Legal Eagle is expected to emerge as a warm favourite for the J & B Met when the market undergoes a major shake-up this morning following his decisive win over a trip widely considered too short for him in Saturday’s L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate.

Some bookmakers were yesterday talking about the four-year-old shortening to as low as 2-1 while previous favourite Futura goes for a friendless walk to 5-1 or more  as punters cast major doubts about his ability to repeat last year’s win.

Sean Tarry, speaking immediately after Saturday’s triumph, said: “Legal Eagle has gone from strength to strength and his five months off the racecourse has really done him well. I was very confident in his preparation and in his ability but not of beating the likes of Futura over a mile. It was a fantastic performance.”

Markus Jooste’s Avontuur-bred Greys Inn gelding was a first Queen’s Plate for Tarry but the champion trainer won the 2005 Met with Alastor. He also has last year’s second Gold Onyx  in the January 30 spectacular as well as French Navy who missed his run in Saturday’s London News Stakes when the last four Turffontein races were abandoned. Tarry indicated that the SA Classic winner is now doubtful for the Met unless owner Chris van Niekerk insists.

However Justin Snaith was far from disheartened about the Met prospects of runner-up Legislate and fifth-placed Futura, reasoning: “Legislate hadn’t run this season and he will come on from this as will Futura who had only had one race this term.”

But Noah From Goa (third) is unlikely to take advantage of today’s final supplementary stage or, for that matter, Wednesday’s Investec Cape Derby equivalent. Matthew de Kock said: “We will see how he pulls up and what my Dad says but he is probably limited to a mile.”

Captain America, who ran on take fourth after being squeezed at the start, came back minus his right front shoe, while the course vet reported Act Of War (sixth) coughing and Power King (last) in mild post-race distress.

Light The Lights’ strong run to get up close home under Stuart Randolph in the Glorious Goodwood Peninsula Handicap filled Glen Kotzen with Met hope. “This is a different horse since we cut him,” said the Woodhill trainer. “We had to teach him to settle and we sprinted him. Now it has all come together.”

Geoff Woodruff was just as taken with the third of Deo Juvente who chased home long-time leader Milton, saying: “We were never going to beat the winner but it was a super run from a bad draw and the 2 000m of the Met will be that little bit more up his street.”

The Conglomerate, backed from 6-1 to 4-1 favourite, came in with only one behind him and the vet reported him not striding out.

> The legendary Lester Piggott, now 80, was among the crowd which was the biggest for Queen’s Plate day since Gaynor Rupert began her efforts to restore the event to its glory days of old.

By Michael Clower
Picture (Liesl King): Anton Marcus and Legal Eagle

Smart Call will attempt to follow in the successful female footsteps of River Jetez (2010) and Igugu (2012) in the J & B Met but Alec Laird has an even bigger target in mind for Saturday’s winner of the Maine Chance Farms Paddock Stakes.

He said: “Winning this means that we now have a ticket for the Breeders’ Cup and we may well go for that, possibly via Mauritius but hopefully we can get a shorter route by then.”

Laird, who travelled the world with his 1997 Met winner London News, deliberately did not enter the Mauritzfontein homebred for the Klawervlei Majorca on Saturday week and explained: “A mile is a bit sharp for her. The Met will be tough but she is a good filly and I think she will actually get further than 2 000m as she is by Ideal World out of a mare by Horse Chestnut.”

Weichong Marwing, who also rode Horse Chestnut, was fined R1 000 for saluting the crowd before the line while runner-up Inara came back with a mouth injury and fourth-placed Same Jurisdiction had an over-reach wound on her left fore.

Anton Marcus for once failed to get a flyer on the 16-10 favourite but reported: “It wasn’t the draw that beat her – I had a great run. It was the distance and at that pace.”

Duncan Howells added: “I’m not disappointed. All in all I thought it was a fantastic run. With a good draw she would have been second. If she pulls up sound she will run in the Majorca.”

Surprisingly Black Arthur could miss Saturday week’s Investec Cape Derby despite making up 15 lengths when coming from last under Piere Strydom to get up just over 50m out in the Cartier Politician Stakes.

Justin Snaith, who won five of the 12 races, said: “The Politician was the race I earmarked for him for the summer – we have been holding him back because he needed time to mature – and he has a good future. There is a big doubt about the Derby and he won’t go for it unless I think he has a real winning chance.”

Runner-up Marinaresco is among the 28 Derby entries and so is third-placed Liege although Andrew Fortune was urging Sean Tarry to switch to the CTS Million Dollar. Second favourite Mooghamir dropped out disappointingly and the course vet found he was making an abnormal respiratory noise.

