Grade 1 Mr. Met Cap

By ITCH

A real man makes his own bed.

That’s one of the lessons we can learn from the late Nelson Mandela, whose memory is rekindled by a visit to South Africa for the $1.5 million Mr. Met Cap, a Grade I going 10 furlongs on the turf. It was here in Mzansi, a nickname for the home of the Saffers, that the great Madiba was persecuted, imprisoned and eventually empowered.

After being held behind bars for 27 years, Mandela traveled the world as the first black president of South Africa. No matter where he went, he insisted on making his own bed.

“I remember we were in Shanghai, in a very fancy hotel,” said Jessie Duarte, the personal assistant of Mandela from 1990-94. “The Chinese hospitality requires that the person who cleans your room and provides you with your food, does exactly that. If you do it for youself, it could even be regarded as an insult.

“So in Shanghai I tried to say to him, ‘Please don’t make your own bed, because there’s this custom here.’ And he said, ‘Call them, bring them to me.’

“So I did. I asked the hotel manager to bring the ladies who would be cleaning the room, so that he could explain why he hemself had to make his own bed, and that they not feel insulted. He didn’t ever want to hurt people’s feelings. He never really cared about what great big people thought of him, but he did care about what small people thought of him.”

Egalitarianism must be the way for the human race, but this is a horse race. Equality has no place on the track between four-legged creatures. How else would we bet?

And who to bet in the Mr. Met Cap?

There is a lot to like in here. Of 14 starters, no fewer than eight are Grade 1 winners! That fact got us to thinking. Does this race always come up this tough? Let’s do a little research, and take a look at the four most recent runnings of the Mr. Met Cap.

Last year, Ladofmanor’s SWITCH IT UP won in spectacular fashion, getting his nostrils to the wire in front of a four-way blanket finish. At one point in the race or another, all four horses looked like the winner. First, Given’s KITTEN OF VALYRIA blasted away to a big lonely lead and looked like he would run away with it. Then, it looked like he would get caught, and Lenny’s SLINGING GOSPEL had first run. Then, Switch It Up kicked into gear on the far outside, and looked like he would be the best closer. Then, Flagdown’s OLD DYNAMICS unleashed a late burst of speed that looked impossible to resist. They hit the wire together, and Lado’s horse was in front. (Old Dynamics second, Kitten of Valyria third and Slinging Gospel fourth.) Of the quartet, half return: Slinging Gospel and Old Dynamics. Whoever wins this year’s Mr. Met Cap will be hoping his horse’s impression of Switch It Up is short-lived. The horse has not run a good race since, and has slipped to No 65 in the divisional ranking. Like this year, there were eight Grade 1 winners in the field last year.

In 2015, the finish was not nearly as dramatic, which suited Seacadet just fine. His DEEPSEEKER went to the front and stayed there, never seriously threatened while winning by a length and a quarter. There were eight Grade 1 winners in the field two years ago, as well. We are starting to get the idea that the Mr. Met Cap is consistent in terms of depth and quality.

In 2014, there also were eight Grade 1 winners in the field! Talk about a consistently tough race. This year’s race is very tough, but no tougher than the recent runnings of the Mr. Met Cap. Three years ago, Rvd’s SKY FORCE held off POTION MASTER for the victory.

In 2013, the Mr. Met Cap was famously loaded with great horses. No fewer than three future Hall of Famers entered the gate in South Africa on Feb. 9, 2013. They were Lenny’s TO CATCH A KITTY, Wrecks‘ PERFECT BEAST and Skunkbarn’s CRYIN OUT LOUD. There were 10 Grade 1 winners in the field that day. None of the Hall of Famers entered the winner’s circle. All three were defeated by WILLIAM’S STREET, trained by Sonofaus.

So, our brief research clearly indicates that the Mr. Met Cap is a race to be respected. It seems to draw a great field every year, and this year is no exception. Without further delay, let’s get to this star-studded race.

