WSB Met – Class Of ‘23

STAR LINE-UP 6 | 19 JANUARY 2023 FOR '23 MET

v Troy Finch

Defending champion Kommetdieding heads a high-class field of 19 that will line up at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday 28 January in the 161st renewal of one of our oldest and most prestigious racing events, the R2 million WSB Cape Town Met.

In what is expected to be his swansong appearance before he departs for the Klawervlei paddocks to take up stallion duties, Kommetdieding will again be ridden by Gavin Lerena and drew barrier gate 6 at the final field function on the V&A Waterfront on Wednesday evening.

Boasting the distinction of being the first horse since Mike de Kock’s great filly Igugu (2012), and another star in Pocket Power ( 2009), to register the consecutive Durban July – Met double, Kommetdieding comes in fighting fit after placings in the Gr2 Green Point Stakes and the Gr1 L’Ormarins King’s Plate – both races over his less than optimum trip of a mile.

Kommetdieding meets last year’s second and third-placer Jet Dark (0,75 lengths) and Linebacker (0,95 lengths) again, as well as having to contend with recent L’Ormarins King’s Plate winner Al Muthana, and two really smart 3yo’s in Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas runner-up Cousin Casey, and the dual Gr1 winning 3yo filly Make It Snappy. The decision to run Make It Snappy here as opposed to taking on Captain’s Ransom, whom she beat in the Paddock Stakes last time, in the Gr1 Majorca Stakes, was obviously not taken lightly. But she will clearly be more comfortable over the 2000m, and Hollywood Syndicate Racing Manager Anthony Delpech will know what it takes for a filly to win this race. Delpech was aboard Imperious Sue in 1998 and 2012 heroine, Igugu. The last 3yo filly to win the 2000m contest was Oh Susanna, who stormed home under Grant van Niekerk in 2018. The previous 3yo filly to win prior to her dates back to Black Bess in 1905.

Beyond Make It Snappy, there are three further members of the fairer sex in the 2023 renewal, including SA Triple Tiara winner Rain In Holland, Hollywoodbets Durban July winner Sparkling Jewel, and the very smart mare Marina, who bids to give trainer Candice Bass-Robinson her first win in the prized race. Fillies have a good record in the Met this century, with Oh Susanna winning in 2018, Smart Call (2016), Igugu (2012) and River Jetez (2010.

The engagement of Piere Strydom to ride Al Muthana is an interesting one on the occasion of the veteran champion’s final Met ride. The Australian-bred gelding has drawn 12 and his stamina is in doubt.

Strydom is one of six jockeys in the line-up to have won the Met previously. That roll includes defending champion Gavin Lerena, Aldo Domeyer, JP van der Merwe, Bernard Fayd’herbe and Grant van Niekerk. The race will be run at 17h10 on Saturday 28 January. Read more about the race’s rich history in the SPRINT on Wednesday 25 January. Troy Finch

Justin Snaith holds a powerful five-cornered hand in the WSB Met. Here he gets Grant Knowles smiling on the stage at last evening's official draw.

Candiese Lenferna

Make It Snappy - can she become only the third 3yo filly in 118 years to win the Met?

R2 000 000 | WORLD SPORTS BETTING CAPE TOWN MET (Grade 1) No Horse Weight MR Equip Jockey Trainer

