Snaith said, “He’s doing well and we will see whether he’s good enough on Saturday.”

All five of the four-year-old Dynasty gelding’s wins have been over this course and distance. The bookmakers are taking no chances and the sponsor have priced him up at 7/1. That is the same price as Copper Parade, who is a Gr 1 winner and is merit rated eleven points higher than Daring Dave.

Daring Dave (Snaith Racing)

Daring Dave has not won any stakes races to date, but has impressed with his exceptional speed that has enabled him to win his races from start to finish. However, in a few recent feature races over further, he has shown that he also has a telling turn of foot if held up off the pace.

In his first outing in a stakes race, in the Gr 2 Merchants over 1200m on November 16, he sat just off the pace before bursting through at the 300m mark and looked the winner. However, he was caught late by another Cape Flying Championship contender Tevez.

Daring Dave had the like of Copper Parade and Happy Forever behind him in the Merchants, but will be considerably worse off with them at the weights on Saturday and 1kg worse off with Tevez.

However, he will appreciate the drop back to 1000m. Furthermore, in his last start, when beaten by just a head in the Listed Val De Ra South Easter Sprint over 1100m, he had a below par Happy Forever beaten by 6,25 lengths when receiving only 1kg. He also beat the fancied Cape Flying contender Captain Of All in that race, but it was the latter’s first start for over a year and he clearly needed it.

The Southeaster Sprint on December 6 was Daring Dave’s last run and Snaith then deliberately put him away, realising that he could have him “spot on” for the Cape Flying without having to race him again.

The draw of one could be a concern on Saturday and Snaith admitted he “hated” that draw down the Kenilworth straight.

He added, “But sometimes it’s the right draw if you hit it right. I would say about five times a year they go down the inside. It seems to depend on the wind. If the wind is strong they tend to go to the outside. But I have more to worry about than the draw. My concern is just to have him spot on for the day and he will be.”

Daring Dave (Snaith Racing)

Interestingly, according to WindGURU, the wind direction on Saturday will be North Westerly to Westerly, meaning there will be a tailwind or

crosswind of an estimated 12 knots (22km/h) as opposed to the normal stronger South Easterly headwind. This might well favour Daring Dave and the other low drawn horses.

Stable jockey Richard Fourie will be aboard Daring Dave. Snaith has never won this race himself, but used to often work ride the dual Cape Flying Championship winner Cordocelli (1998 and 1999), who was trained by his father Chris. Chris also won the race with Laisserfaire in 2001.

Snaith admitted his three runners in the R1 million Cape Thoroughbred Sales Stakes over 1200m looked to be “outgunned”. He said, “On handicapping they have no chance, but these races are often a lot more open than they seem. But we look to be in trouble and I hope they can run well enough to get a place.”

Snaith did the choosing for Fourie and he will be aboard the Windrush filly Azarenka.

He said, “She’s not the most beautiful specimen, but she can run and her form is good and I thought her last win (over course and distance) was impressive. Sunset Tripp (Trippi filly) has some very good form, including third in the Lanzerac Ready To Run Stakes (1400m), and she should be fine over this distance. Captain Blackwater (Captain Al gelding) has only won a workrider’s maiden and it will be hard for him.”

Trainer Mike De Kock has saddled the winner in each of the last three seasons and six times in total, while compatriot Herman Brown won the race in consecutive years with Linngari.

De Kock saddles three of the ten declared runners this year, including Anaerobio, winner of the race last year when it was contested over 1400m for the first time – the trip having been reduced from 1600m.

Stable jockey Christophe Soumillon rides him with Wayne Smith aboard stable companion Zahee. However, it could be Red Ray, the trainer’s third runner, who will prove the best of the trio throughout the season.

“Red Ray was with Joey Ramsden and is, hopefully, the ideal type for the Dubai World Cup Carnival,” said De Kock. “He is a Grade Three winner at home and finished last season with two seconds in Grade One company.

Red Ray (Liesl King)

“Anton Marcus knows him very well and flies in to ride. The horse has always had a big reputation and has shown us plenty in his work. That said, he has shipped in from South Africa and our new arrivals have been needing a run. However, he seems in really good form.

“Anaerobio is just a tough and genuine horse. He has had a nice break since last season and will run his usual honest race. Ignore Zahee’s last run as he did not take to the dirt. He will run much better back on turf.”

Trained by Charlie Appleby, Godolphin’s Safety Check is already a Dubai World Cup Carnival winner this year having landed a course and distance handicap two weeks ago.

