Look forward to Don’t Look Back in Gold Cup

It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. Winston Churchill said that about Russia in 1939, as he searched for a key to the world’s problems. But he could have been talking about the Marshalls Gold Cup, South African horse racing’s much-loved endurance classic.

It’s always been a riddle of a race – a phenomenon apart, filled with unusual horses that can run great distance at high speed. Horse racing is almost defined by its secret, inscrutable nature, and the Gold Cup is close to that fathomless heart.

There was a stretch of about 25 years in the late 20^th century when no favourite won the Gold Cup; then there was a string of them. Last year saw a reversion to old ways when 40-1 shot Paths Of Victory was steered to an improbable gun-to-tape victory by S’Manga Khumalo. Modern-day favourite backers were dumbstruck, as the old school smiled quietly to themselves.

Bookmakers’ prices for the 101^st renewal at Greyville this Saturday suggest it will be a three-horse race – but you’d better believe it won’t be.

At least three other horses have realistic claims, while a few more are typical riddles, mysteries and enigmas.

The three top dogs at single-figure odds are Sean Tarry-trained Nebraas, Joey- Soma’s African Adventure and Justin Snaith’s Silver Host. Sure, they have decent form and cannot be ignored, but they are far from being in a class of their own in the 14-strong field.

Ante-post favourite Nebraas was a consistent performer in the handicaps before his recent Gold Vase victory at Greyville but has beaten little in his three wins to date to suggest he’s the best stayer in the country. African Adventure has taken on and beaten the best the Highveld has to offer, but whether that’s good enough for a Gold Cup is far from certain.

Silver Host, a R2.6-mllion yearling, looks classier than either of those two but hasn’t shot the lights out so far.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, all of Out Of Your League, Don’t Look Back, Chitengo, Favour and Sunshine Silk appear to be the tough, combative types that will relish tackling the tough 3200m circuit on the vlei below Durban’s Berea. They surely don’t warrant being banished to those cold regions between 14-1 and 20-1.

But, of course, that’s to the punter’s advantage. There are bargains to be had in the Marshalls Gold Cup of 2021. Of particular note is the predicted R4-million Quartet pool on the race. Also, the Hong Kong Jockey Club co-mingled tote will have Win and Place pools of R8 million and Swingers and Quinella pots of R12-million-plus.

Racing old-timers will inevitably reminisce about 100 Gold Cups, glories of yore and great marathoners like Jerez, Caradoc, Rack & Ruin, The Maltster, Furious, Devon Air and Aquanaut, but that won’t help them solve the puzzle, wrapped in the mystery, within the enigma of Gold Cup 2021. Perhaps that’s the “key” that Churchill was growling about: Don’t Look Back.

Selection

Gold Cup, Race 7:

3 Don’t Look Back, 13 Silver Host, 9 Favour, 1 African Adventure