Ducat maintains family tradition with a G1 win

Golden Ducat (10-1) joined his half brothers Hawwaam and Rainbow Bridge as a Grade 1 winner over 2000m after a well-merited win in the ARF Commemorative Cape Derby at Kenilworth on Saturday.

And it capped a dream Cape season for jockey Craig Zackey, who also won at the top level on Mississippi Rising and Vardy for trainer Adam Marcus.

Rank outsider On My Mindset a reasonable pace, with Sachdev, It’s Complex, Super Silvano and Parterre all handy. Sachdev moved up to lead coming through the 400m mark and for a while looked the likely winner.

But after turning for home about seven lengths off the pace, the imposing Golden Ducat made steady progress and coming to the 200m pole was looming up as the primary danger.

Sachdev battled on gamely, but had to yield in the closing stages and the luckless Justin Snaith- trained gelding was forced to settle for his third Graded runner-up berth in his last four appearances as Golden Ducat motored on to win going away by 0.50 lengths.

The winner has only having his fi h start and second run since being gelded. He has a very bright future indeed. “I’ve had Grade 1 wins for Jessica (Jell), but It’s always been a goal to ride one for Mrs Slack,” said Zackey, who is sponsored by Mauritzfontein and Wilgerbosdri Studs.

“A great ride by Craig.

“I can’t thank the mare (Halfway To Heaven) and Mary (Slack) enough,” commented an emotional trainer Eric Sands. He of course also trained Halfway To Heaven, and coincidentally her biggest win was in the Grade 3 Prix du Cap on this very race day in 2013.

Favourite Silver Host (7-4), ridden by Richard Fourie, failed to find a finish and trailed in a well- beaten sixth, while King Of Gems (13-2) sat in the rear and made no headway whatever, beating only one home.

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