By Michael Clower
Picture (Liesl King): Smart Call winning the Maine Chance Farms Paddock Stakes

What the Queen’s Plate jockeys said:

Anton Marcus, winning the race for the fifth time since 1993: “I followed Bouclette Top. If I’d had the guts I wouldn’t have been scared to lead but it would have been a bit of a gamble and I was thinking of the Met.

“I knew something was there [when Futura and then Legislate tried to challenge] but I had no idea who it was. I was concerned with keeping my horse going. He has a turn of foot over ten furlongs but over a mile I didn’t want it turning into a sprint.”

Piere Strydom (Legislate,2^nd): “He moved up and I was happy with that but I think he is a bit of a bowler – he is better if he is allowed to bowl along.”

Anthony Delpech (Noah From Goa, 3^rd): “He ran a great race – he went through as if he was going to win – but I could have done with a faster pace.”

Corne Orffer (Captain America,4^th): “He stumbled badly coming out of the gates but he then ran an absolute cracker.”

Bernard Fayd’Herbe (Futura, 5^th): “The fractions were too slow. I needed a fast pace because I knew I could never sprint with these horses. Mine is an 1 800-2 000m horse.”

Andrew Fortune (Act Of War, 6^th): “I sat third and, although he quickened a little bit, he ran pretty much the same with Captain America and Futura as he had done last time.”

By Michael Clower
Picture: Anton Marcus and Legal Eagle (Liesl King)

The highlight of the Greyville poly meeting on Friday night was a win by the Gavin can Zyl-trained Silvano gelding Night Shadow, which proved he had well and truly turned the corner.

This horse had been quite frustrating to follow after winning his maiden in good style over 1200m on the poly and he dropped from an initial handicap mark of 79 down to a 63 after running not a single place in his next eight starts. However, he then suddenly flashed home when stepped up to 1800m, beating the promising Kitty’s Destiny. He followed up with another win over 2000m and then ran on strongly for third in the KZN Summer Chapter Challenge Final over 2000m on turf.

On Friday he proved the turnaround was likely due to him coming into his own, rather than merely being suited to middle distances, as he ran on strongly to annihilate them by three lengths over 1600m under Brandon Lerena. Gareth can Zyl, who trains the Brian Burnard-owned string for the yard, has certainly brought out the best of this four-year-old, who provides more evidence that Silvanos are like fine wines and improve with age.  It will be interesting to see how much further Night Shadow can progress.

The aforementioned Kitty’s Destiny also ran on Friday night and looked to be the chief victim in the argy-bargy down the straight in race 6 over 2000m caused by Silver Spring. The Weiho Marwing-trained Jonovich was away from the scrum and snuck down the inside to win under 2,5kg claimer Eric Ngwane.
Dennis Bosch has been in fine form and looks to have a fair sort in the well named Elusive Fort colt Elusive Wolf, who bears a striking resemblance to his famous dam sire Wolf Power. The penny is still dropping with him and with second time blinkers in his third career start he came home strongly under Anthony Delpech to beat the odds-on favourite, the well-bred Hearts ‘R Pumping, in a Maiden over 1400m by three-quarters of a length and the rest of the field were a further nine lengths back..

Delpech clinched a double in the last when the 82 merit rated three-year-old Mr Winsome ran on powerfully to beat older horses comfortably in a handicap over 2000m. This is another son of Silvano with a bright future.
The Craig Eudey-trained Blue Beach is improving in the typical fashion of a daughter of Ideal World and caught the eye running on strongly to win a fillies and mares maiden over 1400m under Warren Kennedy, particularly considering she will appreciate further.

Alistair Gordon has formed a fine partnership with Alec Forbes and they won the third over 1400m with hard-knocking Right Approach mare Donna Amata.

Andre Nel won the seventh over 2000m with Jet Master mare Jet Ntombi, ridden by 4kg claimer Calvin Ncgobo. Nel has had 18 winners countrywide at a strike rate of 12,77% since taking over Sabine Plattner’s string in September. The win clinched a first career double for Ngcobo as he had earlier ridden the Colin Scott-traine Galileo gelding Maachaan to victory in a 1600m handicap.
By David Thiselton
Picture (Nkosi Hlope): Night Shadow wins at Greyville on Friday night

Mike de Kock supplied the first overseas winner of the Dubai Carnival on its opening night last Thursday when the South African-bred nine-year-old Second Empire gelding Star Empire won a  2000m turf handicap, which carried a stake of US$150,000.

He finished fast under Sam Hitchcott, who was having his first ride for De Kock, to deny Elleval from Ireland.
“We knew he was in good shape because he had been working well,” said De Kock. “The 3200m Dubai Gold Cup is his main target on Dubai World Cup night but this win gives us a few more things to consider as he has won over such a short trip.”

De Kock also finished third and seventh in the race with the South African-breds Sanshaawes and Atomic Rush.
By David Thiselton