Drier eyes sixth Medallion

DENNIS Drier will attempt to win the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion for the sixth time in eight years at Scottsville on Saturday, and for the seventh time overall, and he has a good chance of doing so with Sand And Sea.

The rangy Twice Over colt ran on strongly to win his debut over course and distance in a Juvenile Plate where he was receiving 3kg from the previous winners.

Drier said, “He is a nice colt and has done nothing wrong. He was green and has come on from the run. I don’t know how good the others are but we are expecting a big run.”

Anton Marcus retains the ride and they jump from draw eleven.

The yard’s gallant seven-year-old Captain Al gelding Barbosa will be having his fifth attempt at the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint.

He is part-owned by spelling farm owners Rodney and Jane Trotter.

Jane spoke on his behalf and said, “He is coming to the end of his career and I don’t really know what to expect but we are hoping for a nice, honest run.”

She added his last run had come a bit soon after the previous run, which he had needed, and that might explain those two below par performances.

She concluded, “He is a bit of a funny horse, he doesn’t like to have other horses around him in the running, so I think his outside draw will favour him.”

Barbosa loves the Scottsville straight and has dropped back to a 104 merit rating, the same rating he ran off in his only Stakes win in the Listed Umgeni Handicap over 1000m on the Greyville poly in 2015.

However, his best finish in the Tsogo Sprint has been a 3,65 length sixth to his brilliant stablemate Captain Of All two years ago and ran off this same 104 merit rating on that occasion.

He is drawn eleven of 16 and Alec Forbes is up.

Drier did not sound bullish about Sail, who runs in the SA Fillies Sprint, and said, “We are just trying her over the trip and we will see how she goes.”