Big Money Draws Dettori To South Africa's Biggest Day

Frankie Dettori will be at Kenilworth for South Africa’s richest-ever race day on January 28 when the legendary jockey rides Durban July winner The Conglomerate for trainer Joey Ramsden in the R5 million Sun Met.

Dettori, famous for his flying dismounts, will also partner the highly regarded Table Bay for Ramsden in the Investec Cape Derby and Cape Fillies Guineas winner Just Sensual for the same trainer in the $500,000 CTS Mile.

He is also booked for the Dennis Drier-trained Seventh Plain in the Betting World Cape Flying Championship.

Ramsden has gone close in the Sun Met on more than one occasion and The Conglomerate has an obvious chance against Justin SNaith’s warm favourite Legal Eagle.

Both horses carry the colours of Markus Jooste’s Mayfair Speculators.

Snaith, who has also not won the Met, has the biggest hand with three runners with last year’s Investec Cape Derby winner It’s My Turn, Baritone and exceptionally high-class filly Bela-Bela joining Legal Eagle.

The smashing grey Bela-Bela has developed into one of the best racehorses in South Africa.

She is unbeaten as a four year old from two starts including her win the G1 Paddock Stakes and will be partnered by multiple Met winning jockey Anthony Delpech.

Other notable runners include heavily backed Whisky Baron and Marinaresco, who went close in the Durban July.

The draws will be decided after the 15 runners gallop at Kenilworth on Thursday.

Gulf Storm will attempt to repeat last year’s win in the R1 million Betting World Cape Flying Championship but he will face spirited opposition from the much-travelled Red Ray, flying filly Carry On Alice and her stable companion Trip To Heaven, who has won his last three starts.

Former French champion Stephane Pasquier will also be in action and he has been booked for Talktothestars in this race.

G1 sprint winner Real Princess steps up to 1600m for the Klawervlei Majorca Stakes in which the highest rated runner is Silver Mountain, a five lengths winner of last season’s Cape Fillies Guineas.

The Investec Cape Derby is the fourth G1 race on the card and Dettori’s mount Table Bay is expected to face tough competition from the constantly improving Horizon who set a South Africa record when bought for R5.2 million as a yearling.

G1 winner Cloth Of Cloud, a brilliant but temperamental filly, has been kept all season for the CTS Sprint, one of two races carrying prize money of the Rand equivalent of $500,000.

Cape Guineas winner William Longsword clashes with the fillies heroine Just Sensual in the other $500,000 race, the CTS Mile.

G1 Sun Met Celebrated With Mumm (2000m) at Kenilworth

1 - LEGAL EAGLE (S G Tarry) A Marcus 60.0

2 - MAC DE LAGO (W H Marwing) A Domeyer 60.0

3 - THE CONGLOMERATE (J Ramsden) L Dettori 60.0

4 - MARINARESCO (C L Bass-Robinson) G van Niekerk 59.5

5 - IT'S MY TURN (S J Snaith) P Strydom 59.5

6 - CAPTAIN AMERICA (B Crawford) C Orffer 58.0

7 - FRENCH NAVY (S G Tarry) W Marwing 58.0

8 - WHISKY BARON (B Crawford) G Cheyne 57.5

9 - BRAZUCA (J A Janse van Vuuren) G Lerena 57.5

10 - BARITONE (S J Snaith) A Fortune 57.5

11 - CAPE SPEED (D Kannemeyer) K de Melo 57.5

12 - MAMBO MIME (D Kannemeyer) G Behr 57.5

13 - MACDUFF (J Ramsden) D Dillon 57.5

14 - BELA-BELA (S J Snaith) A Delpech 57.0

15 - GOLD STANDARD (G S Kotzen) R Fourie 52.0