When Lenny’s THE JOY OF LIFE, a 5yo light gray son of Kitten’s Joy out of the Grade 1-winning Distorted Humor mare ROSES BEFORE DAWN, missed the board in two straight Grade 1 races, rival trainers began to whisper among themselves. Was there something wrong with Lenny’s turf monster? After hitting the board in every Grade 1 race he ever ran, suddenly The Joy of Life, champion of the Grade 1 NY Island Cap, missed a couple of steps. Lenny never wavered. He kept his eventual Eclipse Award winner to his regular schedule. This horse is a bit of a throwback to the Sim’s old days, when its champions were seen on the track more often. The Joy of Life is all about the joy of racing, and doing so once a month on the regular since June of 2015. The champ loves to run! Even when he somehow missed the board in two straight, it did not take him long to rebound to his prior great form, and get even better. The Joy of Life won the Grade 1 Coxless Stakes three back, then saved his best race of a magnificent 2016 for last, winning the Grade 1 with a personal-best speed figure of 118. That’s a total of three Grade 1 victories and two in a row for The Joy of Life, who now has raised himself to the status of possible Hall of Famer. If he can win the Mr. Met Cap, that will be four total Grade 1 victories, and three in a row. The horse is an absolute specialist at the 10-furlong distance of the Mr. Met Cap. They’re playing his game on Saturday. As such, the South African morning line oddsmaker has installed The Joy of Life as a deserving favorite at 5-1. He’ll break from post No. 9 under his regular rider, L. Radzinski.

Can anybody challenge the Eclipse Award winner?

First up is a foe very familiar to the trainer of the top qualifier. Last year, it was Flagdown’s OLD DYNAMICS that came so close to getting up past Lenny’s Slinging Gospel in this race. Now, those two fine horses return to the scene of that dramatic blanket finish. Major credit goes to the old-timey Sim veteran Flagdown, who has this 7yo scratch-bred bay son of Dynaformer (El Gran Senor X Caro) still in the Top 20 of his division. There are two 7yos in this race, which is nice to see. That’s the good news. The bad news is that Old Dynamics has not been himself lately. Flagdown sent the big horse to the farm just after Thanksgiving last year, when a main track experiment went just as bad as his previous two clunkers. Three poor races in a row left Flagdown with no option other than a refreshing winter at the farm. It’s still winter, but Old Dynamics has had the requisite three months off which most top trainers accept as the right amount of time for a long break. Can the old boy rejuvenate? It sure would be fun to see it happen, especially in this race, in which he ran so well last year. Old Dynamics was just flying at the end last year in the Mr. Met Cap, and I suspect Flagdown may still be in shock that he did not manage to get up. Usually when you see a Sim horse moving that fast, it’s a winner! This year, Old Dynamics will go off at 12-1 from post No. 7.

If the Mr. Met Cap was an actual wagering proposition, there is only one horse in the field that you could bet. It’s Given’s SPICED TURTLE, a 4yo bay son of the Australian sire Sebring that will go to post at a ridiculous price of 17-1. It takes a little while for the top 3yos to catch up to the older horses on the odds board, and early in their 4yo seasons, the distortion lingers. Forgetting the fact that you would have to bet this horse due to its astronomical price, there are several more handicapping factors to love. First has to be his race last out, in which he exploded to a career-high speed figure of 119 in winning his Grade 1 debut going Saturday’s distance over this South African track. To put that number in perspective, Lenny’s The Joy of Life may well be on his way to the Hall of Fame and won an Eclipse Award last year, but never went that fast. When he won last out, The Joy of Life duplicated his career-best number of 118. Given’s horse just topped that in its first-ever Grade 1 race! Spiced Turtle is a huge closer, which I guess makes sense, considering his name. It yet another blatant flaunting of disrespect to the Self-Appointed Simulated Name Police, a top trainer has bred a fast horse with a name that should be wrong. For Pete’s sake, turtles are slow. Why would you want to name a horse turtle? A clear violation of name policing. But, whatever. The horse is named turtle but runs the stretch like the hare. He’s undefeated at Saturday’s distance, a perfect 3 for 3. He just keeps getting better every time, winning all three of those by open lengths. If you could bet, your bet would have to be on No. 5.

