Top jockeys leap aboard

The final riding picture for the forthcoming Sun Met Celebrated with G.H.

Mumm is becoming clearer.Former champion jockey S’manga Khumalo became the lat-est to commit when he confirmed he would be riding trainer Justin Snaith’s Vodacom Durban July runner up Made To Conquer, who has largely been overlooked as stablemates Do It Again and Oh Susanna have swept all before them.

Those two superstar runners will, of course, be ridden by Richard Fourie and Bernard Fayd’Herbe respectively when they line up for Cape Town’s racing showpiece, a R5-million Grade 1 contest over 2000m on the Kenilworth Summer course on 26 January.

The fourth big gun in Snaith’s powerful Met arsenal is Doublemint, who will be partnered by evergreen Piere Strydom.

This improving four-year-old colt won the Grade 2 Glorious Goodwood Peninsular Handicap on L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate day – staying a little out of the bright light thrown by the fireworks in the main event.

Second in the Peninsular – nabbed on the line by Doublem-int – was Kampala Campari from the in-form Andre Nel stable.

An-other outsider in the pack with some speed about him, Kampala Campari has been booked by Aldo Domeyer, while his stable companion, Head Honcho, who won the Grade 2 Premiers Trophy so impressively, stays in the hands of Keagan de Melo.

Those are the only six jockeys to have been officially declared, but the engagement of Anton Marcus for Rainbow Bridge has been widely publicised, while Sean Tarry has been clear that champion jockey Lyle Hewitson will now be aboard Legal Eagle.

Gavin Lerena has also been confi rmed on Glen Kotzen’s Eyes Wide Open, making a total of nine “definites”.

The remainder of the riding engagements will emerge later today when the final Sun Met field is announced – following final declarations at 11am.

The all-important barrier draw is due to be made at an event on Wednesday, with the official race gallops due to be held the following morning.

Today is also the deadline for declarations for all the other feature races on the Met day card, including the Grade 1 Betting World Cape Flying Championships, the Grade 1 Majorca Stakes, the Grade 1 Cape Derby and the Grade 2 Western Cape Stayers.

Latest betting for the Sun Met Celebrated with G.H. Mumm:12-10 Do It Again4-1 Rainbow Bridge8-1 Oh Susanna13-1 Head Honcho18-1 Legal Eagle18-1 Undercover Agent20-1 Made To Conquer22-1 Doublemint28-1 Tap O’ Noth35-1 Kampala Campari40-1 Eyes Wide Open45-1 and upwards others

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