Glen Hatt partnered the colt in all his eight races last season, winning the Champions Cup and finishing third in the Vodacom Durban July, but his right wrist is taking much longer to come good than the doctors anticipated when they operated on it in July.

Hatt said: “They told me five months but, while I will be back in action later in the season, I am not even near riding a horse yet and I have now told people that I won’t be back during the rest of the Cape season.

“In fact I have even had to back off the physiotherapy that I was doing. It’s disappointing and frustrating but the one thing I can’t afford to do is return too soon. My biggest problem is boredom as I can’t do anything that is going to put a strain on the wrist.”

Fayd’Herbe, who won two Mets on Pocket Power, has also been booked for the four-year-old in the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate, a race he has won four times. He will also ride him in the Khaya Stables Diadem Stakes at Kenilworth on Saturday.

Brett Crawford acknowledges that the 1 200m trip is too short but said: “Futura is a horse who likes to run and its seven weeks from the Green Point to the Queen’s Plate, and there is nothing like a good hard race to bring them on.”

Crawford also runs Met outsider De Kock (Corne Orffer) in Saturday’s race. It will be the four-year-old’s first outing since being gelded.

Cold As Ice, who had to be withdrawn from the Avontuur Fillies Guineas after breaking through the pens, drops back to 1 100m for the Laisserfaire Stakes on the same card while the 1 200m course record holder Generalissimo goes over 200m less in the Capetown Noir Need For Speed Sprint.

It is fortunately not a complex break and he still has hopes of being back in time for the J&B Met on January 31, in which he is due to ride the ruling second favourite Majmu.

Delpech’s mount Fear Not “flipped over” in the starting stalls and his leg then became jammed in the back gate.

The force from the horse broke the leg and Delpech had to be extracted from the situation by the handlers.

The leg has a “straight break” and did not require surgery.

A plaster cast will assist the healing process and Delpech will be pursuing every known method that can potentially speed up this process.

A decompression chamber is one such option he will be visiting.

He said, “I have very good people around me and we will work hard to have it healed in time for the Met.”

Delpech has an unbeaten partnership with the brilliant Majmu, who is a robust Australian-bred three-year-old grey trained by the peerless Mike de Kock. She is the most exciting filly seen in the country since Igugu, on whom Delpech won the Met in 2012, so he will definitely not want to miss the ride.

It was reminiscent of his effort in last season’s Queen’s Plate when his J & B Met price tumbled from 20-1 to 7-1. This time it occasioned only a ripple in the market – 50-1 to 33-1 with Betting World – but seemingly there is a lot more to come.

“I am amazed he can run second because it’s been a long comeback – he had to be box-rested for two months – and he is still only half the horse,” said Justin Snaith. “Maybe the Queen’s Plate next. It could be a nice race before the Met.”

Vanessa Harrison’s Jet Aglow, who led over a furlong out, held on by a diminishing half length and will now attempt to step up on last season’s third in the Maine Chance Farms Paddock Stakes on January 10.

Coltrane (Liesl King)

But Sean Cormack and Dennis Drier were every bit as excited about Seventh Plain who made a winning debut in the Polar Ice Cream Maiden Juvenile and will go for the Listed race on Met day.

Cormack said: “I haven’t ridden a two-year-old like this for a very long time. He has class written all over him and he is a classic horse in the making.”

Lanner Falcon ran out a convincing winner under a hands-and-heels Grant van Niekerk in the Racing.It’s A Rush Conditions Plate but Mike Bass promptly ruled out Paddock Stakes suggestions for Gaynor Rupert’s homebred.

He explained: “She doesn’t really get that far. She is a sprinter-miler and I think I will go for the Freightmore Sceptre Stakes (Jan 17) and the Klawervlei Majorca a fortnight later.”

But Jet Belle, who ran on well into fifth, will go for the Paddock Stakes. She has been marked out from 66-1 to 100-1 for the Met.

Glen Kotzen said: “She pulled up distressed after her last run in Jo’burg and we have only had her back three weeks. We wanted to give her a nice soft run here to see where we are going with her.”

Coltrane goes for the J & Jet Stayers after running out a shock 25-1 winner of the Grandwest Cape Summer Stayers under Anthony Delpech. The five-year-old finished tailed off on his last start and the stipes held a lengthy inquiry into the improved form.

Ramsden said: “We spent a lot of money and found a couple of little things but nothing that was either conclusive or definitive. I gave him a week or two off but I was still in two minds about running him and I told Anthony to drop him out and let him have fun. The Met day race is too far for him but he has to run in it after this.”

Despite the best efforts of his trainers Hassen Adams failed to get a winner. But, in truth, the man who an increasing proportion of the population now calls Burger King was the winner. His efforts, and those of his various teams, attracted a whole new and highly cosmopolitan crowd. Many of them went home realising that racing has a lot more to offer than simply a free hamburger.

Derek Brugman explained: “The intention is to get him out of the country, probably around March, and race him on the world stage in England. We won’t go to Durban with him but, if he is 100%, we will run him in the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate, the Met or the Investec Cape Derby. It will be one of those three, but not two of them, and it will be Markus Jooste’s call.”

The country’s leading owner for seven straight seasons is in hospital. He had his appendix removed but the wound went septic and he had to return but, says his racing manager, “he is in good spirits.” He certainly should be after winning six of Saturday’s ten Kenilworth races!

Act Of War, who made it six in a row in straightforward fashion, was described by Bernard Fayd’Herbe (a man who has won 31 Grade 1 races) as: “One of the better horses I have ever sat on and something really special.”

The Arc-En-Ciel bred Dynasty colt was the second Cape Guineas winner for Joey Ramsden in four seasons, and the highlight of a fabulous five-timer, but seemingly the build-up was traumatic.

