Eagle To Soar On Rich Raceday

It is not only at Gulfstream Park that history will be made this weekend. Kenilworth's meeting on Saturday, featuring four consecutive Grade 1s, will be the most valuable card ever held in South Africa.

Frankie Dettori and Stephane Pasquier have been invited to Cape Town for the event worth R23.5-million ($1,775,000/£1,405,000), and the former has been booked for rides in both centrepieces.

The G1 Sun Met, newly sponsored by Sun International and Mumm after a long relationship with J & B Whisky, has doubled in prize money and can be considered the country's most prestigious race.

Dettori would not appear to hold the strongest of winning chances with the Joey Ramsden-trained The Conglomerate (Aus) (Lonhro {Aus}), who has not tasted victory since last year's Durban July. He should, however, have reasonable place claims over this 1 1/4-mile trip.

Instead, the latest South African superstar Legal Eagle (SAf) (Greys Inn) can confirm his superiority under Anton Marcus. Sean Tarry's 5-year-old has unfinished business with the Met, finishing second to Smart Call (SAf) (Ideal World) 12 months ago. Most recently he beat many of this field, including The Conglomerate, to retain his title in last month's G1 L'Ormarins Queen's Plate.

“He's a pretty laid-back horse, very honest but with a lot of heart and great acceleration,” said Tarry, the champion trainer. “He's unbeaten over a mile and won the South African Derby as a 3-year-old. He was beaten by a better horse on the day last year, but he was also probably ridden too handy.”

Legal Eagle is one of numerous horses under the Mayfair Speculators umbrella, a partnership which principally involves leading owner-breeder Markus Jooste. It has been suggested recently that a group could be moved to the U.S. and Legal Eagle would be a fascinating contender for turf events culminating in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile.

“The owners are thinking about taking him overseas, but we'll see what happens here first,” said Tarry, who also likes his other runner French Navy (SAf) (Count Dubois {GB}).

“He's a fast horse and he's got a chance, especially at the big price he is,” he added.

The other key player looks to be locally-based Brett Crawford, whose pair of runners made the front page of newspapers last week when photographed on their traditional Friday walk through the sea at Muizenberg Beach.

Captain America (SAf) (Captain Al {SAf} was fifth in last year's race and has been bumping into Legal Eagle all season, but the horse even more have been talking about is Whisky Baron (Aus) (Manhattan Rain {Aus}), who likes the course and is seeking a four-timer after a lower-key campaign. Kenilworth's director, hugely successful entrepreneur and owner-breeder Hassen Adams, will be looking to cause a surprise with Mac De Lago (Aus) (Encosta De Lago {Aus}).

Dettori, who is appearing as part of his role as an ambassador for the Investec Derby at Epsom, teams up with Crawford in the Investec-sponsored Cape Derby. His mount Edict Of Nantes (SAf) (Count Dubois {GB} has posted a respectable series of results but is up against hot property Horizon (SAf) (Dynasty {SAf}).

A record-breaker in South Africa when bought for R5.2-million ($393,000/£309,700) by Andreas Jacobs's Maine Chance Farms at the 2015 Cape Premier Yearling Sales and trained by Candice Bass-Robinson, Horizon has been showing steady improvement and won the G3 Cartier Politician S. at this track last time.

Perhaps Dettori's best chance of a winner will come aboard Ramsden's Just Sensual (SAf) (Dynasty {SAf}) in the CTS Mile, one of two richly endowed races for graduates of Cape Thoroughbred Sales.

She has an outside gate to overcome but has swept to victory the last three times, including the G1 Cape Guineas for fillies. In opposition is the equally prolific William Longsword (SAf) (Captain Al {SAf}), winner of the colts' Cape Guineas.

Tarry gives Dettori the leg-up for the CTS Sprint with French Legend (SAf) (Count Dubois {GB}) but admitted, “She's a nice filly but she probably has a bit to find on the ratings.”

He continued, “I don't think there's a bigger day in South Africa; we're all going there hoping to win, but you'll need your horses at their best even to pick up some of the money.”