Fancied Guineas runners must beware De Kock’s grade 1 record

Nearly every pundit in the country has Saturday’s R2m Cape Guineas as a match between Charles Dickens and Cousin Casey, but they are forgetting a certain individual named Mike de Kock.

With 133 grade 1 wins to his credit, De Kock’s runners always have to be feared in big races, and he is sending down his first and second Dingaans placings, Union Square and Shoemaker, to take on the two fancied Cape runners.

Union Square — Business Day’s 11-2 winner of the Dingaans — won the Turffontein race in good style and — from a favourable draw — has to be fancied to finish in the first four. Randall Simons retains the mount on the son of Rafeef.

Stablemate Shoemaker — a R200,000 son of Gimmethegreenlight — cost punters plenty with his defeat in the Dingaans and will now have Bernard Fayd’Herbe in the saddle for Saturday’s grade 1 race.

Form students will be quick to point out that Union Square has two lengths to find with Anfields Rocket on their running in the Graham Beck Stakes. Robert Maroun’s star performer also makes the trip to the Cape with Gavin Lerena booked for the ride.

Union Square may get a lot closer to Anfields Rocket this time,  and possibly beat him, because Simons had a shocking draw to overcome in the Graham Beck and also found the distance of 1,400m too sharp.

On Saturday — with the long run-in down the Kenilworth straight — there is time for Union Square to get into top gear and run a big race for his owners, Al Adiyaat SA.

Cousin Casey is the firm second favourite and the Glen Kotzen camp are bullish that their Equus award-winning three-year-old can make Charles Dickens pull out all the stops.

After a workout between Cousin Casey and Han Solo, Kotzen told the Sporting Post that his latest gallop was “a lot better than the one he put up before his Punters Cup win”.

Even so, Kotzen will be well aware that his charge will have to overcome barrier 14 while Charles Dickens isn’t that much better off having to jump from barrier 11.

Apart from the De Kock duo, none of the fancied contenders drew favourable barriers. Anfields Rocket is positioned between Charles Dickens and Cousin Casey in barrier 13.

Anfields Rocket has been bought by the Hollywood Syndicate and victory would give them a notable double as their talented filly, Make It Snappy, won the Cape Fillies Guineas.

Brett Crawford is enjoying a good season and is in third place in the national trainers log. The Cape trainer will be happy his runner, At My Command, has drawn in pole position but he is a 16-1 chance in ante-post betting.

After the final Guineas field was announced on Monday, bookmaker Lance Michael had Charles Dickens heading the market at 0.63-1. Second favourite, Cousin Casey, is quoted at 4.56-1.

De Kock’s entry, Shoemaker, is third choice with the odds of the Dingaans runner-up at 10-1 — shorter than his stablemate, Union Square.

CAPE GUINEAS BETTING

(Supplied by bookmaker Lance Michael)

0.63-1 Charles Dickens

4.56-1 Cousin Casey

10-1 Shoemaker

14.28-1 Anfields Rocket, Union Square

16.66-1 At My Command

25-1 Dave The King, Le Morne

33-1 Others