JET Dark, despite being largely ignored by pundits and punters alike, produced a decisive turn of foot to land the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate for the second year running at Kenilworth last Saturday.

S’Manga Khumalo, champion in 2013/14 and again two seasons later, rode a deliberately patient race and waited until the final furlong before driving the 10/1 shot clear to beat Durban July winner Kommetdieding by two and a quarter lengths with the favourite Rainbow Bridge only a fifth of a length further back.

Flying dismount

Khumalo, who rides unbelievably short, celebrated with a flying dismount and promptly described how a recent injury scare made him fear he was going to miss the country’s premier mile race.

“It was such a relief when I found out that my leg wasn’t broken,” he said. “Today the pace was on but I knew this guy was going to give it to me so I waited and waited - and, when I asked him, he kicked.”

The winner, bred by Gaynor Rupert’s Drakenstein Stud (and L’Ormarins is the family’s wine estate), is by resident stallion Trippi out of a Jet Master mare. Her dam is the Irish-bred Pleine Nuit who won twice in France for the Wildenstein stable.

This was Queen’s Plate success number four for Justin Snaith who was responsible for four of the 11 runners. “Going into the race Jet Dark’s confidence was growing and by today he was so well that we were just trying to keep him calm for the moment,” he related.

The winner was bought for only R200,000 (€11,300) at the 2019 National Yearling Sale. Part-owner Tommy Crowe interrupted a holiday in Mozambique to make the race but it was partner Nic Jonsson who caused the stir.

Jonsson, a major owner as well as a big race sponsor in Durban, hit out at the TV preview panel: “This is a serious racehorse and I was amazed that these people wrote him off. They are so narrow-minded and one dimensional. They do the public a great disservice!”

Jet Dark is now a 5/1 shot for the World Sports Betting Cape Town Met in a fortnight’s time but Kommetdieding is expected to be the better suited by the extra two furlongs and is favourite at 15/4. However Rainbow Bridge, who has already won two Mets, aggravated a near-fore problem and on Thursday trainer Eric Sands announced the horse’s retirement.

Hoedspruit strikes

Do It Again, twice winner of the Durban July but so far unlucky in the Met, was a big disappointment when starting a prohibitive 1/2 for the nine-furlong Glorious Goodwood Premier Trophy and managed only sixth behind stable companion Hoedspruit.

“He is seven years old and so you are going to get the odd indifferent race,” said Snaith. “We will go back to the drawing board and have him ready for the Met. But I am not going to lie, I am a little disappointed.”

Snaith gained some compensation by taking the Cartier Paddock Stakes with last season’s Cape Fillies Guineas winner Captain’s Ransom who just got up in a blanket finish to shade this term’s Fillies Guineas heroine Chansonette.

Captain’s Ransom (by Captain Al out of a Red Ransom mare) goes for the Majorca Stakes on Met day.

“I only had her 90% today because of that,” said a confident-sounding Snaith.