1 Golden Ducat 60 120 BA Christophe Soumillon Eric Sands 2 Make It Snappy 51.5 125 A Keagan de Melo Brett Crawford

3 Marina 57.5 117 BA Aldo Domeyer Candice Bass-Robinson

4 Jet Dark 60 130 A Richard Fourie Justin Snaith

5 Sparkling Water 57.5 122 A S'manga Khumalo Mike de Kock 6 Kommetdieding 60 129 A Gavin Lerena HWJ Crawford/M Rix

7 Universal 59.5 116 A Juan Paul v'd Merwe Adam Marcus

8 Do It Again

9 Nexus 60 126 BA Bernard Fayd'Herbe Justin Snaith

60 114 BA Muzi Yeni Justin Snaith

10 Zapatillas 59.5 122 A Luyolo Mxothwa Brett Crawford

11 Waterberry Lane 59.5 116 A Raymond Danielson Ricky Maingard

12 Al Muthana (AUS) 60 133 A Piere Strydom Ricky Maingard

13 Warrior 60 112 A Ryan Munger Justin Snaith

14 Cousin Casey 54 115 A Grant van Niekerk Glen Kotzen

15 Rain In Holland 57 116 TBA Calvin Habib

16 Linebacker 60 122 BA Corne Orffer Sean Tarry

Vaughan Marshall

17 Rascallion

18 Gem King 60 122 A Sean Veale Vaughan Marshall

59.5 104 A Gareth Wright Piet Steyn

Chase Liebenberg

STRIKER WANTS ANOTHER MET WINNER!

Piere’s Met ride Al Muthana winning the L’Ormarins King’s Plate under Bernard Fayd’herbe

Candiese Lenferna

Piere Strydom wins the 2003 Met on Angus for Brett Crawford and the Plattner team

The 161st renewal of the WSB Gr1 Cape Town Met on Saturday 28 January heralds the end of an era for South African horseracing.

Multiple champion jockey Piere ‘Striker’ Strydom will take his final bow on L’Ormarins King’s Plate winner Al Muthana in the flagship 2000m contest, some 35 years after finishing runner-up behind Mark Antony and Felix Coetzee at his first Met attempt.

The honour roll of the great race shows that Piere has only won it once – that was back in 2003 when Angus powered home for leading owner Sabine Plattner from the widest of the draw to beat Free My Heart (Karl Neisius) and Set Afire (Anthony Delpech).

“Angus was a lovely big strong son of Northern Guest. We had won the Premier Trophy three weeks earlier and had run second behind Ipi Tombe in the 2002 Durban July. Mark Neisius rode him to third in the previous year’s Met, when I coincidentally finished just behind him in fourth on Free My Heart. We knew Angus stayed the 2000m. There are naturally some question marks against Al Muthana staying the trip, but he is in prime form,”adds Piere. He says that Bernard Fayd’herbe rode an intelligent race to win the L’Ormarins King’s Plate, and when the ride became available he snapped up the chance to partner the Australian-bred son of Deep Sleep.

Piere had other options, including Rain In Holland and Nexus.

“Al Muthana is the highest rated horse in the field. The only times he tried further, he was beaten under 5 lengths on very soft ground behind Flying Carpet in the Summer Cup, and was only just under 6 lengths behind his stablemate Sparkling Jewel in the Hollywoodbets Durban July last year. He is a dual Gr1 winning miler and given that he is in great form, it makes sense to take a chance with him in the Met, I feel. And Mr Maingard knows how to train Gr1 winners!”

On his draw of 12 in the 19 horse field, Piere shouldn’t have any sleepless nights. He won it from the 16 gate in a field of 16 on Angus. “Al Muthana will probably be ridden from off the pace, so I really don’t see the 12 gate as an issue,” he adds. One thing that is unquestioned, is that Piere wants to win the race again. One strike in 35 years is not his standard!

Piere Strydom – ready to go out in style Credit JC Photos yesterday. I was just 21 and was still based in the Eastern Cape and rode Western Wind for Stanley Greeff. He raced in the Aldo Scribante silks. Western Wind ran his heart out and we finished second behind Mark Antony and Felix Coetzee. We could never have beaten them, but since then I have had a few closer calls!” Ironically, Piere would move to Gauteng later in 1988 and return to win the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate on Yardmaster the same year.

“In the 1999 Met I finished a 1,75 lengths fifth on Yardmaster behind Fearless Streaker. I’d managed to lead in the Queen’s Plate because no-one wanted to go. In the Met, they went a bit harder and it’s a bit further. I sat fourth or fifth and a horse ran in behind me. I was subsequently fired by old man Spies. It wasn’t the last time in my career. It’s not difficult to blame the jockey and one learns to accept it as an occupational hazard,” he laughs. He reflects on the 1998 Met when he rode North By Northwest and was beaten a nose by Anthony Delpech on Imperious Sue.

“Imperious Sue was on the inside rail. We moved up to win it, but somehow Anthony kept the good filly going and we were pipped.” In a token compensation, Piere would win the Jubilee Handicap at Turffontein four months later on North By Northwest.

