Woodruff’s experience extends further than just conditioning horses and he has also spoken to the stipendiary stewards ahead of the race about the notoriously slow pace of races at Kenilworth.

The “Cape Crawl” is usually a result of the jockeys’ reluctance to be leading turning for home as that means bearing the brunt of the prevailing South Easterly wind. However, this opens up the opportunity to gain an easy lead by slowing it up in front, which can have a severe effect on the horses in behind, who can become the victims of jostling.

The most well know recent case was when Jet Explorer was brought down in the Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge at Clairwood.

Woodruff said, “The stipes have ensured me that they would speak to the jockeys before the race and anybody leading and pulling his mount back on to the field will be getting a holiday. They should really be going a decent pace in these races.”

Woodruff was happy with his trio’s gentle spin around Kenilworth together at last week’s Met gallops. He said, “It was not an overly stressful workout as the Met Gallops don’t factor in as part of their preparation but they were all bright and we were very pleased.”

Woodruff gives a clue to his perfectionist outlook with his opinion on fitness. “There are only two types of fitness, fit and unfit.”

He said that the training tracks were the only real difference between preparing a horse on the Highveld and at the coast as the end goal was always the same.

He won’t be giving his horses any “days off” this week and will still be expecting “a good couple of workouts” from them. He said, “The idea is to maintain their fitness, ensure their muscles are good and their lungs are clear. But it is once you see their final blood counts that you know your fate.”

However, he added that if the horses were “flattening their food, drinking their water, have shiny coats and muzzle and a bright eye” it was a good indication and he was currently happy with all three of his charges in this regard.

The Triple Crown and Sansui Summer Cup hero Louis The King is the most fancied of his runners and is being tipped by many pundits to win the big race. He finished a flying second in the Gr 1 L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate on January 10 and was possibly a tad unlucky as he was held up at a crucial stage. Woodruff said before that race that it was a “bring on” outing for the Met for both Louis The King and Tellina, who finished fifth.

Woodruff is stabling his horse’s in Harold Crawford’s yard at Milnerton, which is where he always campaigns from in Cape Town these days, and trainer Adam Marcus and his famous father Basil have also been helping him out.

Basil Marcus rode Louis The King in the Met Gallops and Woodruff said, “He said he had come on at least two lengths from the horse he had felt before the Queen’s Plate and if you can’t take it from Basil Marcus then I don’t know who you can take it from.”

Tellina was gelded after his disappointing run in the Peermont Emperor’s Palace Charity Mile and Woodruff said that he was “much improved” since the operation. He stayed on very well from a handy position in the slow run Queen’s Plate and was only just pipped for third by both Gold Onyx and Jet Explorer who flew up late.

He will have benefitted a lot from that outing and has gained three close up places in Gr 1s from 2000-2200m so will probably relish the easy Kenilworth 2000m.

Killua Castle travelled down to Cape Town three days after his emphatic victory in the Gr 3 London News Stakes over 1800m, where he carried joint topweight and didn’t mind running wide. Woodruff said, “He has taken to the place (Milnerton) nicely. I think that last run underlines his quality.”

Indeed, that run proved that his short-head second to Louis The King in the Gr 1 Sansui Summer Cup over 2000m at Kenilworth was no fluke. He will only be 1kg worse off with his popular stablemate on Saturday, yet there is a massive 22,8 point difference in their respective prices of 25/1 and 22/10.

Killua Castle will be going around a left hand turn for the first time but that has never phased Woodruff, who pointed out that he was a versatile horse and added, “It is not as if they have never been taken around a left hand turn in training.”

He is happy with all three of the horses’ draws, and said, “Killua Castle likes to be on the outside (drawn ten), Louis The King will be comfortable coming down the middle (drawn eight) and Tellina has a nice inside draw (three).”

Piere Strydom, Gavin Lerena and Aukash Auchuruz all retain their rides on Louis The King, Tellina and Killua Castle respectively.

Woodruff also runs the classy Arcetri Pink in the Gr 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes over 1600m,where she is drawn three with regular pilot Gavin Lerena up and he said, “She has been working terribly well, but it is a tough race and a hard ask. She has been a bit erratic but I was pleased with her prep run as 1400m is now patently too short and a mile is her best trip, but only if she can come from off a good pace, so we are also hoping there won’t be the Cape Crawl scenario in that race.”

He said: “The tactics will be very important and a slow pace would suit me beautifully. The only reason it didn’t work for us in the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate was because Legislate was sick. I’ve got six in the race and the other runners are welcome to chase round mine!”

The champion trainer hopes that his Durban July winner Legislate can give him his first Met win but he believes any of the other five are capable of running into a place even though some of them are at huge odds.

He said: “They have their little niggles so they are the type than run on their best days, and any of them could run into the money on Saturday. Jet Explorer (33-1) is doing well and he is cruising into the race. He has less problems this time whereas last year he injured himself in the public gallop.

