Legal Eagle hard to oppose
LEGAL EAGLE is a dreadfully short price but he is well-nigh impossible to oppose in his bid to win the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate for the third successive year at Kenilworth tomorrow.
The six-year-old looked as good as ever when he returned to Cape Town to take the Green Point five weeks ago and the champion trainer’s conversation with tabonline’s Jack Milner earlier this week confirmed that the horse has now found the expected extra and is very much on-song – “He has had a perfect prep and everything has gone smoothly.”
Victory tomorrow would extend his unbeaten run over a mile to eight and provide four-time champion Anton Marcus with Queen’s Plate number seven.
Trading at 6-10 or 7-10 is for the brave but this is a good race for short-priced horses. Although Legal Eagle 12 months ago was the first winning favourite for four years, favourites had won seven of the previous eight runnings and only one winner has started at a bigger price than 7-1 this century.
The only horse that could reasonably be expected to put it up to the dual Horse of the Year is Edict Of Nantes and he is due to spend the rest of his days in Hong Kong.
Gold Standard is the next shortest in the betting at 6-1. He was good enough to finish second in the Cape Guineas and fourth in the Sun Met last season before being sidelined as a safety measure and his return has gone more or less according to plan. But he is not a champion.
Captain America (7-1) is a tough, consistent sort who was second last year and fourth the year before. He seems sure to make the frame but third time lucky? No.
Stable companion Sail South is a big price at 16-1 for a horse that was third 12 months ago – less than a length behind Captain America – and has retained his form. He looks a reasonable place bet at 9-4.
Marinaresco (10-1) has been deliberately left undercooked to stop him dropping himself too far off the pace. It’s a gamble but, as his trainer freely admits, this mile is too short for him and his race is the Met.
African Night Sky (17-2) is held in high esteem by his stable but in the Winter Series it was only the 2 400m of the final leg that marked him out as something much better than his contemporaries and it is hard to see Bernard Fayd’Herbe winning his sixth Queen’s Plate tomorrow.
Hat Puntano (10-1) is difficult to assess. At his best he just might cause an upset but the favourite would have to run way below form for him to win.
Silicone Valley ran a great race to take fifth 12 months ago but that is as good as he is while fellow 25-1 shot Deo Juvente’s flop last time – he was found to have sore muscles in his chest and hindquarters afterwards – hardly inspires confidence and the rest surely don’t count.
Mike de Kock has won the Cartier Paddock Stakes four times – the most recent with Nother Russia’s dam Mother Russia in 2010 – but he has also sent out six beaten favourites.
Craig Zackey’s mount is a warm order but favourites have won four of the last ten runnings and she is taken to win.
She probably has most to fear from Nightingale and the Snaith trio Gimme Six, Star Express and Oh Susanna. The lastnamed has been backed from 12-1 to 7-1 this week and three-year-olds have won three of the last seven Paddocks. Today Just Sensual can follow up her Southern Cross win by taking the Cartier Sceptre Stakes for Marcus and Joey Ramsden but don’t forget what Snaith said about Mister Colin in race three tomorrow.