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Saturday's Dubai World Cup at Meydan is one of the flagship events on the global racing calendar and this year’s nine-race extravaganza offers a whopping $30.5 million in prize money with the G1 Dubai World Cup ($12-million, Race 9) over 2000m topping the card.
Hong Kong Jockey Club World Pools will be in operation for the eight races for thoroughbreds (Races 2 to 9) and all TAB Win, Place, Exacta, Quinella and Swinger pools on these races will be commingled into the huge Hong Kong pools. For South African tote customers it’s a super opportunity to bet big without making any significant impact on the payouts, and you can share in the pools via
the Betway Tote offering.
Betway Ambassador Mike de Kock competed in many DWC days over the last 20 years, but he’ll be at home on this occasion saddling at Turffontein, where five of his runners will do battle. (Woman Of Power has been withdrawn from Race 6, she has a virus).
Desert Miracle (Craig Zackey), Sparkling Water (Kabelo Matsunyane) and Humdinger (Richard Fourie) make up almost half of the field in Race 4, a Pinnacle Plate over 1400m. Mike said: “Desert Miracle and Sparkling Water returned to Johannesburg after their Cape campaigns, one was successful and the other didn’t do too well, but this is a new term full of possibilities.
“I gave both of them a few weeks off after their Cape spell before they came back into full training. They are extremely well, but short of their best. I am preparing them for the Empress Club Stakes and the Premiers Challenge.
“Humdinger has been a lovely filly to train, she is consistent and fit as a fiddle, with a good draw in a small field. There are no excuses for her in this race, we’re expecting a good run.”
Gimmeanotherchance (Keagan De Melo) was backed to win his 1160m debut at the end of February, but he was run out of it in the final strides and placed second. Mike’s got him entered for the G3 Protea Stakes over 1100m, racing against three others who have already won, and he said: “I was quite surprised that Gimmeanotherchance got beat first time out, but he cut throats for 1000m with a claiming apprentice and that took its toll. I think he’ll be a miler, this is too short for him but we rate him quite highly. He will be getting 3kg from the winners, but he’s got ability and he should run well.”
Cool Winter (Matsunyane) goes to post in Race 9 over 1160m and Mike commented: “It’s a tough ask for him on his rating of 81 in this handicap. He’s got another win in him, but he’s struggling on this mark. Not confident of a win, but include in Quartets.”
Cape Racing returns with a meeting at Durbanvillle on Saturday, with several competitive contests programmed. Most of the Cape’s top stables are preparing their best runners for the KZN Champions Season and some have already trucked runners to Durban, which leaves the lesser lights to fight it out for the prizes at stake.
Hard-knocking Apple Catcher, to be fitted with blinkers, makes banker appeal in Race 3 over 1250m, the first leg of the P/A, while Kelp Forest looks ready to exit the Maiden ranks in Race 5 over 1600m.
In looking through the rest of this card, and considering the value of inside draws at the Cape’s country course, there will be some vale about top weight Barzelona in Race 9 over 1250m. He was recently reported to be coming back to his best, and he drops in class.
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