The four-year-old Var gelding Normanz won the Gr 1 Golden Horse Casino Sprint over 1200m last May when leading from start to finish under Athandiwe Mgudlwa, although that race was run under handicap conditions and he only had to carry 53kg.
Charles Laird
Saturday’s race is weight for age, so will be a lot tougher. However, on the bright side there are no dominant sprinters in the country this year, considering Via Africa is now overseas, and the race looks very open.
Normanz has always had only one style of racing and that is to go like the clappers from gun to tape. The break is therefore crucial and this is Laird’s only concern.
He said that Normanz “does have his issues with the pens” but added that he had spoken to the stipendiary stewards and hoped he would be able to load as late as possible. Normanz, as opposed to being difficult to load, does not enjoy standing in the pens.
Normanz raced in the Gr 2 Stronach Group Merchants Racing Merchants over 1160m at Turffontein last time out under Sean Cormack and showed tremendous early pace before staying on for a five length sixth to the classy three-year-old Trip To Heaven, to whom he gave 6,5kg. On strict formlines the Gauteng raider Trip Tease has him well held, as he subsequently beat Trip To Heaven over 1000m when giving the latter 5kg. However, in Normanz’s favour is that his last race, seen together with his Golden Horse Casino Sprint win, showed that he would probably prefer the tough 1000m trip of the Cape Flying Championships than the quick Turffontein 1160m.
Normanz is drawn five out of the 13 horse field and Laird believed that looking at current trends he was on the right side. However he added that Anton Marcus, who will be riding him having recovered from his thumb injury, had always believed that it was possible to win from anywhere down the Kenilworth straight.
Laird has an outstanding record in the Cape Flying Championships. In the last ten years he has won it three times, twice in succession with Nhlavini in 2005 and 2006 and with Rebel King in 2009.
Beloved Country, on a merit rating of 97, is the joint highest rated filly in the CTS Stakes, although there are four males rated higher.
This Trippi filly won three out of four races as a two-year-old, including beating Harry’s Son in the Non-Black Type Sentinel Stakes over 1000m and beating Pine Princess in the Listed Devon Air Stakes over 1450m.
Normanz (Nkosi Hlophe)
This season she was twice narrowly beaten by her brilliant stable companion Rich Girl on the Greyville polytrack over 1000m and 1200m respectively and in her last start at Scottsville in very soft conditions she was beaten only 1,75 lengths by the progressive Littleblacknumber, despite conceding 2kg (or 4,5 kg if the apprentice claim is not included.) She will also be drawn towards the inside in barrier six on Saturday.
Laird said that she was “very well”. She has plenty of natural speed but prefers to come from off them, which could augur well for her because horses around her like Captain Blackwater, Brutal Force and Precursor look likely to be up with the pace.
Marcus has been riding at Summerveld recently. He is having his first comeback ride from his thumb injury on Thursday aboard the Mike de Kock-trained Red Ray in Dubai. Marcus has a fine record in Dubai, having only had seven rides there for three wins, including the US$5 million Dubai Duty Free on Jay Peg in 2008 and the US$1 million Godolphin Mile on Variety Club last year.
