The Running Of The Sea Cows
Awapuni Racecourse in New Zealand hosts this weekend’s running of The Manatee Classic, a Grade 3 contest over ten furlongs restricted to three year olds.
With this being a very busy weekend Sim wide, the race known locally as the running of the Sea Cows, has perhaps understandably slipped under the radar of many connections, and only the four colts will face the starter Saturday.
However, adding interest to proceedings is that two of those four are ranked in the top 10 in the division, with the balance of the field not far behind. Let’s take a closer look at the combatants.
Breaking from the rail is Kingdamo’s Pivotal colt “Kipland” This colt has been plying his trade at allowance level at Randwick and Rosehill in Sydney recently and brings a record of 6 starts for 2 wins and 2 placings over the Tasman Sea. Jockey Tom White, will be looking to take Kipland to the lead early and if it can be found don’t be surprised to see the 1 in the frame at the end of the ten furlongs.
Last year’s superstar juvenile and Eclipse nominee, “K.M. Red Rocker” appears to have everything going for him in this race, firstly he breaks from barrier 2, he has the services of the red hot Gavin Dennis Mate in the saddle and he is stepping back to the ten furlong trip over which he won the Grade 1 St Cloud as a juvenile.
This beautifully bred son of Rock of Gibraltar and Red Ransom mare Hester Prynne, runs as part of the powerful Kingman Empire and comes into this race off a perhaps underwhelming seasonal debut when fifth in the Super Hero Role Playing Stakes, up the road at Te Rapa.
The punters appear to have forgiven the Rocker for his last performance and have installed him as hot odds on favourite for Saturday. With natural improvement out of his last race coupled with the slight drop back in distance, I also cannot go past him in this.
Eyeballing the favourite from the adjacent barrier stall will be the Aussie bred Haradasun colt “Chef Moller II” This colt spent his early three year old career compiling a picket fence for his stable as he won his way through the restricted allowance grades as distances just over a mile.
Once this task was completed trainer Cbrady tried him at stakes level over Saturday’s distance last time out and the result as favourite was not spectacular, the Chef never getting warm and failing to beat any of his competitors home.
This horse appear better suited to distances a little shorter than ten furlongs, and may be the one that you can leave out of combinations. Although at 2-1, there are plenty of good judges of a horse who appear to disagree with me.
Rounding out this small but select field is the sole Kentucky bred, “Incal” a son of Giant’s Causeway and the Powerscourt mare “The Hedonist”.
Incal, who is ranked eighth in the division comes into this race off a crushing two and a half length win in the aforementioned Super Hero Stakes.
This squared the ledger with the favourite after Incal had been a game albeit distant second in the St Cloud as a two year old. Between these outings with the Rocker Incal had also helped to make Christmas dinner taste a whole lot better in the Super15 household, with a 103 performance as a juvenile in winning the Nurey Academy stakes.
The punters haven’t missed him either, with worse than even money being available, but I just believe that Saturday will be K M Red Rocker’s chance to get his nose infront in the head to head stakes.
In conclusion, a small but classy field and the way I see it is:
2
4
1
Good luck to all horses, jockeys and connections