Dean Kannemeyer and Stuart Randolph will attempt to complete an elusive Vodacom Durban July/eLan Property Group Gold Cup double together on Super Saturday at Greyville this weekend, with their hopes resting on the fancied four-year-old Dynasty gelding Solid Speed.
Kannemeyer also sends out two other runners in the Gold Cup, the reigning Equus Champion Stayer Hot Ticket, who is actually shorter in the betting than Solid Speed despite having to carry second top weight, as well as the biggest outsider in the race, the three-year-old Balance Sheet.
Kannemeyer felt Solid Speed had the best current form of the trio and added, “Bottom weights in the Gold Cup with solid form, who stay well and are sound, have got to be very competitive runners.”
He continued, “Solid Speed is well drawn (2) and he’s holding his form well. He ran a good race in the Gold Vase and the extra 200m should be okay. He has a good galloping weight of 53kg on his back, he’s got to be a big runner.”
Randolph had no problem riding 53kg in the July on the victorious Kannemeyer-trained Silvano gelding Power King and will likely have kept himself light in anticipation of this ride.
Kannemeyer said about the five-year-old Silvano gelding Hot Ticket (drawn 13), “He is an old campaigner, but he’s got a lot of weight to carry (59kg). But he’s a genuine staying horse.”
Kannemeyer felt Hot Ticket’s 6,65 length 12th in the July was a fair run and said, “He was caught three wide, but I think the July was just a bit too much for him. This will be more his type of race. He pulled up sound and took his race well.” He finished strongly last year with top weight for a gallant 2,85 length fourth and from that race is interestingly 2,5kg better off with the current favourite Wild One for a 2,35 length beating. He has had a successful wind operation since then and Kannemeyer is slightly concerned that over this two mile trip his marginally less than perfect breathing could have an effect.
Kannemeyer’s Silvano gelding Balance Sheet (drawn 10) is officially 2kg under sufferance. He said, “He ran a good race in the July consolation race (Gr 3 tabGold 2200 where he finished a five length 4th) and he was staying on. He’s always given me the impression he will stay all day but the race will tell. He’s a three-year-old but has only 52kg on his back, so has got to have a chance.”
Kannemeyer said about the riding arrangements, “Stuart rides work for me every day, Karl (Neisius) always rides Hot Ticket and can’t make the weight on Solid Speed anyway and I put Keagan de Melo on Balance Sheet.”
Yesterday (Monday) Hot Ticket and Solid Speed galloped on the top sand track at Summerveld together and Hot Ticket was the more eyecatching of the pair, although not much can be read into this as both are known as poor work horses. Balance Sheet had earlier strode out well with a companion on the beach sand.
Kannemeyer has won the July three times and the Gold Cup twice, but is yet to do the double in the same year.
Kannemeyer runs the three-year-old Trippi gelding Afrikaburn in the Gr 1 Champions Cup over 1800m where he carries 58,5kg, which puts him 6,5kg under sufferance with the best weighted horse, Futura, according to official merit ratings, Futura. Afrikaburn won the Gr 1 Golden Horseshoe over 1400m at Greyville as a two-year-old, but his last run on June 6 over 1100m on the Greyville polytrack followed a six month layoff, which included a rest on the farm and gelding.
Kannemeyer said, “In his comeback run he was short of his best and then we had another setback. We were trying to get another run under his belt but he had a virus. It’s not going to be easy but he’s doing very well, he’s recovered from the virus. It’s over 1800m so will be a hard race against the best horses in the country. Let’s put him to the test and see if he stays the trip. He’s had plenty of grass work, and is moving very well. He’s sound and he has the class, but we would have liked to have had a better preparation.”
Kannemeyer runs the four-year-old Dynasty gelding It is Written in the Listed Darley Arabian over 1600m. He said, “We took our chances in the July consolation and you can put a line through that. It was too far for him and I might have run him a bit close (to his victory in the KZN Breeders 1600 on the poly a week earlier). I’ve freshened him up and a mile on the poly will be his game.” He was only raised two points for that last win over course and distance and has come into his own in KZN, so should have a shout from the pole position draw.”
Kannemeyer looks to have a good chance in the third race on the day, a Juvenile Plate over1900m on the turf which will be contested by nine maidens. Kannemeyer’s Ideal World colt Cape Speed caught the eye in his second start over 1600m at Scottsville when flying up from way back for a 1,25 length second to Celtic Captain, who franked the form by winning a handicap over 1600m on the poly against older horses on Saturday. Kannemeyer said, “He’s bred to go the trip, he’s looking for the ground, this is his game. It’s maybe quite a competitive field, but he’s learning to race now. After two runs the penny is starting to drop and I think he now knows what it’s all about, I think he’s got to be a good runner too.”
Cape Speed and Afrikaburn worked together yesterday on the top sand and the two-year-old matched strides with his Gr 1-winning three-year-old companion, which augurs well for his run on Saturday.
By David Thiselton
Picture: Solid Speed (Nkosi Hlophe)
