David Thiselton

Eric Sands will give Rainbow Bridge his final sprint up ahead of Saturday’s Grade 1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate this morning (Thursday).

Rainbow Bridge’s equally high-profile stablemate and half-brother Golden Ducat had his final sprint up yesterday morning (Wednesday) ahead of the Grade 2 Glorious Goodwood Premier Trophy over 1800m.

The ride on Rainbow Bridge is retained by Luke Ferraris, who finished a narrow second in his first ride on him in the Grade 2 WSB Green Point Stakes over 1600m. 

National champion jockey Warren Kennedy takes over the ride on Golden Ducat from Donovan Dillon.

Kennedy opted to be located in Cape Town for the month of January according to the lockdown restrictions and this was chiefly in order to maintain his partnership with Equus Horse Of The Year Summer Pudding.

Dillon had a hard decision to make as he adores Golden Ducat but he informed Sands timeously of his decision to remain in KZN, where he gets plenty of rides. Dillon still travelled to Cape Town to gallop Golden Ducat last week.

On the same day Rainbow Bridge galloped with a sprinter.

Sands said, “He never quite got to the sprinter but finished full of running.”

He added, “Golden Ducat galloped on his own and in retrospect I should have maybe galloped him with a companion as he loafed a little.”

Sands continued, “After his sprint up today Golden Ducat’s recovery showed him to be not quite at his peak but he has come on in leaps and bounds since his comeback run (December 2 1600m).”

He added, “It is pretty much the same with Rainbow Bridge but we are wary of his second run back in the past tending to be a bit flat.”

The Queen’s Plate has eight runners and Justin Snaith has half of them which some might view as giving him a tactical edge.

However, Sands said, “He has four runners but he can’t have four winners, only one horse can win.”

Sands said he would keep his tactics under his hat but elaborated, “I will look at the field and assess what will go to the front and what will go handy and then make a decision.”

He will do the same for the Premier Trophy. 

Golden Ducat was beaten in his comeback run and Sands disagreed that he should have been taken to the front.

He said, “He would have tired in his first run back over a mile carrying a lot of weight. He looked a blinder but they must enjoy their first run back, you cannot be too hard on them.”

Golden Ducat is odds-on to land the Premier Trophy, which is over the same trip as the Grade 1 Champions Cup, where he beat a number of big guns at the end of last season.

Sands said, “He does have to give weight away but is very capable and will give a good account of himself.”

He concluded about the Queen’s Plate, “It is a very tough field with the like of Belgarion and Do It Again running and Cirillo is not out of it either.”

Rainbow Bridge, whom Sands believes is at his best over 2000m, has finished third in both of his attempts at the prestigious weight for age mile.

Sands also has a runner in the Grade 1 Cartier Paddock Stakes, Driving Miss Daisy.

He said, “She finished runner up last year but the defending champion Queen Supreme is Northern Hemisphere-bred so is effectively six months more mature this year. Driving Miss Daisy wasn’t given the best of rides in my opinion in her last two starts in KZN although it is easy to be a grandstand jockey. She is hard to assess as she doesn’t give away a lot at home, she is a lazy cow, but she does have the ability.”

Both Rainbow Bridge and Golden Ducat jump from draw five.

Driving Miss Daisy jumps from draw eight and Morne Winnaar rides.