Gold Standard will start in Matchem

RESTED: KOTZEN’S CHARGE HAS NOT RUN SINCE FINISHING FOURTH IN SUN MET

Final Judgment will represent Kotzen stable in Diana Stakes.

Glen Kotzen’s big hopes for high-class Gold Standard begin in earnest in the WSB Matchem Stakes at Durbanville on Saturday. The targets for the fouryear-old son of Trippi are the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate, the Sun Met and – if all goes according to plan – the Vodacom Durban July, all Grade 1 races.

Kotzen’s plans were thwarted last season when, after a second in the Cape Guineas and a fourth in the Met his charge got injured. “We found Gold Standard had a small segment on each fetlock and, while he was never unsound, we decided to clean them up and set him up for this season rather than take him to Durban,” explained Kotzen.

He points out he has not so far been able to get the work into Gold Standard he would have liked because of the droughtinduced shortage of gallops in Cape Town. The horse has had one grass gallop at Kenilworth, though, and that could be more than some of his rivals on Saturday have had.

Richard Fourie’s mount is well drawn at No 3 and is expected to start favourite, statistically a bonus because favourites have won three of the last four runnings.

His opponents in the 1 400m Grade 3 include Table Bay who started favourite for the Grand Parade Cape Guineas and finished third, 0.75 lengths behind Gold Standard.

The in-form Kotzen-Fourie combination also have a major contender in Final Judgement in the Grade 3 WSB Diana Stakes on the same card. However, she has not been helped by a wide draw.

The new Durbanville, with its cambered bends, is not quite so draw-dependent but it is still a disadvantage to be drawn wide, particularly with the course riding as fast as it is at the moment.

Last year’s winner, Captain’s Flame, goes again and Anton Marcus, who flies down for Table Bay, rides Goodtime Gal whose good performances last season were headed by a close third in the Grade 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes.