Speed Figure Highlights.
Monday, 05 May 2025A strong finish was essential at Greyville on Saturday. All the big races went to horses that were able to accelerate sharply. Gladatorian ran the final 400m in 22 seconds flat to take out the Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m; Mon Petit Cherie’s come home sectional in the Fillies Guineas was 22.5 seconds with Sail the Seas even quicker at 22.1 seconds in the colt’s version.
On adjusted final times, Gladatorian merited a speed figure of 101 +; Mon Petit Cherie just 90 + and Sail the Seas 94 + but all can be upgraded based on those rapid final segments where the ratios worked out at 109% of the final time. That suggests that the pace in all three features was relatively slow early/fast late.
Other than the winners, what horses are worth following in the near future? Well, the three horses placed behind Gladatorian all emerged with great credit. See It Again regained his mojo back in his happy Durban stamping ground; Great Plains flashed the fastest 400 to finish sectional and The Real Prince did admirably to only go down by a length from the widest draw.
Give me Everything, who like The Real Prince is trained by Dean Kannemeyer, caught the eye in the Fillies Guineas as she also ran well despite a terrible draw. She was by some margin the quickest finisher over the final 800m.
Eight on Eighteen is probably the horse to take out of the KZN Guineas. He closed ground over what is an inadequate test (the slow early pace did not help) and can add another G1 when he gets his optimal, middle- distance trip.
Odds-on favourite, Garrix (s/s 99) won the Legal Eagle Stakes at Kenilworth as the masses expected but he was all out to sneak past pacemaker Otto Luyken and would have been beaten by Mucho Dinero’s charging rally two strides later.
The US of A (s/s 98) was most impressive in the finale. Backed as if unbeatable he duly romped and even though it was a low- grade contest, he is one to follow.
The other notable speed score down in the Cape was recorded by Dumbledore (s/s 103) who toppled money horse Air Raid (s/s 102) and Arctic Wizard (s/s 101). This is a good figure for a medium level class 3, and all should be closely watched at their next couple of sprints.