The second of our two 7yos in the Mr. Met Cap is NNovak’s MONTJEUELRY, the Eclipse Award-winning bay son of Montjeu. Representing the Racing HQ, NNovak is basically in the same business as Frankenstein. In the novel by English author Mary Shelley, a young scientist creates a grotesque but sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment. In Montjeuelry, NNovak created a turf monster that has gone to sleep in his last four races. It has not been since April of last year that Montjeuelry was alive! It’s alive! It’s romping home in front of the Grade 1 Aussie Queen, leading every step of the way! And then, just as soon as the next race, it’s not alive. It’s fading badly in the stretch, still showing that good early speed, but coming up empty four times in a row now. Perhaps slightly desperate to earn new stakes points while still eligible for top races, NNovak keeps plugging away against top competition in hopes of pulling the same trick as did Frankenstein. Like the monster in the movie, Montjeuelry was a terror in the first 13 races of his career, which carried him all the way to an Eclipse Award as a 4yo in 2014. He crushed the competition at the classic 12-furlong turf distance, always prominent early and always discouraging the competition. He won four Grade 1 races that year. Lately, NNovak has shortened up his champions races in an effort to make his speed stick, but it just has not worked. Montjeuelry breaks from post No. 11 at 14-1.

KEPLER XII ZIU, a 4yo light gray son of the Irish sire Mastercraftsman, out of Marre’s Grade 1-winning Royal Academy mare SKOGBY’S DAME, is No. 3 in the long turf division. Normally, a horse with such a lofty ranking would be at the top of the bill. But, Marre is dropping his Grade 1 winner into a different division. This horse has been racing farther than the 10 furlongs of the Mr. Met Cap. While he does not qualify at the top, he still easily makes the field. Now, what about this distance experiment? Kepler XII Ziu has run in six straight Grade 1 contests, all but one at the classic turf distance of 12 furlongs. He won two of those Grade 1 races, and one of them was against older horses, which qualifies him in terms of class in Saturday’s field. At a generous price of 17-1, this 4yo is going to be hard for handicappers to figure in the Mr. Met Cap. How will his speed at 12 furlongs translate to 10 furlongs? It’s not like he’s going to be alone up front. How strong will he be off the layoff? Kepler XII Ziu has had a proper freshening, off three months since his last race on Nov. 27 in Japan. And, what to think about two of his last three which were clunkers? We can see a ready excuse for one of them, as it was going too far at 14.5 furlongs. However, that last-place finish last out in the Japan Classic was at his favorite distance. There can be no excuses there. Something may have been amiss with the horse near the end of his 3yo campaign, and I am sure NNovak is a least a little anxious about how his Grade 1 winner will come back off the layoff. He’s got the class, but has questions to answer in terms of current form and ability at the distance. Kepler XII Ziu breaks from post No. 8 at 17-1.

In the north central of France lies a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Val de Bussy sector of Marne-la-Vallee known as GUERMANTES. It is not known for sure whether Fernando has named this 4yo bay son of Australia after that small village with a population of less than 1,200. What we do know for sure is that Guermantes, the Simulated horse, has some poor form to fix if he’s going to play a role in the Grade 1 Mr. Met Cap. Right now, his form is triste, as the French might say. The horse won its first Grade 1 race, but in five races since, has shown nothing at all. Maybe it was the step up in competition against older horses. Maybe the 12-furlong races were step too far. Whatever the case, Guermantes can only rate the look of a longshot when his last five finishes are ninth, 13th, eighth, seventh and ninth. In the words of the Chicago Outfit to the ill-fated Vegas hitman Tony Spilotro: It don’t look good. The horse has been beaten more than 80 lengths in his last five races, never threatening to hit the board. How are we going to find the silver lining in this mud puddle? Now, I’m not saying I’m going to put this horse on my tickets, but perhaps you can find a bit of encouragement for Guermantes that he ran a much better speed figure while ninth last out when cutting back to Saturday’s distance. At least it looks like the horse can get this distance, while he was struggling so mightily going farther. It seems far fetched to see this horse hitting the board, but it would not be so crazy to think he might be able to run another more respectable race. As his poor form would dictate, Guermantes is the longest shot in the field at 33-1. Regular rider O. Haack has not given up on the horse, and returns to ride out of post No. 12.

