Midmar Premier Trophy

The season’s Grade 2 Midmar Premier Trophy has attracted a strong field of seasoned gallopers headed by Champions Cup (Gr 1) winner Ivory Trail, two former Canon Gold Cup (Gr 1) winners, Mokaro and Diamond Quest, and recent Ocean Basket Green Point Stakes (Gr 2) winner Fabiani amongst a full field of 16 runners.



The Midmar Premier Trophy is a vital cog in the Cape Sizzling Summer Season and one of the main build-up races to the J&B Met to be run at the end of January. A stake of R300 000 adds to the cause. The Midmar Premier Trophy will be run over 1800 m at Kenilworth Racecourse on Sunday, December 13.


Ivory Trail winning at Kenilworth Racecourse
on 30 November 2008



Joint top weight Ivory Trail was disappointing in the recent Ocean Basket Green Point Stakes and trainer Joey Ramsden will certainly be looking for a better effort this time round.



Ocean Basket winner Fabiani was the surprise package of that race after the late withdrawal of hot favourite and stable companion Big City Life. However, this left the way clear for first choice stable rider Karis Teetan to switch to Fabiani and the young Mauritian apprentice gave the gelding a superb ride to get the better of the smart filly, Sparking Gem, in a grandstand finish.



Last season Fabiani finished second to Market Cap in the Winter Derby over 2400m and so this 1800m trip will hold no fears.



Mokaro, Diamond Quest and Noblewood, runner up to Mokaro in the Canon Gold Cup, are all likely to be using this race as a springboard into the J&B Reserve Stayers to be run on Met day but each has enough class to pull through on the day.



Among the bottom weights, Cape champion jockey Karl Neisius has declared a half-kilo over on the Mike Bass-trained Fort Vogue but that should not detract from the chances of this son of Fort Wood. Neisius, a veteran of the saddle, has been in mustard form of late and Fort Vogue strikes as a late maturing horse that can make his mark in a race of this nature.



Red Rake is a strong front runner who could make the pace for trainer Basil Marcus under jockey Sean Cormack.



Summerveld based trainer Dylan Cunha is raiding the Sizzling Cape Summer for the first time and will be looking for a big effort from his former Steinhoff Summer Cup winner, Strategic News. The Australian bred gelding was a promising third in a Pinnacle Plate behind Mighty Atom in his first run back in the country after a stint in Dubai and a smart showing here will go a long way to cementing his place in next month’s J&B Met.

With Dylan telling us he thinks Strategic News is tip top, he must go close in this?

.......and I think with Red Rake in the field he is guaranteed to get a brisk pace!

for me if he wants any chance of winning the Met he HAS to win this.

All the best to Dylan and the stable

Once RED RAKE hits the front no-one will go past him.....

THE season’s Grade 2 Midmar Premier Trophy has attracted a strong field of seasoned gallopers headed by Champions Cup (G1) winner Ivory Trail, two former Canon Gold Cup (G1) winners, Mokaro and Diamond Quest, and recent Ocean Basket Green Point Stakes (G2) winner Fabiani in a field of 16 runners.

The Midmar Premier Trophy is a vital cog in the Cape Sizzling Summer Season and one of the main build-up races to the J&B Met to be run at the end of January. A stake of R300,000 adds to the cause. The Midmar Premier Trophy will be run over 1800 m at Kenilworth Racecourse on Sunday, December 13.

Joint top weight Ivory Trail was disappointing in the Green Point Stakes after losing many lengths at the start and it is interesting to note that trainer Joey Ramsden has reunited him with Raymond Danielson who rode him in that Clairwood victory over Pocket Power.

Fabiani was the surprise winner of the Green Point Stakes after the late withdrawal of hot favourite and stable companion Big City Life. However, this left the way clear for first choice stable rider Karis Teetan to switch to Fabiani and the young Mauritian apprentice gave the gelding a superb ride to get the better of the smart filly, Sparking Gem, in a grandstand finish.

Last season Fabiani finished second to Market Cap in the Winter Derby over 2400m and so this 1800m trip will hold no fears.

Mokaro, Diamond Quest and Noblewood are all likely to be using this race as a springboard into the J&B Reserve Stayers to be run on Met day but each has enough class to pull through on the day.

Among the bottom weights, Cape champion jockey Karl Neisius has declared 0.5kg over on the Mike Bass-trained Fort Vogue but that should not detract from the chances of this son of Fort Wood. Neisius, a veteran of the saddle, has been in mustard form of late and Fort Vogue strikes as a late maturing horse that can make his mark in a race of this nature.

