Talking points aplenty in Met field

Oriental Charm, bookmaker favourite for the 2025 WSB Cape Town Met, gained a marginal advantage over his main rivals when the final field for the 163rd edition of the race was revealed.

Trainers Brett and James Crawford were well pleased with the No 3 barrier position they drew for their four-year-old colt and jockey JP van der Merwe in the R5-million, 2000m, Grade 1 contest at Kenilworth racecourse on 25 January.

Oriental Charm, the current Durban July champion, will be trying to land the unusual July-Met double.
His Met market rivals – Green With Envy, Eight On Eighteen and See It Again – drew gates 9, 10 and 12 respectively.

Other points of interest about the Met field:

• Record-breaking champion jockey Richard Fourie has chosen to ride the only three-year-old, Eight On Eighteen, who is second favourite at 9-2. Three-year-old winners are a Met rarity, with just one in the past 20 years.

• The sole filly, Red Palace (12-1), drew gate No 1. Four female horses have won in the past 20 years.

• Champion trainer Justin Snaith will saddle five runners as he tries for a Met back-to-back hat-trick and his fourth triumph overall in Cape Town’s premier race.

• Veteran jockey Piere Strydom returns from injury to once more partner See It Again (5-1), who finished fourth in 2024 when starting at odds-on.

• Legendary trainer Mike de Kock will not have a runner in 2025. His Met entries Dave The King (Equus Horse of the Year), Silver Sanctuary, Greaterix and Heather’s Boy were all scratched.

• Rascallion, loudly tipped to be the winner by his illustrious owners, drew 16 out of 17. The evergreen seven-year-old was runner-up to Double Superlative last year – from the widest gate.

• Well-beaten Hollywoodbets Durban July favourite Green With Envy is quoted at 11-2 despite only having had one (uninspiring) comeback run since that day at Greyville.

• The 17 acceptances constitute a healthier turnout than the sparse 11 that did battle last year.

• The bookmaking fraternity sees the 2025 Met as a rather closed contest, pricing it up at 12-1 bar four.

THE FIELD
(number & draw, name, weight, MR, trainer, jockey)

WSB Cape Town Met, Grade 1, R5m, 200m, open to all horses @ WFA:

1 Red Palace 57 119 Dean Kannemeyer Gavin Lerena
2 Al Muthana (AUS) 60 116 Ricky Maingard Gareth Wright
3 Oriental Charm 59.5 125 BJ Crawford/JI Crawford Juan Paul v’d Merwe
4 Future Swing 60 114 Justin Snaith Grant van Niekerk
5 Atticus Finch 60 121 Alec Laird Raymond Danielson
6 Litigation 60 113 Sean Tarry Muzi Yeni
7 Royal Aussie 60 124 Justin Snaith Kabelo Matsunyane
8 Pacaya 60 116 Justin Snaith #Rachel Venniker
9 Green With Envy 59.5 127 Dean Kannemeyer Craig Zackey
10 Eight On Eighteen 54 115 Justin Snaith Richard Fourie
11 Magic Verse 59.5 114 Justin Snaith Aldo Domeyer
12 See It Again 60 131 Michael Roberts Piere Strydom
13 Baratheon 60 106 Piet Botha Tristan Godden
14 Master Redoute 60 117 Andre Nel Serino Moodley
15 Montien 60 129 Piet Botha Corne Orffer
16 Rascallion 60 122 Vaughan Marshall Sean Veale
17 Zapatillas 60 119 BJ Crawford/JI Crawford Luyolo Mxothwa