LIGHT AND JOY is the second-longest shot in the field at 22-1. We know they can play some real rugby in New Zealand. How might they be for upsetting a Grade 1 Sim race at a big price? Derbyking represents the New Zealand Racing Club with Light and Joy, a 5yo scratch-bred son of the Canadian sire North Light (Alleged X Kitten’s Joy.) This horse has managed to earn more than half a million dollars while winning only 2 of 26 races. Isn’t that amazing? The horse remains eligible for non-winners of three lifetime, yet has earned more than the lion’s share of stake winners. How can it be? The answer is that this horse ran second in two straight Grade 1 races as a 4yo. In June, 2016, he closed from 10 lengths back to be second in the Grade 1 Movieland Turf Cup. Next out, he made a similar move to be second in the Grade 1 Man Of War Stakes. Despite showing a potential allergy to getting his picture taken, Light and Joy was accumulating a respectable amount of stakes points. He still has them, 97 to be exact, good enough for a place about in the middle of the qualifying order for this Grade 1. That’s the good news. The bad news is that the horse has been nowhere to be found in six races since those two second-place runs. The horse has lost 11 in a row, and has failed to hit the board in six straight. I was thinking the name of the horse might make sense with the top qualifier (The Joy of Life over Light and Joy?) But it just seems so unlikely for a horse in form like this. He’ll break from post No. 2.

***Disclaimer: This writer is president of the fan club for the following horse.***  If there was one thing we all could be sure about in the Sim, we could all be sure that nobody could out-Rocky our good old Rocky. No way could a player come along and open more stables than Rocky, who oversees a vast herd of something around 360 stables. Then came Kimugle. Step aside, said the British and Nordic Racing Club. It took several hours and dozens of herdsmen, but Rocky and his thousands of horses all stepped aside. Kimugle opened so many barns, he nearly broke the Sim. After some cooperation from Mike, his main outfit now shows “only” 298 stables, with others apparently grouped under a separate banner as the rumored size of the Kimugle outfit is more than 400 stables. That is unless, there has been a recent downsizing we did not hear about. Kimugle is a very nice fellow, and has a very nice horse in IRISH RAFIKI, a bay scratch-bred son of Dubawi (Irish River X Nureyev) that is improving despite his ripe old Sim age of 6. Like the aforementioned Light and Joy, Irish Rafiki has managed to earn more than $500,000 without finding his way to the winner’s circle very often. The horse has only won four of 21 races, but I like to joke with Kimugle in the chat room, and tell him Irish Rafiki has the be the best 4 for 21 horse in the history of the game. Despite losing most of his races like Light of Joy, the similarity ends there. Believe it or not, this horse is a serious contender in the Grade 1 Mr. Met Cap despite losing 17 of 21 career starts. He ran a strong second last out to Given’s Spiced Turtle in the Grade 1 Jolly Summer Cup, going Saturday’s distance of 10 furlongs. In that race, Irish Rafiki broke forwardly but not on top, as has been his usual pace place. The horse was content to chill in third before making a strong move to the lead with about a half a mile from home. He broke away from them all and looked like an easy winner. That was, until Given’s horse came running, and then it was clear that Irish Rafiki would be second. Even so, it was almost six lengths back to the third-place runner. In a Grade 1 going Saturday’s distance, Irish Rafiki had demolished every horse in the field save the freak that came flying to beat him with a 119. He got a 117 for his trouble. If he can run right back to that race, he’s got a right to be there at the end. The morning line oddsmaker picked up on this horse and sends him off at 8-1 from post No. 13.

