The ‘Captain’ to stake his claim
MERCURY Sprint Day has a whole new look with the top weight-for-age sprint in the country now the centre of an action-packed programme tomorrow featuring the inaugural Interprov Rider Cup, additional feature races and entertainment facilities for the whole family.
The R750 000, Gr 1 Mercury Sprint, previously run at Clairwood, has a new home at Greyville with a unique element this year where the top speed horses will be challenged by star milers like last year’s Vodacom Durban July winner Legislate and Willow Magic that finished first and second in the recent Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge.
The Interprov Rider Cup is an inter-provincial jockey challenge featuring four-man teams of the country’s top jockeys from KZN, the Highveld and the Western Cape competing for the lion's share of the R100 000 prize money in the competition.
There will be action throughout the day but the main focus will be on the 1 200m Mercury Sprint the result of which could determine the country’s Equus Champion Sprinter with the super Captain Al colt Captain Of All a leading candidate for the title. The fillies Alboran Sea and Carry On Alice are major contenders for the honour with strong credentials to back their claims and while Alboran Sea has been retired, Carry On Alice is in tomorrow's line-up with everything to race for.
The Dennis Drier-trained Captain Of All has his brilliant win in the Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint as his trump card and a win tomorrow, his final race before being retired to stud, could clinch the deal for him.
But Carry On Alice from the Sean Tarry stable goes into the race with an equally impressive victory in the Gr 1 City Of Pietermaritzburg Fillies Sprint where she actually posted a faster time by 0.07 secs than Captain Of All over the same course on the same day and she beat Alboran Sea that had twice beaten Captain Of All in the past. The filly also has 1,5kg less to shoulder tomorrow than she did at Scottsville.
They are drawn alongside one another so it is going to be a brilliant fight between them and for punters it is going to come down to personal choice between the two as form and ability should play an almost no role and at the weights one would feel they have the measure of the other sprinters in the field.
But, one cannot overlook another female in the race and that is the Mike Bass-trained Jet Master mare Fly By Night. She won the Mercury Sprint at Clairwood last year and from a less favourable draw to Carry On Alice in the Scottsville race, came on late to finish third by 1,8 lengths giving Carry On Alice 1,5kg.
Tomorrow she has a better draw and is 1kg better off in the weights with her female rival and knowing the master trainer from the south, this race has probably been her main season mission and he will have her at her absolute peak making the task for Captain Of All even more difficult.
Daring Dave, Moofeed and Willow Magic filled the first three places in the recent Post Merchants at Greyville and they will also pose a threat to the more fancied contenders. While weight is against them on the Tsogo Sun Sprint result, they could again fight it out for a share of the stake.
Willow Magic has won well over 1 000m but gives the impression that that the tight Greyville 1 200m track may not suit him and judged on his Rising Sun Gold Challenge performance and the fact that he won the Dingaans, a mile would be more to his liking.
The unknown factor for various reasons is the Dynasty colt Legislate.
He has shown himself to be outstanding as a miler and middle-distance performer and one cannot help feeling that the 1 200m trip will be far short of his best. However, he certainly does not lack toe as he showed when winning the KRA Guineas last year in a top time of 94.14 secs so he is no slouch.
He made the running in the Gold Challenge but he is taking on some serious speed horses tomorrow and he will need to up his pace considerably if he is going to give them a galloping lesson. But one thing you learn over the years is that class is an element that can never be ignored and you leave this smart four-year-old out of you exotic bets at your peril.