is a Grade 1 over a distance of 2000m and is run under weight-for-age conditions. Legal Eagle is the highest-rated horse with a rating of 120 and seen as the best horse in the country, but barrier 15 is not an ideal draw and Anton Marcus has to figure how to ride him. Despite this draw, he is my first choice for a win or place.
Marinaresco is also rated 120 and is by the 2001 APQEII Cup winner Silvano, who is a German-bred and now one of the best stallions in South Africa. He is drawn wide too but likes to run on and, being last year’s winner of the Durban July, is a win and place chance too after his strong finish in his last start being fifth in the Queen’s Plate. Captain America is rated 118 and drawn in gate three and even though he has not won over 2000m, I see him as a chance too.
Nebula is a son of Silvano too and is Hong Kong-owned by Edmond Siu. He won the Listed Algoa Cup over 2000m, but with a rating of 109, seems to have a difficult task despite being drawn gate one. Last Winter is drawn widest, which is not ideal, but is an upcoming 4-year-old trained by Dean Kannemeyer and ridden by Piere Strydom. Last but not least is the 3-year-old filly Oh Susanna who is well drawn in gate six and ridden by Grant Van Niekerk, who is riding well. Even though she is carrying only 113lb, she is worse off with Legal Eagle considering the weight-for-age scale. Still, she is improving and convincingly won her last start over 1800m and over older fillies. Her pedigree suggests, being by Street Cry who is a great sire, that the extra distance will suit her.
I hope you enjoy this simulcast and I will post my thoughts on Sunday’s races tomorrow morning.
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