“The handicapper put him up to 110 for that win,” said Appleby. “So basically we have to try him at this level. He won well and has been working nicely since so we just need to see where we stand with him. The 1400m on turf appears ideal so this was the obvious race for him.” Stable jockey, William Buick, takes over from apprentice Cam Hardie.

Paul Hanagan rides Shaishee for his main employer, HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum and trainer Musabah Al Muhairi. Winner of his first two starts this season, he was an excellent third on his most recent outing. Those three outings were all on the Meydan dirt and this, interestingly, will be his first turf start in the UAE and since July 2013 in England. Connections could have aimed him at Friday’s Jebel Ali Mile but he does appear to relish this 1400m trip and he has a great draw in stall one.

Irish challenger, Eastern Rules, was a dual Carnival winner for Michael Halford last year, including over course and distance and will, as usual, be ridden by Shane Foley.

“He has been in good form in his work,” said Halford. “This looked a good spot to bring him back out. It is a good race as you would expect but he should run well.”

– DubaiRaceNight.com

Drier said that the four-year-old Captain Al gelding had “not put a foot wrong” in his preparation and he expected him to be cherry ripe on the day.

Regarding his draw of nine in the thirteen horse field Drier said, “The jockeys decide which is the best draw as they follow each other like sheep but he is drawn down the middle which is perfect.”

Captain Of All and jockey Sean Cormack (Nkosi Hlophe)

Captain Of All won the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Medallion over 1200m at Scottsville as a two-year-old when showing high cruising speed out in front before kicking away from the field  at the business end and staying on well. He only just failed in the Gr 1 Golden Horseshoe over 1400m at Greyville in his next start, when leading throughout until being caught on the line.

In his first start as a three-year-old over the Kenilworth 1200m he once again showed tremendous cruising speed as well as the ability to find extra off a strong pace when leading from start to finish against some good sorts that included Golden Horseshoe winner Forest Indigo. However, he then had an injury enforced layoff for about 13 months, which included a rest on the farm. He had no major issues and the problem was described as a “little stifle injury and a small joint problem.”

Captain Of All proved in need of his comeback run on December 6 over 1100m at Kenilworth in the Listed Val De Ra Southeaster Sprint as he showed his usual good pace but then  faded late.

However, he won the Gr 2 Khaya Stables Diadem Stakes over the Kenilworth 1200m next time out on December 27. In the latter race he benefitted from slow fractions set out in front by Happy Forever and was able to steal a march on his main rivals from a handy position. He held on by 0,4 lengths from a flying Copper Parade.

He will be even fitter on Saturday and should be at his best. He hasn’t raced over 1000m since touched off on career debut by the subsequent Gr 1 winner Kochka, but considering his exceptional pace and extra gears he will be a leading contender.

Gathering Fame (Nkosi Hlophe)

The sponsor have priced him up as 5/1 third favourite and his regular pilot Sean Cormack will be aboard from draw nine in the 13 horse field.

Drier has taken home at least one Gr 1 trophy since his regular campaigns to Cape Town began in the 2011/2012 season. One of those trophies was the Cape Flying Championships which he won in 2012 with the brilliant Var filly Val De Ra, who kept the high class What A Winter at bay in a thriller.

This season’s campaign has not gone as well for Drier as usual due to many of his string suffering from travel sickness after arriving.

One of the worst hit was the talented four-year-old Jet Master filly Gathering Fame. However, she finally made her first Cape Town appearance last Saturday and showed a fine burst of speed in the straight to win the Listed Jamaica Handicap over 1700m under MJ Byleveld. This proved that the string were now well and truly over the illness and Captain Of All could be the one to land the Cape Town Gr 1 trophy for Drier this season.

Meanwhile, Drier believes Gathering Fame is “going places” and will map out “a Durban plan” for her.

The Ascot Stud-bred Lecture gelding is staying at his former trainer Joey Ramsden’s yard at Milnerton ahead of the Cape Flying Championships, which is to be run over 1000m at Kenilworth on Saturday. Bremner said that it had been too far, and too close to his next race, to travel him back home to Port Elizabeth after his flying and possibly unlucky second in the Gr 2 Diadem Stakes over 1200m at Kenilworth on December 27.

She added that his preparation for the big race had been a joint effort between the two yards.

Copper Parade will be the only two-time Gr 1 winner in Saturday’s race. He was awarded the Golden Horseshoe over 1450m at Clairwood as a two-year-old for Ramsden after a successful objection against Kavanagh. Last year Bremner sent Copper Parade on a couple of raids to Johannesburg and he put up his career best performance when beating the brilliant filly Via Africa in the Computaform Sprint over 1000m.

