Gold Cup day: Beware of shipwrecks in boat races

“Boat race” is horse racing lingo for a “two-horse race”, a contest in which only two of the runners are reckoned to have any chance of winning. The term comes from the annual Oxford-Cambridge universities rowing race on the River Thames in London, where there are, literally, only two competitors.

At Greyville on Saturday 29 August, there’ll be plenty of combatants in every race – and there’s the rub.

Champion jockey Warren Kennedy was quoted this week saying he believed the Champions Cup, Race 9 on the Gold Cup day card, was indeed a boat race between his mount Rainbow Bridge and regular adversary Do It Again.

Kennedy expressed confidence that Rainbow Bridge would reverse the Durban July order with Do It Again. The former finished sixth behind winner Belgarion in the July, while Do It Again was third – as he strove for a hat-trick in the country’s biggest race.

The jock’s rationale is that Rainbow Bridge was short of a competitive outing when he tackled the July, he now has a slight weight advantage and the 1800m of the Champions Cup will suit him better than 2200m.

However, Do It Again is a mighty champion and his July effort – finishing just a length back – was heroic. It could be argued that he, too, needed a better prep.

The bookmakers’ odds reveal that they also see this as a two-horse affair, with the opposition easy to back at double-figure odds.

The trouble is that racing is not conducted in floating craft or on water. Turf and the hurly-burly of close-quarters galloping can and does throw up surprises.

Golden Ducat, a commendable fourth in the July; Cirillo, third in this race last year, and Crown Towers, a well-backed favourite last time out, look the likely dangers. Punters wary of an unpleasant surprise might also want to include relatively unexposed 33-1 shot Ikigai in their betting permutations.

The day’s headline event, the WSB Gold Cup, is also a boat race according to the pundits – with 2018 winner It’s My Turn and up-and-coming stayer Marchingontogether the only two worth considering.

Don’t believe it. Endurance events like this 3,200m institution are notorious for bombs dropping.

Veteran master trainer Geoff Woodruff has had a lean winter season thus far, so his two challengers, Sunshine Silk and Dharma – in the care of his daughter Lucinda in Durban – are worth considering as upset material.

Similarly, champion trainer Sean Tarry’s pair of Shenanigans and Before Noon are decent performers at lengthy odds.

That great judge of pace and timing Piere Strydom partners Imperial Ruby. “Striker” is in the twilight of his career but is still more than able to plot the downfall of a favourite or two.

Four of the features on the Gold Cup day programme are three-year-old races that look a nightmare for punters. Of course, these should have been two-year-old races at the end of July, but the pandemic has shaken up the calendar so we are effectively pondering juvenile form – which is hazardous at the best of times.

Filly Anything Goes tops the boards at 18-10 in the Grade 1 Thekwini Stakes, but 17-2 chance Love Bomb looked very strong in winning the Golden Slipper on July Day.

Tempting Fate is 2-1 favourite for the male heat, the Premier’s Champions Stakes, but could fell heat from fast improvers Nourbese and Catch Twentytwo.

The Grade 1 WSB Mercury Sprint is also no boat race with a galaxy of speedy sorts bumping heads over 1,200m.

Justin Snaith-trained Kasimir is probably the top sprinter in the country, so deserves his 33-10 price. Chimichuri Run and Russet Air are accomplished performers who cannot be ignored, while rank outsider Down To Zero could sink all boats.

Selections:
Gold Cup, Race 7: 14 It’s My Turn, 6 Sunshine Silk, 5 Before Noon, 9 Imperial Ruby

Mercury Sprint, Race 8: 13 Chimichuri Run, 12 Kasimir, 11 Down To Zero, 14 Russet Air

Champions Cup, Race 9: 5 Do It Again, 11 Crown Towers, 7 Ikigai, 8 Rainbow Bridge

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.