Red Rake is a strong front runner who could make the pace for trainer Basil Marcus under jockey Sean Cormack.

Summerveld-based trainer Dylan Cunha is raiding the Sizzling Cape Summer for the first time and will be looking for a big effort from his former Steinhoff Summer Cup winner, Strategic News. The Australian-bred gelding was a promising third in a Pinnacle Plate behind Mighty Atom in his first run back in the country after a stint in Dubai and a smart showing here will go a long way to cementing his place in next month’s Met.

Red Rake to lead to 5 mt before the line and be caught on the post by Stategic News

Red Rake could prove hard to catch at the weights
Fort Vogue is a big improver and will win a serious race at some stage

Dr Who I make Fort Vogue a serious runner...
& i hope it makes it to the Met...

Me too, as i have it in one of my Charity Turf Challenge entries !

Mighty Atom to run past them all!!!!

Brendan Pather
Patience is a virtue and in racing, be it as a punter, jockey, owner or trainer, it’s a key ingredient to success. Dean Kannemeyer is one of the most patient trainers you can find and his stalwart owners, Fieldspring Racing, have reaped the rewards over the years for their unwavering belief in his methods.
So when Kannemeyer explained that he wanted to give Tan Can, a promising three-year-old at that stage, a season-long break from the track and line him up for a tilt at the 2010 J&B Met, there would have been little arguement.
With next month’s Met in mind, Kannemeyer has Tan Can running over 1800m at Kenilworth on Sunday in the Grade 2 Midmar Premier Trophy and after a promising effort in the Gr 2 Green Point Stakes three weeks ago, he looks a leading contender in a competitive race.
It’s been a long road to this point for Tan Can. Kannemeyer explained that, “he had excellent form as a three-year-old, third in the Daily News and right on top of them in the July. He had a few niggly problems but based on the potential he had shown, I believed - and still do believe - that he is a Met horse.”
After explaining his thinking to Fieldspring, Kannemeyer had Tan Can gelded and sent him to the farm. He was kept off the race track entirely last season and re-emerged in a sprint race in September.
“He needed some grass work and the training tracks were impossible at that time,” said Kannemeyer. “His first real race was the Green Point and it was a very encouraging performance. His best trip is 2 000m and I don’t have him quite at his peak yet - the Met being his mission.
“But he’s a sound horse and on the up. He should be right there at the finish.”
What was encouraging about Tan Can’s Green Point run was the late progress he made to finish just 3,75 lengths behind the winner, Fabiani, after being forced to sit off them from draw 11 of 11.
Fabiani, from draw 2, had the run of the race in the Green Point and made it count. Tan Can is 2,5kg better off this time and has draw 9 whilst Fabiani has the outside-most stall in a 16 horse field. But Tan Can is not the only one that is better off with Fabiani this time around. Red Rake and Littleredcorvette are also 2,5kg better off this time and both have single digit draws. Red Rake was courageous over a mile in the Green Point, staying on doggedly after setting the pace and finishing just under a length behind the winner. He is pretty one dimensional as a racehorse, preferring to be in front from the jump. He has a winning chance on form, is suited to the trip and should fight this out. Littleredcorvette finished between Red Rake and Tan Can in the Green Point and has always been just a few lengths off the best. But he tries blinkers for the first time on Sunday and he races as though he would benefit from this type of equipment. He has an undeniable chance at the weights.
The best weighted horse in the race, by far, is Strategic News who stayed on well behind Mighty Atom in his comeback run.
He could need another run to get back to his best and has a wide draw to overcome. But he warrants respect as a good run is needed here if he is to get into the Met. Ivory Trail was well weighted and strongly fancied in the Green Point but he lacked his usual kick in the straight and was reportedly striding short. He has a tougher task here at the weights and from a wide draw. He warrants respect on class but will need luck in running on this occasion.
The big improver in the race could be Fort Vogue. The four-year-old seems to have matured during the winter and his early season performances suggest that he is most likely better than rated. This is his first big test and trainer Mike Bass must feel he is up to the task having also entered him for the J&B Met. Red Rake will ensure a true run race and as was the case in the Green Point, those drawn well enough to tuck in behind him will be turning for home with plenty in their favour. In what should be a tight finish, Tan Can is selected to get up late from Red Rake, with Littleredcorvette and Fort Vogue next best.

Fabiani and Mighty Atom for a Model man exacta....

..Tan Can is out of a Model Man mare so will finish third...