Legislate pulled out
RETHINK: NEW PROGRAMME NOW NEEDED FOR LAST YEAR'S JULY WINNER
Cape runners dominate both Guineas and Fillies Guineas.
Cape trainers struck the biggest blow at Greyville on Saturday when they won two of the three Grade 2 races on the Greyville card but one Cape trainer who was left scratching his head was Justin Snaith.
Last year’s multiple Equus Award winner Legislate was due to have his first start since finishing last of a small field in the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate at Kenilworth in January and there was a lot of talk about the state of his fitness.
Snaith, no doubt, was hoping the running of the Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m would answer a lot of questions and help him sort the future programme for his stable star. Sadly Legislate got his leg caught up in the back gate after being loaded and then lashed out. He has taken out of the stalls and Gold Circle report course vet Roehann Sutherland, opted to pull him out of the race. He said Legislate had suffered a few minor abrasions but appeared a “little ginger” on the leg so he was not going to take any chances. “Fortunately he was quite sensible and did not struggle in the gate. It was possibly just a bit of a ‘lamey’ but only tomorrow will tell.”
That left the race wide open but the two horses who attracted quite a bit of support were King Of Pain and Ice Machine. Unfortunately for those who bankered Legislate in all their bets it was King Of Pain who started tote favourite and he finished unplaced.
Instead it was Ice Machine, now with Charles Laird, who came home powerfully down the outside of the track under Anton Marcus, to easily beat Bouclette Top by three lengths with Ashton Park and 0.50 lengths back in third and long-time leader Chekilli in fourth.
Marcus, who earlier won the Grade 2 KRA Guineas aboard The Conglomerate, was full of praise for Laird. “It was a tremendous training feat by Charles to keep him sound. He was floating today. He’s a very special horse and at weight for age 1600m he can go with the best of them.”
Many pundits, including Marcus himself, felt 1600m was too short for The Conglomerate (71) but courtesy of a good pace early on he was able to have his mount well placed in the Guineas. Riff Raff made the early pace but shortly after moving into the start The Conglomerate took the lead and kept on strongly to hold off and moved him into the lead shortly after the field turned for him. He kept going to beat 20-1 shot Mac De Lago by two lengths with Light The Light in third and tote favourite Anjaal in fourth.
“We always thought he was a nice horse and we skipped the Derby, maybe for the wrong reasons in the end, in Cape Town,” said Ramsden. “Our plan was always to come up here and try and keep him off a nice low merit rating – hopefully the handicapper is watching the other way. Anyway, we always thought he was a very, very smart horse, but I never thought he was good enough to win a Grade 2 mile.
“They had gone like hell and it’s just been to his advantage. And to be honest with you, I was cursing Anton, I thought he had gone a bit too early on him, particularly as he hadn’t had a start for a while.”
The KRA Fillies Guineas went the way of Brett Crawford-trained Alexis (8-1) who also appreciated the good pace and went ahead some 200m from home to hold off favourite Inara (3-1) by two lengths.