Brett Crawford is planning a dual Grade 1 assault on the Vodacom Durban July following Saturday’s fabulous four-timer.

“I will discuss things with Derek Brugman and we will decide whether Edict Of Nantes goes the Daily News route, or stays in Cape Town for the first two legs of the winter series like Marinaresco last year and then runs in the July,” said Crawford for whom Whisky Baron’s triumph in the Sun Met was his third in the great race. “The way the horse had kept winning since being gelded meant I thought he had the potential to win again on Saturday.”

The 2 min 2.71 sec clocked by Whisky Baron made it the fastest Met for 16 years bar the first of Pocket Power’s three wins in 2007.  Fourth-placed Gold Standard lost a front shoe, quite possibly when hampered by Captain America, while Mambo Mime (last) returned not striding out.

Frankie Dettori has ridden in enough countries not to be surprised by the stipes having him in for waving his whip in triumph as he neared the line in the Investec Cape Derby. But in Europe there is no rule against this. Here he was fined R1 500.

S’Manga Khumalo, whose usual flying dismount is more of a hop off the horse, gave it the full Dettori treatment after winning the Betting World Cape Flying Championship on Carry On Alice – “She is so special.”

Sean Tarry, who won this race with Mythical Flight ten years ago, said: “It’s not too often that I get a horse who wins Grade 1s at two, three, four and five but we did things a bit differently with her this time, bringing her to Cape Town with something to work on. The Computaform Sprint (April 29) is now her target but 1 000m is a bit short for Trip To Heaven.”

The runner-up took his reputation for starting slowly to new heights. After dawdling the first 100m he was ten lengths behind the leaders but he made up four in the last 100 alone and went under by only a fast-diminishing neck.

Red Ray was promptly retired after finishing a gallant third. “This was his swansong and Anton Marcus said he would have won had the race been over six furlongs but he still covered himself in glory,” declared Derek Brugman. “He has every chance of doing the same as a stallion at Klawervlei.”

William Longsword, on whom Marcus led 400m out to take the $500 000 CTS Mile for Vaughan Marshall, might also go there without racing again. “It’s a distinct possibility with the emphasis on the word possibility,” said Brugman. “But we will discuss it within the next fortnight.”

Tarry hinted that Cloth Of Cloud’s next stop could also be the breeding sheds after she trailed in a long way last in the CTS Sprint. “We have to weigh up our options but I don’t think there is anything I can do that I have not already done,” he said.

Live Life confirmed Candice Bass-Robinson’s tentative belief that Piet du Toit’s Trippi filly should be kept up the straight when Grant van Niekerk’s mount headed Always In Charge just inside the last 100m of the CTS Sprint. “I was a bit hesitant because I wasn’t sure whether the Sceptre was just a flash in the pan,” she admitted.

Durban is an option as it is for the Anthony Delpech-ridden Nightingale who finished fast in Mary Slack’s famous colours to give her trainer her first Grade 1 in the Klawervlei Majorca. “Candice is going to be a better trainer than me,” said a proud Mike Bass who won half the last ten Majorcas.

Justin Snaith, eight winners last year, had to be content with three this time but the Gavin Lerena-ridden Gimme Six in the last was his 100^th success of the season.

By Michael Clower