The Milnerton trainer often gives the impression, particularly in his blog, that there is a lot more to life than racing but behind the fun-loving front there is a hard-working intensity and even the thought of failure brings out a grim determination that can drive him almost to despair. This time he took it out on the wife.

The reason was the racecourse gallop a week earlier when Act Of War’s performance against Brutal Force and Kingvoldt was rather more below expectations than the trainer let on. “He worked OK but normally he will eat the other horses for breakfast and he didn’t do that,” Ramsden explained.

“I was hugely disappointed – and I was left scratching my head and doubting myself. It really got me down and all week I was an absolute living nightmare. There wasn’t one homeopathic medicine I didn’t try and even I was surprised at the depths I sank to. I have to say sorry to Fee.”

Paul Lafferty will make plans for Harry’s Son after the gallant runner-up flies back to Durban this afternoon and seemingly the colt had a rough passage. “Rounding the turn he was pulling hard and another horse came in on me,” reported Piere Strydom.

Lafferty added: “Harry’s Son nicked his off-fore but we are not making any excuses. The winner is a top horse and I was very pleased with mine.”

Kingvoldt, only run out of second in the last few strides, may yet avoid the fate of most haemo-concentrating horses but 75-1 shot Imperial Gold surprisingly finished better than 8-1 stable companion Zambezi River. Both lost ground at the start.

S’Manga Khumalo reported: “I had a bad draw but my horse just didn’t get the trip.”

Sean Tarry added: “They both had reasonable runs. Zambezi River is a CTS sales race candidate and so he will drop back in trip for the R1 million race on 24 January while Imperial Gold will go for the Politician Stakes on 10 January.”

Ramsden and Fayd’Herbe were all smiles afterwards, in stark contrast to the Gr 1 Avontuur Estate Fillies Guineas two weeks earlier in which their fancied charge Cold As Ice broke through the starting stalls and bolted. The ups and downs of racing were displayed in no uncertain terms as Ramsden had no fewer than five winners yesterday. Act Of War’s owners Markus and Ingrid Jooste were not on course, but enjoyed a halcyon meeting as their colours were in the winner’s enclosure on six occassions.

Act Of War Cape Guineas – Liesl King

Fayd’Herbe said afterwards about the strapping Dynasty colt Act Of War, “He is one of the best horses I’ve ever sat on and everybody must get on the bandwagon and enjoy this horse now because he is something special.”

Ramsden’s emotions were more of relief as he said Act Of War’s preparation had gone well until a poor gallop last weekend. He had therefore endured a highly stressful week. However, he has proved himself a fine trainer of high class horses many times before and he had his charge in fine condition by the time of the race.

However, despite the comfort of the win in the end, he said afterwards that he had felt the horse had not been at his best on the day.

Trainer Paul Lafferty might have also felt the same as Second favourite Harry’s Son, a usually very laid back sort, did not settle nearly as well as he usually does in the running. Furthermore, he had flown into Cape Town from Durban on the morning of the race. He therefore put up a highly courageous performance, answering Piere Strydom’s call to go for home early from a handy position, stealing a march and staying all the way to the line.

Act Of War had in the meantime not broken well from a good draw of two, but Fayd’Herbe was happy to end up off the fence in midfield as he had always planned to have him in a “comfortable” position away from the bustle.

Fayd’Herbe had the perfect horse to follow into the straight in Act Of War’s classy stablemate Kingvoldt. Fayd’Herbe kept his eye on Harry’s Son out in front but never panicked and when he asked the question the answer was instantaneous. He said later that he had only had to give him a “little squeeze” to exact that response. The writing was on the wall from that moment onwards for the gallant Harry’s Son and his passionate owners, who had also flown down for the race. Act Of War simply cruised past to win by 1,75 lengths. Kingvoldt threatened to follow him through but Harry’s Son fought all the way to the line to beat him by a head.

The Sean Tarry-trained third favourite Zambezi River was not well away but tried very hard in the straight. However, he made little inroads and it was his unheralded stablemate, the 75/1 shot Imperial Gold, who finished in eyecatching style to beat him into the final quartet position, albeit 3,5 lengths behind Kingvoldt.

Ramsden was not drawn to answer where Act Of War will go next and the connections will likely only make a call after they have monitored how well he comes out of yesterday’s race. Markus and Ingrid Jooste own Act Of War and he was bred by Arc-En-Ciel Stud. The Jooste’s were represented by their racing manager Derek Brugman, who like Ramsden was also relieved that the race was over.

Earlier, Surruptitious was an unfortunate scratching in the Gr 3 Grandwest Cape Summer Stayers over 2500m as he looked sure to set a good gallop, and instead the pace was farcical in the early stages. The only filly in the race, Dynasty’s Pride, was then sent clear. The rest were content to bide their time and she turned for home at least ten lengths clear. Current Event was the first to come out of the pack and Gothic and the hot favourite Wavin’ Flag were making runs from well back.

However, the Ramsden-trained Argentininan-bred Giant’s Causeway gelding Coltrane, who had turned for home last, stormed through under Anthony Delpech to cause a 25/1 upset from Gothic, Current Event and Dynastic Power with 15/10 shot Wavin’ Flag in fifth. Coltrane was a useful stayer last season but was virtually pulled up in his last start over the too far 3200m, which probably explained the lack of market support.

The Dennis Drier-trained Jet Master mare Jet Aglow was well weighted in the Listed Cape Premier Jet Master Stakes over 1600m and duly landed 2/1 odds under Sean Cormack. She came from a handy position and stayed on resolutely, although Jet Explorer was closing quickly and put in an eyecatching preparation for the L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate by finishing just 0,5 lengths back in second. They were followed closely by the rank outsider Friendly Tibbs. Readytogorightnow and It Is Written were next best.

Pictures: Liesl King