De Kock has strong hand with grey, two fillies
– Many punters enjoy betting on a filly or a grey when it comes to a major racing event. The R5 million Sun Met over 2 000m at Kenilworth Racecourse in Cape Town on Saturday has four fillies in the race, but just one grey.
In fact, if you are interested in either, you will have to look at what former champion trainer Mike de Kock will be saddling up. He sends out three runners in the Grade 1 race – a mare, a filly and a grey colt.
Nother Russia is a five-yearold mare while Cascapedia is a four-year-old filly who was bred in Ireland. Both are owned by Jessica Slack, who has taken over the black and yellow colours of her late grandmother, Bridget Oppenheimer. Two years ago, Slack won this race with Smart Call, who is currently racing overseas.
Nother Russia earned her place in this field when running a closeup third behind Deo Juvente and Met favourite Legal Eagle in the President’s Champions Challenge over 2 000m at Turffontein. Her mother, Mother Russia, finished second in the Met behind Past Master in 2012, so it would be some compensation for the family if she were to win this year.
Cascapedia was supplemented into the race at a later stage after two excellent wins. “She has defied her mark in each of her last two starts. She had no right to win the Turffontein Pinnacle on December 23, yet she did, and in the London News Stakes last time, she again had no right to beat the opposition at the weights. It was a good field and she won again,” said De Kock. “The way she has risen through the ratings has impressed me. I think she is still underrated – and I thought she deserved her place in the field.”
De Kock is bidding for his fourth Met win following Horse Chestnut in 1999, Badger’s Coast 12 months later and the filly, Igugu, in 2012.
He is also running Heavenly Blue, the lone grey, who has the class to win but could be short of one run. He won the SA Classic last year, but when finishing third in the SA Derby he developed some knee chips and had to have surgery. He has had only one run since then and ran a promising race but most importantly, pulled up sound.
He also put up a very good gallop in Cape Town last Saturday. His 25/1 odds look appealing. –