From The Horse's Mouth - Mark Van Deventer

Commentator Alistair Cohen added appropriate color to the conclusion of the 2025 Cape Guineas, calling out “Jan van Gooyen says totsiens…” as the Mike and Mathew de Kock trained 3 YO streaked away from rivals.

It was quite the training feat to bring the son of Master of My Fate down from Jozi two weeks after a second placed finish to Trust in the Dingaans when slightly underdone due to an interrupted training program.

This is a second Gr 1 for Jan van Gooyen as he took out the Premiers Champion Stakes at the end of July when a juvenile. He may not be physically imposing but fine athletes come in all shapes and sizes – and this guy can run. An excellent speed figure of 104 with a come home sectional of 103% of final time shows that Callan Murray judged it perfectly on a steed who proved much the best.

The placings were filled by Happy Verse s/s 98 Randolph Hearst 98 and Gimmie Rules s/s 97 with poorly drawn, stretch runner Fox on the Run s/s 97 next.

Murray really pulled off a front running steal in the Green Point Stakes on Dave the King s/s 101 with a milk- wagon slow closing fractional at 98% of final time. They dueled with Snow Pilot early, put that one away, then made a quick dash for glory which paid off – but only just as the cavalry tried belatedly to make up a big deficit.

Head second, Garrix s/s 100 which is worth 107 ++ after a sectional upgrade, ran the final 400m in two seconds faster (which is an eternity in racing) than Dave the King. Accordingly, he and a revived, See It Again are the horses to highlight from the 1600m Green Point for future reference.

Take nothing away from the super-fit de Kock conditioned, Dave the King, however. The former HOTY is a tough, high-class competitor who is ideally suited to 1600/1800m where he can sustain a powerful tempo and make his own luck racing on or near the lead.

Outlaw King (s/s 103) just snuck in to defend his crown in the Merchants. But he was all out to hold off a charging I am Giant. Winning trainer Dean Kannameyer praised Outlaw King for showing courage in a tight finish and for lifting his performance by winning off a 9-pound higher mark than in 2024.

Canny Alec Laird saddled Sukhumvit s/s 100 to win the Victress Stakes. He explained that she would pull as a younger filly and dissipate her energy, running plenty of places but only managing a solitary win from 11 starts.

Now that she has grown up, she settles better and Philisande Mxoli was able to ration her speed more evenly. None could go with the low weight as she cleared off for a convincing victory. Laird reckons she has now earned the right to try her luck in the Gr 1 Paddock Stakes, even if it will be a hard task for her at the weights.

Regulation and Major Master s/s 107 earned big numbers in the Peninsula. Look, both carried light weights and the finishing sectionals were unremarkable but nevertheless based on those strong speed figures they can contest stronger races than this Gr 3.

Regulation prevailed in a rousing finish to land a heavy market plunge. The Snaith trained runner is testimony to the excellent work of vet, Andrew Gray, who fixed up a serious wind problem that threatened to scupper the Legislate ex Riva gelding aspirations.