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International Campaign For J & B Met Winner

The Alex Laird-trained mare Smart Call is set to take on the world after smashed her male opponents in Cape Town's biggest G1 race, the J & B Met, at Kenilworth on Saturday.

Races in the UK and America including the Breeders Cup are on the agenda for Smart Call.

Laird took his 1997 Met winner London News to the UK and has a similar plan for his current 5YO star after she extended her current wining sequence to four and her overall career record to seven wins in 16 starts.

Smart Call has now won three G1 races and prizemoney of almost R3.5 million.

"She will go into quarantine next month and arrive in England in June where she will be stabled at Abington Place in Newmarket,” he said.

“She could have prep runs there and France would also be a possibility although America might provide softer options.

"We are going to stick to our plan to go for the Breeders' Cup. We've got the best horse in South Africa to send there.”

Wining jockey JP van der Merwe picked up the ride on race morning after Smart Call’s regular partner Weichong Marwing withdrew from the meeting with a back injury.

An 8-1 chance, Smart Call beat recent G1 Queen’s Plate winner Legal Eagle by three and a half lengths with Captain America third.

“I have never ridden her in a race before but knew her well as I ride her at home a lot,” Van der Merwe said.

“I pulled out with 300 meters left to run and she quickened up beautifully."

Justin Snaith’s top pair Legislate and Futura failed but the champion trainer still enjoyed an amazing day as he won eight of the 12 races on the card to better his own South African record.

However he also missed out in the other G1 feature with the Cape Flying Championship won by the Brett Crawford-trained Gulf Storm in a a thrilling finish with less than a half length separating the first four.

Jockey Corne Orffer celebrated the first G1 success of his career when Gulf Storm denied Brutal Force by a head with favorite Carry On Alice third a short head in front of Tevez.

Gulf Storm, second to champion sprinter Captain Of All in the Cape Championship last season, has won eight of 24 starts.

Crawford, who won the Sprint Championship with Laisserfaire in 2002, said: "We had this race planned for a long time and putting blinkers on made all the difference.

“He will go to Durban and run in the Golden Horse Sprint at Scottsville in May. He was second in it last year."
Racing and Sports

Kenilworth Saturday, 30th January 2016

1m1f207y TURF GOOD
ZAR R2,500,000

JandB MET (G1)

ZAR R2,500,000
Type: OPEN
1m1f207y TURF GOOD
FP Horse, Age & Sex
Sire & Dam
Jockey
Trainer
SP
WT
1st 15. SMART CALL (SAF) 4yo F
IDEAL WORLD (USA) - GOOD JUDGEMENT (USA)
JUAN PAUL V'D MERWE
ALEC LAIRD
$9
57kg
MISS JESSICA SLACK
2nd 5. LEGAL EAGLE (SAF) 4yo G
GREYS INN (USA) - YOUNG SENSATION (SAF)
ANTON MARCUS
SEAN TARRY
$2.6
59.5kg
Messrs A J van Huyssteen, R Du Plessis, William Henderson, F H McGrath & Mrs L De Haast

Sales Information

3rd 2. CAPTAIN AMERICA (SAF) 5yo G
CAPTAIN AL (SAF) - REQUISTA (SAF)
CORNE ORFFER
BRETT CRAWFORD
$9
60kg
Mesdames Adam Gurney, D Nagle & D J Sherrell

Sales Information

4th 14. LIGHT THE LIGHTS (SAF) 4yo G
WESTERN WINTER (USA) - FIRST ARRIVAL (SAF)
STUART RANDOLPH
GLEN KOTZEN
$41
57.5kg
5th 6. PATERFAMILIAS (SAF) 6yo G
TRIPPI (USA) - LA PATONEUR (SAF)
GRANT VAN NIEKERK
MIKE BASS
$26
58kg

Sales Information

6th 3. LEGISLATE (SAF) 5yo H
DYNASTY (SAF) - CHAMPERS (SAF)
PIERE STRYDOM
JUSTIN SNAITH
$6
60kg
7th 8. PUNTA ARENAS (SAF) 7yo G
SILVANO (GER) - PERU (SAF)
IAN STURGEON
DENNIS DRIER
$29
58kg

Sales Information

8th 12. MAC DE LAGO (AUS) 4yo G
ENCOSTA DE LAGO (AUS) - MACAVELLI MISS (AUS)
ANTHONY DELPECH
WEIHO MARWING
$17
57.5kg

Sales Information

9th 7. GOLD ONYX (NZ) 8yo G
BLACK MINNALOUSHE (USA) - EGOLI LASS (NZ)
S'MANGA KHUMALO
SEAN TARRY
$29
58kg

Sales Information

10th 9. HELDERBERG BLUE (SAF) 5yo G
JET MASTER (SAF) - OUR TABLE MOUNTAIN (USA)
D DILLON
MIKE BASS
$36
58kg

Sales Information

11th 1. FUTURA (SAF) 5yo H
DYNASTY (SAF) - SCRIBBLIN' THE CAT (SAF)
B FAYD'HERBE
JUSTIN SNAITH
$4.75
60kg
12th 10. KING OF PAIN (SAF) 6yo G
GREYS INN (USA) - VIVA LA BELLE (AUS)
ALDO DOMEYER
JOEY RAMSDEN
$76
58kg
13th 13. KRAMBAMBULI (SAF) 4yo G
BLACK MINNALOUSHE (USA) - SAILING TO RIO (AUS)
M J BYLEVELD
JUSTIN SNAITH
$67
57.5kg
14th 4. MASTER SABINA (SAF) 6yo G
JET MASTER (SAF) - SABINA PARK (SAF)
GAVIN LERENA
GEOFF WOODRUFF
$17
60kg

Sales Information

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