Bah humbug! Where the Dickens did that come from?

It’s hard to believe that’s it’s been nearly a quarter of a century since the Boyzone singing sensation Ronan Keating released Life is a Rollercoaster off his debut album as a solo-artist.

The single went platinum more so for its catchy melody than the depth of its lyrics but in simple terms it’s difficult to disagree with the principle message that life is a rollercoaster and you’ve just gotta ride it.

Like life, horseracing is a big dipper. Twists and turns and ups and downs are part of the ride and that’s why we love it.

Charles Dickens’ victory in Saturday’s LÓrmarins King’s Plate was nothing short of sensational. It was a joy to behold.

I will be the first person to put up my hand and confess that I didn’t see it coming. It’s not that I’m surprised he won, he is after all the undisputed best-miler in the country, it was more the breathtaking manner in which he buried his opposition that beggared belief.

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Yes, there was synergy in the Drakenstein-bred son of Trippi returning to his brilliant best to reward his owner-breeder with her maiden win in a race that has enjoyed her unrivalled patronage for a decade.

Likewise, Mzansi’s equine King Charles saluting in the race named in honour of the ruling British monarch King Charles III was a headline waiting to be written and perhaps worthy of publication in the Pickwick Papers.

Synergy aside, on the exposed form of his defeat behind See It Again in the first week of December in the Grade 2 Green Point Stakes it required Charles Dickens to exit that Bleak House, forget those Hard Times and lay to rest The Ghost of Christmas Past.

And boy did ol’ Charlie-boy rewrite the manuscript.

It was a plot-Twist worthy of Oliver and with the WSB Cape Met just a few weeks away he has justifiably reignited those Great Expectations his legion of fans have always held for him.

The burning question remains, will the connections of Charles Dickens choose to run him on Saturday 27 January or will he ‘Artfully Dodge’ a 2000m rematch with See It Again?

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While you ponder their options I want to give a quick shout out to two of my Cape Racing co-presenters from Saturday’s satellite broadcast on Supersport.

Not for the first time, both Vicky Minott and MJ Byleveld proved invaluable with their pre-race analysis.
A former winner of the Cape Met aboard current two-year-old stallion sensation One World, MJ was adamant that the body language of Aldo Domeyer was the polar opposite of what he had demonstrated on the day of the Green Point.

While MJ was insistent that the human team around Charles Dickens were oozing calm confidence, Vicky told viewers that in the week leading up to the King’s Plate Charles had looked like his old self.

I asked Vicky to elaborate and she shared with our audience that the colt’s conditioner Candice Bass-Robinson had asked Belinda Haytread to school Charles in a rounder frame that serves to activate the muscles over a horse’s top line and engage their hocks. Such schooling is a training method specifically used by dressage riders and in Charles’ case it was designed to address his habit of hanging out by strengthening up his muscles, increasing his range of movement and allowing him to move with greater ease and efficiency.

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Vicky was clear and concise, telling anyone who was prepared to listen that the effects of Haytread’s work were self-evident in both the pre-parade and the canter past.

So compelling were the views of Minott and Byleveld, I knew before they jumped that my decision to banker See It Again in the Pick 6 had been a mistake.

It was credible broadcasting of the highest order and I commend my colleagues for it.

In closing, a triumvirate of congratulations must be afforded Gaynor Rupert. In her capacity as the breeder, the owner and the event-custodian.

From top to tail, the LÓrmarins King’s Plate exudes class. No surprise then that Mrs. Rupert should punctuate perfectly the duality of life, horse racing and her champion’s last two races by quoting: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” – the opening line of the Dickensian novel A Tale of Two Cities.