[RL] Two GR1’s in South Africa on Saturday
R1,000,000 Gr1 Queen’s Plate
At the age of eight, Pocket Power is trying to do the almost impossible. He’s trying to match what only one horse in the history of horse racing worldwide has ever managed to do. That horse is Kelso, and the feat is to win a major stakes race five years in a row.
The Queen’s Plate is South Africa’s premier weight-for-age race. It is run over the turf mile at Kenilworth racecourse in Cape Town, and Pocket Power has won it for the last four years. Can he do it again? He’s not the force he once was. Between June and October he actually lost four races in a row. Last time out though he showed his old spark to win the Green Point stakes going away. The significance of that run is that it was over this exact course and distance, a trip over which he has a perfect 10 from 10 record.
However, there are some significant challengers that will be lined up against him on Saturday, not least of which are the unbeaten three year old filly Ebony Flyer and the rapidly improving gelding Past Master. One special point of interest about those two is that they too, like Pocket Power, are foals of the champion sire, Jet Master.
Throw in South Africa’s best locally based mare, Mother Russia, and you have a mouth-watering contest in store. She won the Paddock Stakes last year but connections have opted to take on the boys this time around instead.
(1) Pocket Power => Jet Master x Prince Florimund (41 runs, 20 wins, R9.896m)
(2) Past Master => Jet Master x Western Winter (8 runs, 4 wins, R495k)
(3) Tropical Empire => Second Empire x Pago Pago (37 runs, 11 wins, R1.180m)
(4) Tales Of Bravery => Kahal x Caesour (15 runs, 6 runs, R482k)
(5) Blue Tiger => Counter Action x Rainbow Dream (38 runs, 5 wins, R1.319m)
(6) Captain’s Secret => Captain Al x Our Casey’s Boy (14 runs, 5 wins, R404k)
(7) Casey Cool => Casey Tibbs x Complete Warrior (50 runs, 8 wins, R891k)
(8) Celtic Fire => Bezrin x Centenary (16 runs, 7 wins, R399k)
(9) Fabiani => Model Man x Maroof (20 runs, 3 wins, R583k)
(10) Rushing Wind => Windrush x Northern Guest (25 runs, 4 wins, R570k)
(11) Time And Love => Jallad x Elliodor (28 runs, 10 wins, R475k)
(12) Super Storm => Rakeen x Western Winter (15 runs, 3 wins, R309k)
(13) American Man => Galileo x Unbridled’s Song (21 runs, 4 wins, R204k)
(14) Mother Russia => Windrush x Russian Fox (25 runs, 12 wins, R3.930m)
(15) Ebony Flyer => Jet Master x Badger Land (4 runs, 4 wins, R724k)
R1,000,000 Gr1 Paddock Stakes
With Ebony Flyer and Mother Russia taking on the boys, the 1800 metre Paddock Stakes is not quite as strong as it could have been but there are some very useful filles and mares taking part here, looking for that Gr1 glory.
(1) Love Is In The Air => Jet Master x Jungle Cove (17 runs, 8 wins, R686k)
(2) Sunsational => Windrush x Model Man (22 runs, 5 wins, R407k)
(3) A Daughter’s Legacy => Windrush x Elliodor (24 runs, 7 wins, R520k)
(4) Zirconeum => Jallad x Kenmare (19 runs, 4 wins, R1.867m)
(5) Reconcile => Silvano x Trigger Finger (21 runs, 6 wins, R416k)
(6) Tree Flag => Classic Flag x Restructure (22 runs, 6 wins, R275k)
(7) Flirtation => Silvano x Mullineaux (8 runs, 4 wins, R1.443m)
(8) Imperious Star => Navarone x Northern Guest (10 runs, 5 wins, R675k)
(9) Tassie Belle => Casey Tibbs x Argosy (18 runs, 5 wins, R405k)
(10) We Three => Silvano x Badger Land (12 runs, 4 wins, R286k)
(11) Tick Tock => Captain Al x Elliodor (17 runs, 3 wins, R343k)
(12) Emerald Cove => Captain Al x Caesour (11 runs, 4 wins, R349k)
(13) Flaming Dane => Jet Master x Flaming Rock (8 runs, 2 wins, R96k)
(14) Margaret Court => Lake Coniston x Model Man (7 runs, 1 win, R82k)