Joey Ramsden has an intriguing hand in the Gr 2 Betting World 1900 and how his four runners, The Conglomerate, King Of Pain, St Tropez and Disco Al, do will likely decide their routes through the remainder of the SA Champions Season.

The Conglomerate ran in the Gr 2 Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m last time and stayed on quite well from a handy position over a trip short of his best to finish a 5,65 length sixth, which was not a bad effort considering it was his first run since January 9 and he was caught wide early from a tricky draw of nine.

Anton Marcus said, “It was a fair run.”

He should have benefitted from the run, but Marcus added, “He doesn’t give much away at work.”

This Australian-bred son of Lonhro won last season’s KRA Guineas, where he relished the strong pace. He then had no excuses when finishing a decent third in the Daily News 2000. Then in the Vodacom Durban July he had nowhere to go on the outside rail and the jockey understandably switched him inward, although in retrospect he would have got a lot closer than five lengths had he remained patient.

The Conglomerate ran unplaced in all three of his runs in the Cape summer. His merit rating has duly dropped from a high of 108 down to 101, but unfortunately his rating is near the bottom of the 100 to 104 band pertaining to the conditions of Friday’s race, so he is officially 1kg under sufferance with the best weighted horses.

He should relish the course and distance and Marcus has retained the ride, despite facing another tricky draw of 14.

Assistant trainer Alson Ndzilana is happy with The Conglomerate, but said all three of the other runners would need their runs.

However, all of them stay further so they can’t be written off.

King Of Pain beat a top class field in the Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge two years ago, but is not an easy horse to train and his only win since was last time out in the Gr 3 CTS Chairman’s Cup over 3200m in February. That win has opened up new doors, as he could now be an eLan Property Group Gold Cup contender, especially coming from a yard who has an excellent record with stayers. However, his Gold Challenge win followed a similar layoff to the one he is coming off now so he could be a contender on Friday night off a reasonable merit rating of 106, which means he is only 0,5kg under sufferance with the best weighted horses in the race. He also has a tricky draw of 12 and Brandon Lerena rides.

St Tropez is one of the joint best weighted horses in the race having to carry 56kg off his 99 merit rating and being by Silvano should now be coming into his own as a four-year-old. He hasn’t run since his disappointing effort in the Sansui Summer Cup. However, he is yet to fulfill his considerable potential and his fine turn of foot makes him suited to the tight Greyville track. He won the East Cape Derby impressively last season so the staying option is open to him too. He is a dark horse on Friday from a good draw of six and the astute Keagan de Melo should suit him perfectly as a rider who usually times it right when coming from off the pace.

Six-year-old Disco Al was beaten a length by St. Tropez in October over 1800m and faces him on identical terms if the weight for age scale is taken into account. In this class he would probably prefer further but is an honest sort and won’t be far back. He is drawn nicely in seven and stable jockey Donovan Dillon is aboard.

By David Thiselton