Gimme A Prince poised to make his own headlines in the Cape season

If, like most trainers, Dean Kannemeyer regularly peruses the racing websites he may become a little weary reading about the exploits of Candice Bass-Robinson’s star, Charles Dickens.

Even though Kannemeyer’s runner, Gimme A Prince, gave Charles Dickens a real run for his money in last weekend’s Matchem Stakes, one headline proclaimed “Charles Delivers”.

However, there looks to be every chance that Gimme A Prince will be making his own headlines during the Cape season.

Kannemeyer learnt the trade from his talented late father, Peter, spending weekends and school holidays at the stable. “I knew what I wanted and where I was going,” he said in an interview with SA Horseracing.

Down the years, Kannemeyer has held his own on the national trainers log and has conditioned such champions as Durban July winners Dynasty (2003) and Power King (2015) as well as top performers Capetown Noir and Pas De Quoi.

It won’t have been lost on Kannemeyer that Dynasty blew away his opposition — which included horse-of-the-year Free My Heart — in the 2002 Green Point Stakes. Seven months later the horse won the Durban July from the worst draw.

So — as David Thiselton points out in Turftalk — there are two options facing the Cape trainer with Gimme A Prince, a son of Gimmethegreenlight owned and bred by Khaya Stables.

“Gimme A Prince proved he gets further than sprints, the Cape Mile on November 4 might be a good option and will tell the connections whether he can be aimed at a mile campaign or revert to sprints,” Thiselton said.

The former option will see him run in the grade 2 Green Point Stakes on December 2 instead of the Cape Merchants and then the King’s Plate on January 6.

He could then still be able to see him come back to defend his Cape Flying Championship crown on January 27. A dedicated sprint campaign will just see him swapping the Merchants for the Green Point before likely avoiding the King’s Plate and going for the Cape Flying.

Bookmaker reaction to Charles Dickens’ narrow win has been to promote Durban July runner-up See It Again to favouritism for the Cape Met. Muis Roberts’ four-year-old heads the market at 33-10 with 7-2 available about Charles Dickens.

Regarding November’s Betway Summer Cup, did we glean anything from the candidates who ran in last Saturday’s Spring Challenge at Turffontein? The answer is not much.

Dave The King, an early Cup fancy for this column, made his seasonal bow but the Champions Cup third was never in the hunt finishing in midfield about 13 lengths behind the winner. One can only presume the Mike de Kock inmate was ring rusty after a break.

Bookmaker Lance Michael pushed Dave The King’s Cup odds from 8-1 to 10.20-1. Winchester Mansion remains favourite at 5.25-1.