The short odds on NEED TO BREATHE catch our attention. With only 76 stakes points, Willyam’s 5yo bay son of Lonhro, out of his Grade 2-winning Galileo mare, IN CONFIDENCE, has qualified all the way down here in eighth. Yet, he’ll go to post No. 3 as the co-third favorite at 7-1. Like the aforementioned Kepler XII Ziu, Need to Breathe is visiting from the marathon division, where he is ranked quite highly at No. 11. However, that only translates to No. 174 in the route division. Need to Breathe has raced at the classic turf distance of 12 furlongs in five of his last six races. This horse came up only a head short of winning the Grade 1 Breeders’ Bowl Turf just a few months ago. On BB day, Need to Breathe just walked out of the gate, letting the field get away from him early. Conceding more than a double-digit deficit, Need to Breathe passed all of them but one. Try as he might, closing like a freight train, he just could not catch PENNIES WELL SPENT before the wire. Now, after a disappointing fourth-place run in the Grade 1 Los Angeles Turf Cup, Willyam is opting to cut back in distance and ship overseas for the Grade 1 Mr. Met Cap. There is some reason to believe the horse may appreciate the cut back in distance. He has won at 10 furlongs on multiple occasions, three to be exact. He owns a Grade 3 victory at Saturday’s distance. If Willyam says Need to Breathe needs to cut back in distance, we have to believe him. This Grade 1 has a very strong presence from the GR Simsters and Willyam certainly adds to that. Need to Breathe will break from post No. 13.

Speaking of the GR Simsters, we reach the second half of the Lenny entry with SLINGING GOSPEL, the horse that came so close to winning this race last year. His running line for the 2016 does not do justice to how well he really ran. You look and it shows him closing to be fourth, it does not look as impressive as it was in watching the race. As stated previously, Slinging Gospel looked like the winner at one point, only to get caught very late by two strong closers. I think when we consider the form of this 5yo bay son of Bernardini, we need to draw a line through the 12-furlong races. In doing so, we get a clearer picture of a horse in very solid form ever since last year’s running of this race. There have been nine races since that day, and three were poor. Two of those three were at 12 furlongs, which we’ll take a position is too far for Slinging Gospel. The only race we cannot make an excuse for is that sixth-place run three back in the Osmonds Invitational, which was at Saturday’s distance. Perhaps it was a protest against polygamy. Then again, sires are rampant polygamists. Like we say, it’s the only bad race we cannot explain. However, Slinging Gospel rebounded last out to win a Grade 3 going Saturday’s distance going away. He’s the second choice at 6-1 and will break from post No. 6. With the top two betting choices in the race, Lenny is like the Simulated version of Chad Brown or Todd Pletcher in this spot. To have the two lowest prices in a historic Grade 1 like the Mr. Met Cap is an accomplishment in itself. Now, we’ll see how they run.

ALL ALL OPPS ALL is another one near the bottom of the qualifying order who is getting keen respect from the mornings line oddsmaker. Slats1 will represent All-Stars Racing with this 5yo brown son of Gio Ponti, based on the stakes-placed son of Pulpit, SIR ARTHUR. All All Opps All is 9-1 despite qualifying in front of only three rivals. BTB experience tells us to watch out for horses like this. All All Opps All has earned only $349,000 but has won nine races, so that tells us that this horse has been beating up against easier competition than he will face on Saturday. In fact, the career of All All Opps All is even more remarkable than it first appears. This horse is something liked a scaled-down Seabiscuit. He broke his maiden in his third career race, but his original owner thought so little of him that he dropped him all the way down to a $4,000 claimer. He was claimed, but his next owner did not think much of him either, and let him go for $15,000. It was not until his third owner that the horse finally became a success. It was Slats, aka Tulloch, who developed this horse into graded material from nothing. He unearthred the hidden talent of All All Opps All by running him longer on the turf. Interestingly, All All Opps All has failed to win five career listed stake tries, but is a Grade 3 winner. Sandwiched between defeats in lesser company is a victory two back in the Grade 3 Allison Stakes. So, what are we to think? All this horse needs is a challenge? Well, he gets one on Saturday. This former $4,000 claimer meets the Sim’s turf elite in the Grade 1 Mr. Met Cap. He’ll break from post No. 4.