It’s over 40 years since his maiden career winner on 29 September 1982, when Piere won at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on the Johnny Nicholson-trained Saadabad. At the age of 56, Piere is just about ready to canter into the sunset.

He certainly has done it all, professionally speaking. He rode his 5000th career winner on Joey Ramsden’s Act Of War at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth in the Selangor Cup on 22 November 2014 and just two months ago rode his 5500th winner at Vaal for Barend Botes. Not bad for a young lad who didn’t want to be a jockey, but stuck it out to keep his Dad, Hekkie, happy!

“I am keen to go out with a winner at my last meetings in the various racing regions. I have ticked that box in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, so just need Gauteng and the Cape. And the Met would be the cherry on the top, it really would!” On the domestic front, he is moving house with his Attorney wife Chrisna to the affluent wine-producing suburb of Constantia in the Cape, where the couple intend running an Airbnb.

He is clearly enjoying semi-retired life and has just returned from a week at the beautiful St Francis Bay, which is an hour down the Garden Route from his Gqeberha hometown.

“Chrisna has a strong legal practise up in Gauteng and clients down in the Cape. We are in the process of implementing changes at the new house in Cape Town and will generally be between the Cape, Eastern Cape and Gauteng for the forseeable future. Life’s good!” And once he is retired, will he be sitting down to write the biography of a six-times national champion and international Gr1 winning jockey?

“I am not so sure that anybody would be particularly interested to read about my life. But maybe, like Mr Ormond Ferraris, I will wait a few years and then consider it. I just hope my memory stays as strong as his has!” Al Muthana is currently priced up at 20-1 with Hollywoodbets.

HOW THE HANDICAPPERS RATED THE FEATURES

Sharon Kotzen galloper And We Danced has had her merit rating raised from 99 to 103 following her success in the Listed Lady’s Bracelet for fillies and mares over 1600m on the turf course at Fairview on Friday 13 January.

The Handicappers were of the view that runner-up SANTA THERESE made for the ideal line horse, leaving her unchanged on a mark of 103.

The other four contestants all received a rating’s drop. PHOENIX is down from 88 to 87, FLAME FLOWER drops to 85 from 86, HEARTSEASE drops from 80 to 79, and lastly INTEGRITY was dropped from 92 to 90.

Listed Tattersalls Jamaica Handicap

EVENING PRIMROSE has had her rating raised from 89 to 92 after winning the Listed Tattersalls Jamaica Handicap for fillies and mares over 2000m on the summer course at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday. Here it was 3rd placed FLOWER OF SAIGON who was deemed to make the best line horse, leaving her unchanged on a mark of 93.

Second placed GOLD POKER GAME – who was 7 pounds or 3.5 kgs under sufferance at the weights - was raised from 93 to 102. 4th finisher TIME FLIES – who was 3 pounds or 1.5 kgs under sufferance at the weights – goes up from 86 to 88 and was the only other runner to receive a rating’s increase.

However, there were drops for no fewer than six horses. BYE BYE BOMBSHELL is down from 100 to 98, YOUNG LOVE was trimmed from 98 to 97, WINTER SCOUT drops from 87 to 84, BLACK SILVER is down to 94 from 95, DO ANGELS CRY drps from 102 to 100, and lastly FOLLOW THE STAR was dropped from 95 to 93.

Listed Michael Roberts Stakes

95 after landing the Listed Michael Roberts Stakes over 1750m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Sunday. Here it was 5th placed NEWS STREAM who was used as the line horse, leaving him unchanged on a rating of 88. In rating the race this way, CAPE EAGLE actually runs to a mark of 96, but the specific race conditions do not allow for more than a six-pound raise for the winner and as such the Handicappers were obliged to limit CAPE EAGLE to a mark of 95.

The race conditions also do not allow for an increase to the rating of any horse aside from the winner. Accordingly, 2nd placed JUAN CARLOS and 3rd finisher AQUAE SULIS remain on 84 and 83, respectively, despite running to marks of 90 and 85, respectively.

The only drop was for FIGHT SONG, who is down from 89 to 87.

• Media release by National Horseracing Authority on Tuesday 17 January 2023.