Double Superlative faces Everest-like task in Met, says Lance Michael

It is enough to make the champion trainer choke on his cornflakes. Highveld bookmaker Lance Michael says Justin Snaith’s three-year-old Double Superlative has “to climb Everest in the Met and I’ll be laying him to the max”.

Michael’s opinion is understandable as Double Superlative is taking on his elders in a grade 1 for the first time, and clashes with some of the best horses in the country. They include Durban July winner Kommetdieding, Jet Dark and Linebacker.

It is Linebacker, a 4-1 chance in the antepost market, who is Michael’s choice to take the R1.25m first cheque.

“It was a flat run in the Queen’s Plate, but it was his second run after a break, and Vaughan Marshall knows how to win this race,” said Michael. Marshall won the 2020 Met with One World.

“As far as the danger to Linebacker is concerned, I would nominate Kommetdieding and Marina,” said Michael.

Kommetdieding will have a huge following in his home province. At the draw conducted for the Met last week, owner Ashley Reynolds said he expected the “whole of Cape Flats to be behind us”.

In an interview with Winning Form, Reynolds explained how he settled on Kommetdieding as the unusual name for his R55,000 buy.

Smacked silly

“It is Afrikaans slang among the Cape Flats coloured community and it means ‘Bring it on’ as in ‘I’m not scared, bring it on’.

“Such words said in English sound all right, but using it in an Afrikaans sentence sounds terrible. My grandfather would have smacked me silly if he heard me using it. It was not the sort of language expected of us.”

Delving deeper into the 11-runner Met field, we come to Do It Again, the dual Durban July winner and second to Rainbow Bridge in the 2019 Met.

Another forthright view from Michael: “The seven-year-old is not in the race. He went down by three lengths to Hoedspruit last time. That winner can finish in front of him again.”

However, Michael respects the chance of the filly Marina, who represents the Bass team successful in this race for four successive years. Pocket Power won in 2007, 2008 and 2009 with River Jetez scoring in 2010.

“At one stage of the Paddock Stakes, I thought Marina was going to collar Captain’s Ransom, but she eventually went down in a three-way photo-finish. We have laid plenty of her to our clients in the last week,” said Michael.

The Vaal hosts an eight-race programme on Thursday. Trainer Paul Peter will be hoping his grey gelding Secret Is Ours can notch his second win by taking the final leg of the jackpot.

Secret Is Ours is looking an expensive purchase as the son of Dynasty cost R800,000 as a yearling. Jockey Warren Kennedy will be pleased he has drawn in pole position.

A runner who could pose problems for Peter’s runner is Ashley Fortune’s colt West Point. He also needs to raise his game as this one-time winner cost R625,000 as a yearling.

WSB MET BETTING

(Supplied by bookmaker Lance Michael)

33-10 Kommetdieding

15-4 Jet Dark, Double Superlative

4-1 Linebacker

7-1 Marina

9-1 Hoedspruit

16-1 Do It Again

50-1 Second Base

70-1 Puerto Manzano

80-1 Rockin' Ringo

SELECTIONS

First race: No Selection

Second race: (8) Lady Osier (4) Quick Run (2) Love Bite (3) Bethany

Third race: (12) Venerable (4) Castle Of Glass (1) Mcebisi (11) Mactavish

Fourth race: (8) Defender Of Rights (6) Aga Heat (2) Petunia (1) Raising A Storm

Fifth race: (10) Quattro Passi (9) Wondering Star (2) Mode (6) Catchthegreenlight

Sixth race: (1) Tambora (4) Evening Rise (9) Brooklyn Bridge (10) Roger The Dodger

Seventh race: (4) Secret Is Ours (7) West Point (3) Secret Giver (8) Mister Blue Sky

Eighth race: (5) Just A Memory (1) My True North (3) Arlington Action (2) King Arthur