The ‘People’s Horse’ is now more a bookies friend

It’s a question Kommetdieding fans never dreamt would be asked. Is the “People’s Horse” going to end his career as the “Bookies Horse?”  

Make no mistake — punters lost thousands of rand on the 2020 Durban July winner when he was beaten in last Saturday’s Green Point Stakes at Kenilworth.

After the withdrawal of Jet Dark, Kommetdieding was generally trading at even money with most bookmakers, but an avalanche of support saw the five-year-old start at 83-100.

There is no escaping the fact that the “People’s Horse” has failed to win in six starts since his victory in the Cape Met in January. So — unlike Frankel who won 14 out of 14 in Britain — the tag is now slightly embarrassing.

Punters were entitled to think that the Harold Crawford-Michelle Rix son of Elusive Fort would make it seven wins from 16 appearances. He had the highest merit rating of 129, 10 points higher than the eventual winner, Trip Of Fortune.

When the two horses met in the Queen’s Plate last January, Trip Of Fortune finished three lengths adrift of Kommetdieding and was receiving 5kg. Last Saturday Candice Bass-Robinson’s four-year-old was only receiving 2kg.

Universal — placed second in the Green Point — went into the race with a merit rating of 114. That is 15 points inferior to Kommetdieding.

It was recently announced that Kommetdieding has been syndicated to stand at Klawervlei Stud and his investors — no doubt shocked by Saturday’s defeat — will be hoping he follows in the footsteps of another well-performed SA horse, Gimmethegreenlight, who has excelled at stud.

As far as the King’s Plate is concerned, bookmaker reaction to the Green Point result was to push Kommetdeding out to 4-1 (from 3-1) and shorten Trip Of Fortune’s odds to 10-1.

Universal, who was having only his second outing in nine months, has been clipped to 16-1 but the Vaughan Marshall duo of Linebacker and Rascallion are now 20-1 and 33-1 respectively for next month’s race.

While Gavin Lerena felt the cards didn’t fall for him in last Saturday’s race, perhaps Kommetdieding’s best chance of signing off with a big race win is the Met at the end of January. He has already proved he loves the course and distance.

In the King’s Plate, he will be taking on unbeaten Charles Dickens — if they accept to run — Jet Dark and stablemate, Captains Ransom, if she also gets the green light to compete. If one knew she was a definite starter, there would be plenty of takers of the 12-1 now on offer.

Trainer Bass-Robinson will be disappointed that her star three-year-old, Charles Dickens, has drawn 12 out of 16 for the forthcoming R2m Cape Guineas.

But even madder will be trainer Glen Kotzen with his entry, Cousin Casey, being allotted barrier 15 of the 16 entries. Last Saturday the stable’s useful filly, Hold My Hand, was drawn on the nearby highway in the Cape Fillies Guineas but Calvin Habib got a tremendous finishing run out of the daughter of Gold Standard to take the third cheque.

Mike de Kock will be pleased that his two entries, Shoemaker and Union Square, fared well enough drawing barriers eight and five respectively.

Union Square — Business Day’s winning tip for the Dingaans — looks an exciting prospect and he might well be a Durban July contender in seven months.