Countofmontecristo gets set to show them who's boss
Top-ranked gallopers light up training track
What a sprint it is shaping up to be - that Open Benchmark 97 race on Sunday.
Some of our best are in the line-up and, as a sort of preview, we saw four of them put through their paces on the training track yesterday morning.
Over on Track 6, COUNTOFMONTECRISTO looked as exciting as ever when clocking 37.4sec for the 600m while in the company of stable companion ITALIAN JOB.
Then, on the main Polytrack, Ricardo Le Grange's dynamic duo of ROYAL RULER and THE GENERAL cantered one round before taking off to cover the same distance in 34.9sec.
First off the blocks, let's talk about "The Count".
FIVE-BAGGER
What's not to like about him? He, who in a four-month blitz from late January, captured our imagination when stringing together a five-bagger.
He attempted the Singapore Guineas in his sixth and last start but was found wanting over the mile which was won by that tearaway phenom, Forever Young.
Incidentally and while he is back to his favoured 1,200m on Sunday where he is one of two "reserves", the Michael Clements-trained four-year-old will be having his first test over the Poly and it will be mighty interesting to see how he fares on the alternate surface.
There will be no such question marks about the Poly when it comes to Royal Ruler and The General. Both have won on the surface and will relish the underfoot conditions.
Royal Ruler, who was ridden by Barend Vorster at trackwork, claimed the last of his eight wins in June when winning over the 1,200m after coming off his spot just off the lead.
That win came after a lengthy nine-month drought which saw the son of Roman Ruler put in nothing better than two fourth-place finishes.
As for The General, he had Nooresh Juglall on the reins for his bit of work yesterday and his "pedigree" does suggest he will be right up there at the business end of things on Sunday.
Another one of those multiple winners from Le Grange's yard, The General's sixth and last victory was way back on the final day of racing when he took out the Rocket Man Farewell Stakes over 1,100m. In that same race, stablemate Royal Ruler took fourth spot.
With the race showing off the likes of a Ruler, a General and a Count, who will pull rank and insist things go his way?
To find out, be at the club on Sunday.
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