Met field is loaded with class

LINE-UP: 11 TALENTED RUNNERS TO LINE UP IN COMPETITIVE R5-MILLION GRADE 1 RACE

- Jack Milner

JOY. Jockey Richard Fourie celebrates as Eight On Eighteen bursts through to beat Oriental Charm in last year's WSB Cape Town Met. Justin Snaith's charge is 5-2 favourite to repeat that performance on Saturday 31 January.

(Picture: Wayne Marks.)

After much debate on what the size of the field would be, just 11 runners were declared to run in the R5-million World Sports Betting Cape Town Met.

The Grade 1 race over 2000m will be run on the Summer Course at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday 31 January.

There is a tantalising 12-race card on what is Cape Town’s richest race day with R8,750,000 in stake money up for grabs.

While the field might be small, it is loaded with quality and is headed up by last year’s winner Eight On Eighteen. The Justin Snaith-trained son of Lancaster Bomber went on to win the Grade 1 Daily News 2000 and was touched off in the Grade 1 HWB Durban July.

He was out of action until the running of the L’Ormarins King’s Plate where he was beaten 4.25 lengths by The Real Prince. While it can hardly be called a bad run, it was a slightly disappointing effort as it would have been nice to have seen him running at them late. While he was not beaten by far, he did finish eighth, behind some runners he should have beaten with ease.