Our man Robby will carry the hopes and dreams of our Empire State Racing rez against all these strong contenders and trainers from the GR Simsters and elsewhere with HEADS UP CADET. Knowing Cadet from the chat room, we know it would please him greatly to win a race loaded with so many familiar rivals. The champion trainer of 2016 at ESR sees a big race coming for this 5yo scratch-bred son of Dubawi (Sadler’s Wells X Kingmambo). This will be his second race back off a long layoff, and Cadet tips his hand by choosing to go for Grade 1 company. He’s expecting a big race out of this Grade 3 winner. This will be his second try at the Grade 1 level, and his connections are looking for bigger and better things this time around. Heads Up Cadet was only seventh in his Grade 1 debut, which took place in the Eclipsed Stakes in July of last year. This horse underwent an extremely light racing schedule last year, facing the starter only four times. After his disappointing Grade 1 debut, Cadet sent him to the shelf for a long, long time. Apparently, he has a strong suspicion that this horse is going to do his best racing as a 5yo. Look for Heads Up Cadet to be away alertly and in attendance of the early pace. He’ll break from post No. 10.

Our penultimate qualifier is SEEKING THE IMPACT, a 5yo bay scratch-bred son of Deep Impact (Seeking the Gold X Ghostzapper). There are several horses in the Mr. Met Cap that fit the profile of the old BTB maxim: Watch out for horses that go off at short odds after qualifying far down the order. This horse qualifies in front of only one other runner, but is the third co-choice at 7-1. That fits the profile, all right. Seeking the Impact is an enigmatic sort. On the one hand, he seemed to struggle somewhat in listed company, losing four in a row after winning his stake debut. He certainly did not fit the bill perfectly as a Grade 2 winner, but there he was in the winner’s circle two back in the Grafde 2 Cities Cup in New Zealand. (We have to wonder about the quality of that field. Despite his struggles in listed company, Seeking the Impact was less than 3-1 that day and beat them easily, winning by two and a quarter.) Last out, Seeking the Impact faded to sixth in his Grade 1 debut, failing to follow up on his Grade 2 success. That sixth-place run in the King Kong Vase looks bad, or does it? They’re only going 10 furlongs on Saturday, not 12. Seeking the Impact might be forgiven that defeat at a distance that may not be his best. He may have a lot more punch at 10 furlongs. His career-high speed figure of 120 was earned going a mile and a quarter, when he was a hard-luck second three back in a listed. It is that big number that has played a large part in earning this horse’s short price. Even though he cuts back to what is probably his preferred distance, he still has a lot to prove in Grade 1 company. The 7-1 seems a bit of an underlay. He’ll break widest of all from post No. 14 for trainer Stockswami, trainer of Eclipse Award-winning filly QUEEN KAM.

Finally, we have PANE LUNAR, a 4yo chestnut son of Curlin, out of a Giant’s Causeway mare named DARKSIDEOFTHEMOON who would earn her first Grade 1 winner with a victory by her son on Saturday. Darksideofthemoon has produced five stake winners and three graded winners, but never a Grade 1 winner. Can Pane Lunar do it for Mom on Saturday? He has a lot better chance than his qualifying position might indicate. Despite entering the Mr. Met Cap with fewer stakes points than any other runner, Pane Lunar looms a possibility at 15-1. He’ll break from the far inside at post No. 1, and jockey P. Wright can be expected to take this rangy colt far back early in hopes on one big late run. Pane Lunar is one of several hopefuls in here who have done more earning in the marathon division, and hope to handle the cut back in distance to the limit of the route division, 10 furlongs. Pane Lunar is only three for 16 lifetime, but he might be getting over his camera shyness in the winner’s circle. He had a big smile on his face last out when he got his picture taken after the Grade 3 Manatee Cup in New Zealand. Pane Lunar earned an impressive 115 speed figure last out when closing with a rush to win going 11 furlongs. He cuts back a panel here. The horse fits the profile of an extremely deep closer here. Can he get his kick in gear soon enough to hit the board? It’s not impossible.  Kaner gives the GR Simsters another chance.

GOOD LUCK EVERYBODY!!!!!