Joey Ramsden happy

Bravura



Joey Ramsden is very happy with his Vodacom Durban July pair, the second-favourite Bravura and the quietly fancied outsider Lion In Winter.



The former is currently quoted at 9-2, is drawn in 11 and will be ridden by Champion Jockey Anton Marcus, while the latter has been backed into 40-1, is drawn 15 and will be ridden by Glen Hatt.



Ramsden said, “Bravura is in very good shape and Tuesday morning he worked exceptionally well. We’re very happy with Lion In Winter. He is flying. He puts a lot into his work. He really attacks his work.”



Asked on whether they would be suited to the tight Greyville track, Ramsden said, “I don’t think there are many horses that aren’t suited to it, unless a suitable excuse is being made. All of the big horses I’ve trained have managed to wing their way around Durbanville.”



Durbanville is the tightest track in the Cape and Ramsden has a peerless record there.



Bravura will be having his first ever race around a right hand turn, but this does not worry Ramsden.



“He has had a gallop there,” he said, referring to the very good bit of work he put in at the July Gallops.



Lion In Winter



Lion In Winter ran two decent races at Greyville over 1400m and 1200m respectably last season, finishing 3,25 lengths behind Pocket Power in the first of them when receiving 3kg.



He put up one of the best pieces of work at the July Gallops and his superb daisy cutting action will be well suited to the fast ground that is likely to prevail on the day.



Glen Hatt is not worried about his draw as he is the sort that is dropped out anyway.



He finished best of all in the J&B Met, running on very strongly for fifth after being baulked continually up the straight.



Hatt also pointed out that his rider that day, Andrew Fortune, didn’t know him well and if he had he could have got even closer.



Hatt said that this horse responded best if hard ridden up the straight.



Hatt is bullish, but the yard’s chief runner is Bravura.



He won his first five races, including a brilliant win from a very wide draw in the Grade 1 Investec Cape Derby, beating the much vaunted Noordhoek Flyer and having last year’s July one-two, Bold Silvano and Irish Flame, well beaten.



Considering he was regarded immediately after that win as the best of a very highly regarded crop of three-year-olds, he has to be a huge runner as this year’s three-year-old crop of males have not received accolades as high.



Bravura was out with a hindleg injury for ten months after the Investec Cape Derby win and, although doing little wrong, he did not set the world on fire this past summer in the Cape.



However, this slowish start to his comeback is understandable when considering that he is extremely lazy at home.



His last two runs and his physical appearance at the July Gallops show that he should be right back to his peak on July day and his fighting finish in the Cape Derby as a young three-year-old proved that the 2200m trip should not be a problem.



Ramsden said, “I have to prefer Bravura, but in terms of how well they are progressing and doing, it is even stevens between the pair of them.”





Ramsden said of the horses to beat, “I would be a fool not to mention Igugu, but she does have her work cut. Galileo’s Destiny and Super Storm are two others with chances. I have been very impressed with The Apache. Run For It has very good form too, but if you fancy him, you have to fancy Lion In Winter as they are evenly matched on their J&B Met meeting.”



Horse Of The Year Winter Solstice is the best horse Ramsden has trained to date having won two L’Ormarins Queen’s Plates, a Gold Challenge and a Champions Cup.



He implied that Bravura still had time to join him, although he was loath to regard a July win as the pinnacle of his own career as it is a handicap compared to the Weight For Age terms of the Queen’s Plate and Gold Challenge.



Of his other runners on the day, Ramsden said, “Bush Pirate is the choice in the first because Shades of Indigo is drawn so wide. In the second I hope Count The Music is not used as a pacemaker for a Mike de Kock horse this time. Hawk’s Eye has a chance in the third. Predestination has his work cut out from a wide draw in the Gold Vase. Copper Parade has a chance in the eleventh and September Wind will run well there too. In Like Flynn is well but might find it too short and have too much weight in the last.”


David Thiselton : Gold Circle Publishing

I thought Lion in Winters Public gallop was one of the best I saw!