Red Ray in Flying Champs mix
HE weight for age Gr1 Betting World Cape Flying Championship over 1 000m at Kenilworth on Saturday will have added colour after the Joey Ramsden-trained three-yearold classic hopeful Red Ray as well as the problematic Dean Kannemeyer-trained Cape Royal both stood their ground at the final declaration stage yesterday.
The final field will consist of 13 runners, including two fillies Via Africa and Victorian Secret, and ranges from the 111 merit rating of Cape Royal down to the 94 of Zambezi Torrent.
The main disappointment was that Fairyinthewoods, winner of her last six starts including the Gr2 weight for age Southern Cross Stakes over the course and distance, was absent.
Red Ray was cut down late in both the Lanzerac Ready To Run Cup over 1 400m and in the Gr1 Grand Parade Grand Parade Guineas, but disappointed in the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate when new tactics of holding him up in midfield were tried.
The Western Winter colt was an easy winner of the Listed Somerset Stakes over 1 200m as a two-year-old when held up behind the leader Silk Road before running on powerfully.
However, he was then beaten 1,75 lengths by Willow Magic in the Grade 1 SA Nursery over 1 160m after being flown up by aeroplane to Johannesburg.
THe was gaining late in that race and with the luxury of hindsight jockey Anton Marcus might have made his move earlier, as the winner found an unusually strong kick for a horse that had shown such blistering early pace.
Red Ray showed good early pace and a tremendous turn of foot from second in the running when winning the Gr3 Cape Classic over 1 400m by 3,5 lengths from a wide draw in his seasonal reappearance on the Kenilworth winter course back in October.
It will be interesting to see whether he has the raw pace to go with the best sprinters around over the minimum trip on Saturday and what tactics will be employed.
Cape Royal is full of ability, but is unlikely to have many big bets riding with him as he has refused to race in his last two starts.
His merit rating also looks too high as his biggest win was only of a Listed race.
This four-year-old Royal Academy gelding has been given a holiday and re-schooled since his last start at Clairwood back in June.