Missed run not vital
Trainer Brett Crawford is not waving the flag of surrender just because Gold Cup winner Wavin’ Flag failed to have a warm-up race on the Highveld ahead of Saturday’s R2-million Sansui Summer Cup over 2000m at Turffontein.
FIT AND WELL. Despite missing out on a warm-up run trainer Brett Crawford says Wavin’ Flag will be in the pink of condition in Saturday’s R2-million Sansui Summer Cup over 2000m at Turffontein.
Crawford opted to pull his charge out of the Grade 2 Victory Moon Stakes field and run the five-year-old gelding in a Progress Plate at the Vaal but the meeting was washed out. That means the son of Silvano will go into Summer Cup without having raced since winning the Gold Cup over 3200m at Greyville at the end of July.
“Losing a run always affects the prep to a degree because there’s nothing like a race to bring a horse to peak fitness,” said Crawford. “In a perfect world we would have loved to have the run but he’s that type of horse we can get fit at home.
“Right now he is doing very well.”
Although he is quoted at 40-1 with Betting World, Crawford feels Wavin’ Flag is a must for all Trifectas and Quartets.
“In spite of winning a Grade 1 race he only has a merit rating of 99 so I think he’s very well handicapped for this race. I’m confident the long straight will suit him and although people may feel 2000m is too short for him, he did run only 2.30 lengths behind Futura in the Greyville 1900 Consolation.
“We could have stayed in Cape Town and gone for the J&B Reserve Stayers on Met day but that is a conditions race and he would have had to give weight to Hot Ticket, which is ridiculous.”
Crawford feels Louis The King is the runner to beat but after that he believes the race is quite open. “Louis The King is a multiple Grade 1 winner, he loves the track and will definitely stay. Other than him the only two Grade 1 winners are Athina and Wavin’ Flag.
“The rest are all in the same ball park.”
Wavin’ Flag will be ridden by Corne Orffer and jumps from barrier No 9.
