"He's an outsider but a good outsider," is how trainer
Basil Marcus sees the chances of his four-year-old Kahal gelding
Majestic Sun who runs in the R2-million, Grade 1 J&B Met
at Kenilworth in the Cape on Saturday.
The seven-time winner will be bidding to give the charismatic
conditioner and former champion jockey his second Grade 1 victory
following on the sensational win by his three-year-old Camden
Park colt, Jay Peg, who swept to victory in the recent Bloodstock
SA Cape Guineas.
Jay Peg himself will line up in the R500 000, Grade 1 Investec
Cape Derby on the day to stake his claim as the top three-year-old
in the country.
Speaking about Majestic Sun, Basil said he was working well
and "we are very happy with him.”
"Obviously there is some concern about the mile and a
quarter but he has a good draw and that will help him to get
a position and to see out the distance,” he said.
"In the L'Ormarins Queen's Plate he was drawn very wide
and to get a position he went too quickly, was doing too much
early and did not run on in the finish.
"On Saturday he is drawn well and we are hoping to sit
fifth or sixth. It will give him the options and a chance to
run on.
"Yes, he's an outsider but I think he is a good outsider."
Jay Peg goes into the Investec Cape Derby having won seven
of his nine starts including the Cape Classic, Selangor Cup
and Bloodstock SA Cape Guineas in his last three visits to the
course.
"We are very happy with him and he came through his Guineas
run very well. He has done exceptionally well and the Guineas
was obviously the cherry on the top.
"This will be his first time over 2 000m but we are not
concerned about the distance. He is drawn well and his whole
manner of racing suggests he will not have a problem with it."
Asked whether Jay Peg will follow the same pattern of racing
as he has in the past in being up with the pace, Basil said
it had proved a successful formula to date and there was no
reason to change it.
"But I always leave it up to the jockey to make the final
decision and it has worked well enough up to now."
Basil, who has had outstanding success in his relatively short
time as a trainer, attributes much of his success to the support
of his "fabulous" owners and described his two feature
race runners as straight forward, good-natured horses.
"They are both very intelligent animals," he said.