Alice favourite to beat the boys
GAMEPLAN: CHANGE OF TACTICS COULD SEE MET FAVOURITE COME FROM OFF THE PACE
Horizon priced up favourite to win Cape Derby.
There could be a subtle change in tactics for Sun Met favourite Legal Eagle in the great race at Kenilworth over 2000m on Saturday. “Legal Eagle has shown in his last two races that he could do with some cover and I would be happy for him to follow the better drawn horses,” says Mayfair Speculators racing manager Derek Brugman. “He is versatile and has a great turn of foot. I also think he is better over the ten furlongs (2000m) of the Met than he is over a mile (1600m).”
Legal Eagle raced a close second when starting favourite for last year’s Met. He led 300m out only to be challenged and headed by Smart Call who drew right away in the closing stages.
Anton Marcus again had Legal Eagle handy when he won the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate earlier this month. He raced in third behind Midnite Zone and Captain America before taking it up over 200m out.
Second favourite Marinaresco, who was less than 0.50 lengths behind Legal Eagle in last month’s Green Point Stakes, was beaten more than three lengths into fourth in the Queen’s Plate. He had a wide draw that day but rider Grant van Niekerk said: “I probably rode a bit of a bad race. But that is the nature of the game – you ride some good races and some bad ones – and I make him a big runner on Saturday.”
This will be the 25-year-old’s sixth ride in the Met. He was third on 125-1 shot Punta Arenas in 2014 and again on 33-1 chance Helderberg Blue 12 months later. This will be the first time he has partnered a horse starting at less than 25-1.
Legal Eagle remains favourite for the Sun Met but has drifted to 2-1 while second favourite Marinaresco remains firm at 5-2. Whisky Baron is at 9-2 but the biggest market move has been for Gold Standard, the lone three-year-old in the field, who has continued to shorten. He is now quoted at 8-1 after having been available at 20-1 a fortnight back.
Bela-Bela is the only filly who will be lining up and she is at 9-1. Her stable companion, It’s My Turn, is at 14-1.
In other news Horizon, winner of the Grade 3 Politician Stakes has been installed as 12-10 favourite for Saturday’s Investec Cape Derby.
Betting World has Edict Of Nantes as the 33-10 second favourite with 4-1 Table Bay and Newlands, 10-1 Zodiac Ruler, 14-1 Elevated and 20-1 and upwards others.
Gulf Storm, who won last year’s Cape Flying Championship at 12-1, is a 25-1 chance this time. Carry On Alice is favourite at 3-1 and stable companion Trip To Heaven next best at 33-10 with Rivarine at 11-2 and Red Ray at 6-1. Others are 10-1 Brutal Force, 12-1 Jo’s Bond and Search Party, 18-1 Tevez with 20-1 and upwards others.
Betting World have Silver Mountain as 15-4 favourite for the Grade 1 Klawevlei Majorca with Star Express at 5-1. They are followed by 6-1 Lady Of The House, 7-1 Nightingale, 10-1 Beach Goddess, 12-1 Goodtime Gal, Final Judgement, Sail, 14-1 Captain’s Flame, 16-1 A Time To Dream, Real Princess, Alexis, 20-1 and upwards others.