“We will know on Saturday whether Dynamic (16-1) is up to this class but I already know that when you put him in a Group 1 like the Cape Derby he can up his game. Arion (20-1) ran third to Legislate in the Cape Derby and was actually finishing just as fast. Obviously both he and Dynamic are carrying severe injuries but they have hardened up.

“Johnny Rockets (150-1) is a horse with a lot of problems but he can run and the one thing I will say for Astro News (100-1) is that, while he has also had a lot of problems, he has had a hassle-free entry. There have been two upsets in the last two years so why not a third?”

Legislate has drifted further – he was out to 33-10 with Betting World yesterday morning although only 5-2 with Hollywood – but Joey Ramsden is in the enviable position of having the hot favourite in both the Investec Cape Derby and the Klawervlei Majorca.

Betting World yesterday opened Cape Guineas winner Act Of War at 33-100 in the Derby and Cold As Ice at 14-10 for the Majorca. Mike de Kock’s Ertijaal is 4-1 second favourite for the Derby with Ramsden’s The Conglomerate next best at 7-1. You can get 20-1 and more about the rest. Mike Bass’s has the main dangers in the Majorca – at least according to the betting – with Paddock Stakes disappointment Hammie’s Hooker (6-1) surprisingly shorter that stablemate Inara (7-1) who won the race.

Mary Slack, the daughter of Mauritzfontein founders Harry and Bridget Oppenheimer, spoke sadly of the loss having just won the Gr 1 Betting World Cape Flying Championship on Saturday with her Mike de Kock-trained filly Alboran Sea.

Fort Wood will be best remembered as the sire of the great De Kock-trained Triple Crown and J&B Met hero Horse Chestnut, who is widely regarded as the best racehorse to have ever set foot on South African soil.

Horse Chestnut was one of Fort Wood’s amazing first crop that contained two other Gr 1 winners, Fort Defiance and the filly Dog Wood.

Horse Chestnut was one of three Horses Of The Year that Fort Wood produced. The other two were the Geoff Woodruff-trained Celtic Grove and the great Dean Kannemeyer-trained Dynasty, who is regarded by many to have put up the best ever performance in the country’s premier race, the Vodacom Durban July, winning from draw 20 despite running wide and fighting for his head throughout.

Dynasty is currently leading the National Sires log and Horse Chestnut has been doing well since being brought back from the USA and is in 21^st place. Other Fort Wood stallions standing at stud are Whitechapel and Elusive Fort.

Fort Wood has always produced fantastic daughters and is currently leading the national broodmare sires log.

He gained a reputation as a breeder of stout horses, but this might be due to the renowned strength and courage of his progeny, as he has imparted plenty of speed too. In all he produced over 75 individual stakes winners, including 15 Gr 1 winners.

He also became known as a notable sire of sand performers. Two of his sons, Hilti and Iron Curtain, won the country’s richest sand race, the Gr 2 Emerald Cup, and another of his sons, Pylon, achieved the highest ever sand merit rating accorded in South Africa.

Fort Wood was bred in the purple being by one of history’s greatest stakes producing stallions, Sadler’s Wells, and being out of the eight-time winning Pretense mare Fall Aspen, who produced eight Group winners in Europe and America.

His promising career on the track in France, where he was trained by the legendary Andre Fabre and owned by Sheikh Mohammed, was curtailed by a fractured sesamoid as a late three-year-old by which stage he had won three out of six starts, including a courageous Gr 1 victory over ten furlongs and a Gr 2 win over eleven furlongs.

Accolades for the amazing 24-year-old bay have poured in since the news broke on Saturday.

The six-year-old Silvano gelding worked with Big Cat at last Thursday’s Met Gallops and looked to be one of the big race’s most relaxed runners, striding out freely and enjoying himself. Elley said, “Our emphasis at this stage is always to have a happy horse, as the work has been done and the horse is fit enough.” He spoke about last week’s gallop, “It was the same as last year’s gallop and also his July gallop as he worked beautifully and really enjoyed it. So we were delighted and I think he is peaking at the right time.”

Last year Punta Arenas easily found a handy position in a moderately paced race and after swinging on the bridle clearly enjoying himself throughout he stayed on resolutely to finish just 1,95 lengths behind the pacemaker and winner Hill Fifty Four. Regarding his draw of 12 and the apparent lack of pace in Saturday’s race, Elley said, “I’m looking on the positive side, he is drawn one better than last year! I am not sure there is going to be no pace as I believe Astro News might have been entered as pacemaker. Legislate tugged in the Queen’s Plate and I believe they will want to prevent a repeat.” Astro News, interestingly, was only supplemented for the Met after the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate, despite having had no outings in any Cape Summer Of Champions Season feature races this season.

