Dean Kannemeyer has strong hand at Durbanville.
The scent of a Cape summer racing season wafts in the air with the arrival of the Matchem Stakes/Diana Stakes meeting at Durbanville at the weekend.
After what seems like an eternity of moderate local fare, high-class horses step out to begin preparing for the big things to come.
Trainer Dean Kannemeyer is a key player on the day with two lively candidates in each of the two main events – though he has chosen not to run his Hollywoodbets Durban July champion The Real Prince, who was among entrants for the Matchem.
Kannemeyer told Sporting Post he would probably target the Green Point Stakes en route to the Cape Town Met for his star.
On Saturday, he saddles hardy five-year-old Outlaw King and lightly raced three-year-old Aristocratic in the Grade 3 1400m Matchem – with a yawning 10kg gap between the two horses’ imposts.
Stable jockey Craig Zackey is part of the 60kgs that Outlaw King shoulders in search of a fifth win from 16 starts. The gelding by Rafeef has concentrated on shorter sprints but has a course-and-distance runner-up credit on his CV.
In-form Serino Moodley and the famous Fieldspring silks make the 50kg allotted to Aristocratic, who won on debut before two luckless outings in Durban.
The stablemates will be challenged by a pair of seasoned campaigners in Sugar Mountain and Café Culture.
The former, a seven-year-old from Candice Bass’s yard, has clocked up no fewer than 11 wins, the last three on the trot in recent months. He has earned every milligram of his 61.5kg and the only question is whether the handicapper has finally got the better of him.
In Sugar Mountain’s favour is that regular companion Aldo Domeyer is one of the best heavyweight riders around and knows most kinks of the Durbanville turf.
Café Culture must also lug 61.5kg, which a rejuvenated Chad Little will try to make light of in the saddle. His plus factor is the No 1 draw.
Towards the other end of the weight scale is the 51kg of Justin Snaith’s charge Absolutely Yes. Muzi Yeni rides the grey, who looks like a youngster with oodles of talent about to burst onto a bigger stage.
In the Diana Stakes, a companion piece to the Matchem for fillies and mares, all deliberations involve unbeaten Princess Of Gaul.
Kannemeyer’s youngster won twice as a juvenile during the KwaZulu-Natal winter and comes into this test off a two-month mini-break.
In his Sporting Post interview, Kannemeyer ventured only that Princess Of Gaul and her stablemate Keukenhof were “both very smart three-year-olds”.
The main threat to the duo appears to be year-older Swiatek, who is going for a four-timer for Snaith and former champion jockey Richard Fourie.
Another filly who cannot be ignored in the Diana is Eric Sands-trained Stormwatch, who registered a course-and-distance win a golden three weeks ago.
