Legal Eagle can emulate Sea Cottage
DEREK Brugman, racing manager of Mayfair Speculators, said their Sean Tarry-trained Equus Horse Of The Year Legal Eagle had been “doing fine and his work had been good” ahead of this Saturday’s Gr 1 R4 million Premier’s Champions Challenge over 2 000m on Turffontein Standside.
Legal Eagle will attempt to become the first South African horse for 50 years to successfully defend three Gr 1 crowns in one season.
The immortal Sea Cottage was the last horse to achieve this feat in 1967. Legal Eagle has already defended his L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes crowns.
Legal Eagle is merit rated 123, which is 10 points higher than the second highest rated horse in the race, his stablemate French Navy, who finished runner up to him last year. Of the opposition the Mike de Kock-trained three-year-old filly Nother Russia is the most unexposed. This is a big step up, but she improves every time she races and was an impressive winner of the Gr 1 Empress Club Stakes over 1600m last time out. She should get the trip on pedigree, being the daughter of the twice J&B Met runner up Mother Russia. Mayfair Speculators Deo Juvente looks to have enjoyed a good preparation and both he and dual Gr 1 Sansui Summer Cup winner Master Sabina carry the never to be under-estimated Geoff Woodruff factor.
Mayfair Speculators have the Tarry-trained Trip To Heaven and the Joey Ramsden-trained Brutal Force in the Gr 1 Computaform Sprint over 1 000m.
Their retained jockey Anton Marcus has chosen to ride Trip To Heaven and Piere Strydom will be aboard Brutal Force.
Brugman said, “Trip To Heaven is not the easiest to keep sound, but Sean knows him well and what to do. If he is sound and jumps on terms he is the horse to beat.
Brutal Force
Brutal Force has tightened up after his last win, which was his third run after a lengthy break, and will be spot on.”
Trip To Heaven put up an incredible display in the Gr 1 Betting World Cape Flying Championship over 1 000m last time out when losing a number of lengths at the start and only just failing to catch his stablemate Carry On Alice. Brutal Force has won his last two starts, including over the Computaform course and distance last time out. His unplaced run in the Cape Flying followed a year’s layoff. High draws are often favourable in the Computaform Sprint and in that case Brutal Force’s draw of four could be a concern. Trip To Heaven usually starts slowly so can be dropped out from his draw of seven before producing his devastating turn of foot.
Brugman is expecting a good run in the Gr 2 SA Oaks from the Joe Soma-trained Silvano filly Wind Chill.
He said, “I though she was a bit unlucky when runner up in the Oaks Trial as she raced three wide. We are expecting a very good run. It is a step up in class and trip but we think she will get the trip.”
Brugman’s one slight concern for their runners on Saturday was the Equine Herpes virus which had been doing the rounds on the Highveld, especially as affected horses had generally not been showing signs of the virus until after their races.
“Our form on the Highveld has been a bit hit and miss,” he admitted.
Brugman also spoke about Mayfair Speculators’ SA Champions Season campaign. He said the plans for their KZN string were still “fluid” and horses would be placed according to well-being, merit rating and track suitability.
Attenborough
The Ramsden-trained Attenborough has been in KZN for a while and impressed on Sunday in his first run as a gelding when swooping from off the pace to win the Listed In Full Flight Handicap over 1100m.
“We always thought gelding was what he needed,” said Brugman. However, he said the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint was not necessarily on his agenda as Mayfair Speculators had many other possible candidates for the race and it would all depend on the handicappers assessment of their recent performances, their wellbeing and their suitability to the predicted track condition.
Other horses he mentioned as possible Tsogo Sun contenders were Excelero, Night Trip and Elusive Path (3rd, 8th and 11th in the In Full Flight), Graduation Day (whose soundness issues have seen him have only nine starts despite being a six-year-old) and Seventh Plain (a Scottsville Gr 1 winner who caught the eye in his last start). He said another of their Scottsville Gr 1 winner, Guinness, was unlikely to run in the Tsogo Sun as they considered him a 1 000m horse these days.
Mayfair Speculators have a phenomenal record in Scottsville Gr 1s.
Brugman explained Table Bay and Just Sensual’s surprise scratchings from Sunday’s Gr 2 Daisy Guineas and Daisy Fillies Guineas respectively.
“They had good spells on the farm after the Cape Summer and the Guineas meeting came too soon as we did not want to start them fresh in a mile. We will bring them back over shorter, but there are no firm plans. They are galloping this week and we will see how they go in their races before deciding their routes.” Meanwhile, the Gr 1 Investec Cape Derby winner Edict Of Nantes suffered a “small niggle” after arriving at Summerveld, which was why he would be missing Sunday’s Guineas meeting. Brugman said the Gr 1 Daily News 2000 would now be the target, but if that did not work out they could bring him back to a mile later (he was a narrow runner up in Gr 2 Selangor Cup over 1 600m).