Strydom has ridden him in both of his Gr 1 wins and has been his regular recent partner in all races.

Copper Parade (JC Photo)

Copper Parade loves to stride out freely behind a strong pace before unleashing his devastating finishing kick.

There was a tremendous amount of pace in last year’s Computaform Sprint and for the probable first time in his career a race panned out exactly the way he liked it. Even Via Africa’s connections admitted that they had simply been beaten by the better horse on the day.

However, the pace of Saturday’s race is not Bremner’s main concern, rather it is the starting stall procedure.

In last year’s Cape Flying Championships the starter did not heed the request for Copper Parade to be loaded late and jockey Muzi Yeni landed himself in hot water for having been found to have used “vulgar language” directed at the starter and later to have acted “belligerently and disrespectfully” towards the stipendiary chairman in the boardroom. The start clearly effected Copper Parade’s performance that day and he trailed in 10,75 lengths behind the winner Via Africa.

Bremner said, “He becomes a little uptight and is supposed to be loaded late.”

She said she could only hope that the starting stall procedure went well for him this year and added that Strydom knew him well and always looked after him very well down at the pens.

If Copper Parade gets past that hurdle he could well be the one to beat as there looks to be plenty of pace in the race and he is drawn perfectly in seven, meaning Strydom will have the option to switch him to either side if the jockeys decide there is favourable going anywhere on the day.

Bremner took over a share in Copper Parade around the beginning of last year from her life partner Hedley McGrath, but after his brilliant Computaform Sprint win she clarified that it was still “our share”. The other share is held by Optima Trust whose nominee Val Fenix is one of the yard’s biggest supporters.

Irwin is the founding member of Team Valor International who own Visionaire and who also bred Royal Pleasure.

Royal Pleasure was backed in from 25/1 and started 3/1 second favourite. She showed pace throughout and then simply pulled away from the opposition in the closing stages.

Kotzen will be planning her career carefully and not rushing her. He said, “She still had a ton in hand at the finish and pulled up very well.”

Royal Pleasure created a big impression and one of her chief owners, the Durban bloodstock agent Andy Williams, said that the phone had been ringing off the hook since the win.

“Horses are always for sale if the price is right,” said Williams.

Royal Pleasure (Nkosi Hlophe)

Williams owns her in partnership with Kotzen’s mother-in-law Judy Wintle as well as the youthful syndicate 3 A Racing. The latter is made up of a group of friends that have a passion for racing and have done much to promote the sport to KZN’s youth, so they are thoroughly deserving of landing such a promising horse. The 3 A syndicate are headed by well know Tellytrack presenter Wesley Bowman and the Sportingbet Sports Trader, Andrew Harrison.

Royal Pleasure was chosen by Kotzen and Williams at the Suncoast Yearling Sale and they clinched her for a mere R30,000. She also qualifies for the lucrative KZN Yearling Sale Million on Vodacom Durban July day.

Mick Goss of Summerhill Stud pointed out a couple of years ago that Irwin had always wanted to send a stallion like Visionaire to cover his mares in South Africa.

Irwin explained, “Visionaire had only 25 named foals in his first crop. He stood at one of the smaller farms in Kentucky and was not promoted very well. What Mick meant is that I want to stand a horse in South Africa that I have enough faith in to produce straight-legged foals so that I can breed my own mares. I don’t like overpaying for classy but sometimes unreliable stallions that produce foals with front legs that are not consistently correct enough. The reason I chose Visionaire is that he is tall, his front limbs are perfect, he has a lot of bone, he was fast enough to sprint with the best, yet he easily got a middle distance around turns in America. Even though he was not an accomplished runner at 2, he did have the fastest clocking in the 2-year-old breeze-up sale in Ocala, Florida. He had plenty of gas.”

Visionaire’s best performance was when winning the Gr 1 King’s Bishop Stakes over seven furlongs on the dirt at Saratoga. He swept from the back of a ten-horse field that day and powered away to a 2,25 length triumph in a race that is widely considered to be North America’s most prestigious one-turn event for three-year-olds.

Visionaire is the son of the Gone West sire Grand Slam, who was a twice Gr 1 winner as a two-year-old. Among Grand Slam’s best progeny were the five-time Graded winner Limehouse as well as the Breeder’s Cup Sprint winner Cajun Beat.

Visionaire produced the Listed winner Bacopa Breeze and the stakes-placed Outlook with his only USA-bred crop.