Elley believed Punta Arenas would enjoy a good pace. He said, “He likes to run at them and in the Peninsula (over 1800m where he ran a 3,85 length fifth) he was a bit handy with topweight. He will be better off at the weights with all of the horses that beat him in the Peninsula and whatever happens he won’t be far back in the Met.” Big yards dominate the placings in big races in South Africa, but Elley is one of the few to have broken the trend this century, running third in the Vodacom Durban July with Red Badge in two successive years (2003 and 2004). Punta Arenas’ third last year is Elley’s best Met achievement, although he had fourth place finishes with both Red Badge in 2003 and with Kapil in 2009. All of Punta Arenas, Red Badge and Kapil run in the colours of passionate owners Mike Fullard and James Drew.

Punta Arenas was ridden by Grant van NIekerk last year, but Aldo Domeyer, who won the big race on outsider Martial Eagle two years ago and rode Punta Arenas to third in the Gr 2 Peninsula Handicap over 1800m last season, will be aboard on Saturday.

Elley has three other lively runners on the day, including Dynastic Power who runs in the Gr 2 J&B Urban Honey Stayers over 2800m, a race he won in 2005 with Red Badge.

However, he said that his best runner on the day would be Pecan Nut, who runs in the 11^th race, and he was also “bullish” about the chances of Big Cat who runs in the 10^th.

The improving four-year-old Pecan Nut followed two comfortable wins over 1800m and 2000m respectively with a decent 5,2 length eighth in the Gr 1 Maine Chance Farms Paddock Stakes over 1800m on January 10.

Elley said, “Pecan Nut was a bit out of her depth last time but didn’t run badly at all. Big Cat worked with Punta Arenas at the Met Gallops and actually needed that little gallop so will be spot on after his workout on Tuesday. I was delighted to have secured Piere Strydom for the ride as he will suit Big Cat’s style down to the ground. Dynastic Power was kicked behind the stall before his last start, he only had a little scratch, but was scratched from the race. That was a pity as it would have peaked him but we have put a bit of work into him and Aldo (Domeyer) is very pleased with him. To be honest I have been a bit disappointed with Dynastic Power this summer, especially in the Cape Summer Stayers, but he had to run through the middle that day and things didn’t really go his way. Theoretically he is not well weighted on Saturday but without a doubt has the class and will stay every inch of the trip.”

Pecan Nut carries second top weight in a MR 90 handicap for fillies and mares over 1800m and will be ridden by Greg Cheyne from pole position.

Big Cat also jumps from pole position in a MR 96 Handicap over 1600m over his ideal 1600m trip.

Dynastic Power is officially 3,5kg under sufferance with the best weighted horse Coltrane, but he has always struck as one who could be better rated than his current 93 merit rating, as he proved when beating J&B Met contender Power King in last year’s Gr 3 Winter Derby over 2400m at level weights. His barrier four draw is a bonus to his chances and the astute Aldo Domeyer knows him very well having ridden him ten times, including in his Winter Derby victory.

That was the message at the weekend from Justin Snaith who a week ago was advising punters against backing the horse following his infection-caused flop in the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate.

Snaith, confirming that he is happy with the colt’s condition, added: “Legislate put up a good gallop and he seems fine but I would still caution anybody about betting on a horse this far away from a race. There are so many variables and anything can go wrong even an hour beforehand.

“A lot of horses have their little niggles and you never know until you get to the race, although the good thing with Legislate is that I know what was wrong with him. I’m doing my best to make sure I have him ready on the day but the proof of whether I’ve got him right will be in the result.”

Legislate, as short as 9-10 at one stage, is 28-10 third favourite with Betting World which has Futura heading the market at 2-1 and Louis The King on 5-2. It is 12-1 and upwards the rest.

Act Of War seems certain to start odds-on for the Investec Cape Derby and he pleased Joey Ramsden when ridden by Andrew Fortune in a spin at Kenilworth on Saturday.

Ramsden said: “He went with Disco Al (Anthony Andrews) and they galloped a mile. He went very well.”

Stable companion Kingvoldt was scratched for the Cape Thoroughbred Sales Stakes because of an “abnormal blood count.”

Ramsden explained: “He had a nasty virus after the Queen’s Plate. It knocked him for six and I couldn’t get the count right. He will go to Durban for sprint races.”

The Durban season is also next for Jet Aglow who has been scratched from Saturday’s Klawervlei Majorca after picking up what Dennis Drier believes is the same bug that hit Legislate and Futura.

Drier said: “I hadn’t fancied a horse as much for a long time as I did with Jet Aglow in the Paddock Stakes but Sean Cormack said she ran flat. We found she had an infection in her trachea.

“She had given me no indication beforehand. I took her blood on the Monday before the race and it was fine. But apparently this infection has a 10-14 day incubation period and you don’t know they have it until you run them when the stress of the race brings it on.”