Cape Town Met (Grade 1)
RAINBOW Bridge last Saturday became the first horse to win two Mets since Pocket Power made it three on the trot 12 years ago.
The Ideal World six-year-old won the country’s premier weight-for-age event under Anton Marcus two seasons ago, Ryan Moore flew in to take the mount when he was beaten only a fifth of a length last year and this time the gelding gave rising star Luke Ferraris his biggest success to date.
For the first time in its 137-year history, the Kenilworth spectacular was run without owners or crowds (only those “essential for the running of a race meeting” were allowed in). The race was also run with no sponsor for the first time in a generation.
Ferraris, only 19, is the son of Hong Kong trainer David Ferraris and his grandfather Ormond was the oldest trainer in the country when he retired at the age of 87 in May 2019.
The latest in this great racing family rode a waiting race on the 6/1 chance and had him last of the 11 runners with only two furlongs to run. He then tacked across to the stands rails where his mount travelled so fast that he swept past 19/10 favourite Belgarion little more than 50 yards out yet won by a length and three-quarters.
“My biggest concern was the horse over-racing, and as soon as he was at the back he dropped it,” Ferraris related. “He hangs to the right so it was always my plan to come to the outside.
“He ran into some trouble and I was held up for a run but I wasn’t in panic stations because I knew how well he quickens. I pulled the trigger so late I was full of running at the end.”
Victory was also a triumph for 64-year-old trainer Eric Sands who learned his trade with Bruce Hobbs and Fred Winter as well as with Liam Browne on the Curragh - and two Mets have finally restored him to the top ranks after a disastrous mix-up in 2005 when three of his horses were accidentally given disinfectant instead of a laxative. They suffered so badly that they had to be put down.
According to press reports at the time, the disinfectant was administered, not by Sands or his staff, but by a vet. It is only in recent years that Sands has had real top-drawer horses once more.
Rainbow Bridge is the first of three consecutive Grade 1 winners produced by the remarkable Jet Master mare Halfway To Heaven – Hawwaam and Golden Ducat are the other two – and was bred by Mary Slack and daughter Jessica Jell.
He was bought at the National Yearling Sale for only R300 000 (€16,450) by Chris Gerber who died of malaria, and was then bought by Mike Rattray to try and win the Durban July. The horse was beaten less than half a length when second in 2019.
But back to the Met. Co Waterford-bred Queen Supreme started second favourite at 11/2 but never got into it and finished with only one behind her. Samples were taken for analysis but nothing obvious showed up on-course.
Championship
Irish-owned Kasimir also failed to fire in the Group 1 Cape Flying Championship over five furlongs and managed only ninth behind the Australian-bred Foxwedge mare Run Fox Run.
She races in the colours of the Ridgemont operation of Wayne Kieswetter who owns the Barnane Stud in Templemore.
Rider Anton Marcus, winning the race for the first time for 11 years but for the sixth time in all, led throughout and reported: “Cups didn’t work so we decided to meet halfway and go for cheekpieces. I thought she might be found wanting in the last half furlong but she ran to the line.”
Cape Fillies Guineas winner Captain’s Ransom started odds-on when taking on the older horses for the first time in the Majorca Stakes and the daughter of Captain Al never gave either her backers or her connections a moment’s anxiety.
“Just before the straight they started dropping back on her and she was flat-footed,” said rider Richard Fourie. “But she has that star quality and she recovered smartly.”
What struck trainer Justin Snaith was how quickly she recovered physically – “Horses normally come back quite stressed but her body recovers immediately and her breathing is normal.”