Rainbow Bridge the hot topic with Moore down to ride
RYAN Moore will find himself with four horses on his inside when he lines up for his first South African Group 1 ride on Rainbow Bridge in the Sun Met at Kenilworth on Saturday week.
Eric Sands drew five for last year’s winner at yesterday’s draw ceremony held, somewhat appropriately, in the Grand West Casino and he had good reason to be satisfied with the way the numbers fell his way.
A bigger imponderable is how the great jockey will cope on a course he has never seen before, on a horse he has never ridden, and with no experience of the pace at which South African races are run and – perhaps most difficult of all – of the effects of the Southeaster wind which can vary from next to nothing to gale force.
Greg Cheyne, who won on Whisky Baron three years ago and this time partners outsider More Magic, has no doubts about any of these phasing the most successful big race jockey of the present day. “This won’t be the first time that Ryan has ridden a strange horse in a Group 1 on a strange course – and he is a true professional,” said Cheyne. “Indeed, when I heard that he was riding Rainbow Bridge in the Met, my first thought was that he is the right man for the horse.“i have ridden against Ryan and I can tell you that he is a horseman. Eric will give him the lowdown on the horse and from there he will be able to work things out for himself.” The Met at Kenilworth, particularly with only 14 runners this time, is nothing like as draw-dependent as the Vodacom Durban July where those on the outside are in danger of getting left behind and those right on the inner risk being squeezed against the rail.
Favourite Hawwaam is drawn 12 with dual July winner Do It Again on his inside and One World on his outer but Justin Snaith expressed satisfaction with 11, saying: “Do It Again always prefers to be a bit wide because he isn’t happy being stuck in the middle of the fight.”
Second favourite Vardy will start from pen nine, historically one of the best. Pocket Power in 2007, River Jetez three years later and Futura five years ago all broke from this stall. Sun West chairman Hassen Adams, thankfully with his tough battle against cancer now almost won, spoke of his Past Master winning nine years ago after being drawn 15.
He said: “It’s a great achievement for any owner to have a runner in the Met and that day was the greatest of my life – and, even today, I still think about it.”