“Disappointed?  Yes. But bothered?  No.” This is Joey Ramsden’s reaction to Saturday’s seismic Selangor shock when odds-on Table Bay’s third to 28-1 chance Gold Standard measured at least eight on racing’s Richter scale.

“Pace is important but you have got to be in the right place,” Ramsden reasoned, pointing out that the first two were stone last turning for home. “The others just went too fast.”

His rivals will point out that it was he who provided the pacemaker but punters and pundits alike were left stunned. However rider Anton Marcus seemed to be singing from much the same hymn sheet as Ramsden, saying: “I think he was too prominent in running – I can’t think of anything else. Table Bay is a smart horse but going through the 900m mark he was under pressure and I knew I was in trouble.”

Maybe – just maybe – the Cape Classic flattered Table Bay. The time that day was more than two seconds outside the course record but Saturday’s race was fast, less than a second outside the 2014 Green Point when Legislate smashed the mile record.

The Cape Guineas on December 17 will provide the answer but for those, like the writer, burning to find out now that is both stating the obvious and far too late. Certainly the majestic manner in which Table Bay strode home under 60kg remains a well-nigh unshakeable memory.

Glen Kotzen, though, can hardly wait for his chance to do it again. The Hattinghs’ Trippi colt had won his last two and Richard Fourie, completing a treble of his own, said: “He was travelling like a winner all the way and, when I saw Table Bay not pulling it through, I knew he could do it. He fought all the way to the line.”

Kotzen added: “This was no surprise to me because Gold Standard is getting better and better. He is more of a Derby sort and I thought the short run-in might find him out so I changed his work to doing short, sharp bits.”

Runner-up Edict Of Nantes looked like winning a furlong out and Brett Crawford is, somewhat understandably, also dreaming of Guineas glory – “I’m praying for a draw and then we will have a real chance.”

The much fancied Al Fahad, though, ran even worse than the favourite. There was more money for him than Table Bay in the two hours before the race – he shortened from 7-2 to 5-2 while the favourite drifted from 5-10 to 7-10– but he was in trouble coming out of the final turn and a beaten horse soon afterwards.

Safe Harbour is to stay in Cape Town for Saturday week’s WSB Fillies Guineas after finishing faster than anything to shoot through a rapidly-closing gap in the Lanzerac Ready To Run. The Elusive Fort filly, bred by Jim Antrobus, earned R1.25 million for CTS chairman Chris van Niekerk and the big-spending Wehann Smith who for this one forked out a mere R180 000.

Sean Tarry said: “She is drawn two and, if she pulls up well, we will take our chance. After that we will regroup.”

But it wasn’t all plain sailing in the irons with Weichong Marwing reporting: “There was some scrimmaging in the back straight. Anton on Always In Charge had to check in front of something and I had to pull off his heels, putting my filly off her stride.”

Marcus had what looked a dangerously difficult ride on the 15-10 favourite. He was badly hampered early on by Purple Tractor (“I went right down”) and was hindered by the same horse a furlong out. With a clear run he would have been in the shake-up at the very least.

But it was a case of close-home heartbreak for Anthony Delpech on the front-running Sergeant Hardy whose wind-restricted stamina exceeded all expectations. “I thought I was going to hold on,” he reported ruefully. “But at the end my horse dived to the left and, had I let him go over, I would have lost it (in the boardroom) anyway.”

The gelding’s trainer Justin Snaith, who also sent out fourth-placed Bishop’s Bounty, said that Zodiac Ruler will run in the Cape Guineas despite managing only ninth – “The course is riding very fast and he couldn’t get into it on the short run-in.”

Quick Brown Fox earned a crack at the Fillies Guineas after comfortably following up her debut win under Greg Cheyne in the 1 200m fillies handicap with Crawford pointing out: “It is a big plus that she is drawn one.”

Matthew de Kock has already earmarked the Summer Stayers (Dec 17) and the Chairmans Cup (Jan 7) for the Callan Murray-ridden Smart Mart who got up close home in the Kenilworth Cup.

Michael Clower