One World earned himself a harem for the rest of his days when out-fighting Rainbow Bridge in a final furlong thriller in Saturday’s Sun Met.
The original plan was that he would accompany the rest of Vaughan Marshall’s string going to Summerveld but owners Ken and Jane Truter, Etienne Braun and Braam van Huyssteen now have to consider the implications of every move and, if at all possible, avoid any further defeat.
You would think that last bit might be easy considering the colt’s record – ten wins from 14 starts, three seconds and a third in the Cape Guineas. Certainly he has the pedigree – by the late, great Captain Al, he is out of an imported Giant’s Causeway mare whose own dam (by Caerleon) was placed in the Prix Vermeille and is a full sister to a French Oaks winner.
Klawervlei would look an obvious destination, not least because John Koster bred One World who was bought for R425 000 at the 2017 CTS Cape Premier and has now won over R5.6 million! Whatever their choice, the owners are unlikely to get it wrong because it was they who persuaded Vaughan Marshall to let the 15-1 shot take his chance.
“I was in two minds about running him because I had my doubts about whether he would stay the trip,” Marshall admitted after greeting the third Met winner of his career. “But the owners were keen.”
There was no fluke about the result with only the fancied
Vardy having a legitimate excuse and the 2 min 2.48 was the fastest in this
race since Pocket Power won it for the first time 13 years ago.
Rainbow Bridge
For Rainbow Bridge the focus now switches to a second attempt to achieve owner Mike Rattray’s great ambition of winning the Vodacom Durban July but a furlong out, with Ryan Moore still not having asked for everything, a second Met looked as good as in the book. The fact that appearances were to prove deceptive did little to diminish the great jockey’s opinion of the horse or, for that matter, connections’ opinions of the rider.
“He ran a great race but I never thought I had it,” said Moore as he returned to the weighing room with trainer Eric Sands supremely impressed. “Ryan can ride for me any day. He had the horse beautifully placed throughout and he gave the horse a great ride.”
Unfortunately he won’t be free on July day as that comes at the height of the British and Irish seasons and usually clashes with the Eclipse – but it wasn’t just Moore’s race-riding that impressed Sands. “I spent two hours with him on Friday. He listened to everything, he was so intense and he walked the course with me.”
No lesser jockey than former champion Andrew Fortune was
equally taken with Moore who, incidentally, rides a hole or two longer than
most jockeys here. “Did you see him going to the start?” said Fortune whose own
success was due in no small part to his intuitive understanding of horses. “He
had his mount’s head down, not in the air like some of the South African
riders. He is a proper jockey.”
De Kock
Hawwaam, the 43-20 favourite who was three and a half lengths back third, now leaves for Britain via a three-month Mauritius quarantine. “Anton Marcus did a sterling job and he settled the horse just where I wanted him,” said Mike de Kock who now seems to believe that the colt may have been a little over-rated by some observers. “I am starting to wonder – he has just about run to the form of his win in the Premier Trophy.”
Twist Of Fate (fourth) fared better than strongly fancied stable companion Vardy who was only sixth but seemingly lack of stamina was not the problem. “Hawwaam came in on me, my horse clipped heels and he just buckled,” said Craig Zackey who was fortunate not be brought down. “He got very unbalanced and he didn’t really pull himself together after that,” added Adam Marcus. “Thank God he is not injured but it was disappointing. With One World winning, you look at the collateral form with Vardy and you think we could have had it.”
Those post- Queen’s Plate problems with Do It Again left
their mark and the dual July winner managed only ninth. “He never fired, just
sort of switched off,” reported Richard Fourie and Justin Snaith added: “He was
at the back and, although he ran through a third of the field, he was not
himself. He will have a break and then go to Durban.”
Candice hits back
For much of this season the Candice Bass-Robinson stable has seemed to be some way below it’s customary high standards. You only have to compare the 8% strike rate with the ten of the last two seasons to appreciate that, but the renaissance came just in time to enable her father (who still plays a big part behind the scenes) to enjoy yesterday’s 75th birthday celebrations.
His daughter landed the Cape Flying Championship and recorded her third Bidvest Majorca in her four seasons. “I didn’t really do anything different,” she said. “The horses just came right at the right time.”
Aldo Domeyer certainly made a big difference. The brilliance and sheer confidence of his riding post-Hong Kong has even his father (Andrew Fortune) envious and the way he saved and delivered first Russet Air and then Clouds Unfold for devastating late runs would have done credit to any jockey anywhere in the world. For good measure he also won the CTS 1200 on Invidia for Fortune’s wife Ashley.
Sadly for his growing band of fans Domeyer is intent on returning to Hong Kong soon – “I can’t wait to get back. It’s unfinished business so far as I am concerned” – so the mounts on Saturday’s two Group 1 winners will be up for grabs.
“I am not sure about Russet Air going to KZN but he may go to Jo’burg for the Computaform Sprint,” said the victorious trainer who added: “Clouds Unfold is something special. She had an injury (she chipped the point of her hip when getting loose at Summerveld) and I struggled to get her back. But she is something special as well as versatile – a brilliant sprinter who can also go round the turn.”
Kasimir, last year’s Cape Flying victor, was an honourable third and Snaith said: “Horses were hanging and we had to go round them. Also he was a run short.”
By Michael Clower
