Dean Kannemeyer on his 100-1 Guineas winner

Bad horses don’t win the Cape Guineas. That’s an adage bandied about in racing – and is largely borne out by the list of winners of the great race down the years.

So, what is one to make of Russian Rock, 100-1 winner of the 2020 running?

The grey colt’s trainer Dean Kannemeyer concedes that he might have “slightly underestimated” his charge, but points out that he is always conservative in his approach to his horses – especially the young ones.

“I like to keep my feet on the ground and let my horses do their talking from the winner’s box,” says the charming Milnerton-based trainer.

This philosophy saw him plot Russian Rock’s route to the grade one 1600m Cape Guineas, placing him very carefully – doing enough to get into the race but not over-extending the youngster in unsuitable races.

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This conservative approach is not going to change – even with the coveted Guineas trophy safely in the cabinet.

Russian Rock’s next big target is likely to be the 2000m Cape Derby at the end of February. There’ll definitely be no rushing of racing’s newest star into upcoming glamour shows like the Queen’s Plate and the Met.

Kannemeyer isn’t a believer in three year olds tackling such challenging open company at this stage of their careers and opts to keep them in their comfort zone.

“I’ll speak to the owners, Marsh Shirtliff, Ian Longmore and Bryn Ressell. It’s possible we’ll find one run for him before the Derby, but we won’t rush into anything and might go straight into the Derby.

“Russian Rock’s pedigree suggests he’ll go the 2000m,” he says. “You never really know until they try a distance, but you saw how he was running on very strongly at the end of the mile on Saturday, so I’m confident he’s got the stamina.”

Russian Rock is sired by Pomodoro, who won the 2450m SA Derby at Turffontein and the 2200m Durban July at Greyville, and from the British-bred mare Elisium.

Going into the Guineas, the colt had won his debut over 1200m and been thereabouts in three subsequent sprints. In retrospect, considering his pedigree and the way he was finishing races, a canny analyst might have pegged him as a minor danger – certainly less of a price than 100-1.

What happens after the current Cape summer season?

“He’s on my list to go to Durban for the winter season there, but we haven’t finalised anything yet,” explains Kannemeyer. “We could stay in Cape Town for the Winter Series here, but many horses really thrive in the winter warmth in Durban, with the sun on their backs.”

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Is the country’s premier race, the Durban July, in the frame?

“If he’s good enough,” is the brief, feet-on-the-ground, answer to that question.

However, a tilt at the Triple Crown – which would entail a sojourn in Johannesburg for the SA Classic and the SA Derby in late 2021 – is a non-starter.

“Horses can’t do all three feature seasons – Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Highveld – back-to-back,” says a man who clearly places his horses’ welfare above glory-hunting.

It’s the way he was taught by his father, Peter, a riding and training legend of yesteryear. “He told me: ‘Look after your horses and ignore the dollar signs.’”

When Russian Rock flashed up to pip Vaughan Marshall-trained Linebacker (16-1) at the Kenilworth post on Saturday, Kannemeyer similarly nosed ahead of his rival and friend in the “Guineas stakes”. Both men had five Guineas wins to their names; Marshall remains on that number.

Kannemeyer fends off claims that his record of six will be broken by jocularly laying claim to nine Guineas’ titles – adding in the three his father achieved.

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