Red Palace, the only filly in the field of 17 horses for the 163rd renewal of the R5 million Grade 1 World Sports Betting (WSB) Cape Town Met at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday, 25 January, will be in pole position after drawing the No. 1 barrier position.
Just over a month ago, Red Palace, a lively Met prospect, was in the news because of a hastily convened short-notice auction hosted by Cape Racing Sales to dissolve a partnership.
Dean Kannemeyer is the new trainer, and with his charge running from the inside gate, he will hope to land his first Met winner.
The barrier gate positions were drawn during a midweek function at Kenilworth under the supervision of the National Horseracing Authority.
The function was hosted by the dynamic duo of Alistair Cohen, South Africa's world-class race caller, and Vicky Minott, the former jockey turned Tellytrack presenter.
Kannemeyer joins the illustrious WSB Cape Town Met Class Of ’25 which has five trainers who have already had Met winners. These five trainers have a collective haul of 12 Met crowns. They are Justin Snaith (2023, 2022 and 2018), Vaughn Marshall (2020, 2014 and 1996), Alec Laird (2026 and 1997) and Sean Tarry (2005).
Apart from Red Palace, Kannemeyer also had Green With Envy in the field but the colt was withdrawn on Friday because of a health issue. He was priced at 5-1 at the time of the scratching.
Green With Envy's withdrawal means the class of 2025 will have a final field of 16 to face the starter at the Hollywoodbets Kenilworth 2000m marker.
The change in the Red Palace camp also brings a change of jockey.
The Cape-based jockey Aldo Domeyer would usually be in the irons, but Gavin Lerena will be on board for the Met, which offers a winner's purse of R2,968,750.
Lerena (109 wins) is one of three jockeys who are challengers for the SA Jockeys Championship 2024/2025. The other two are Craig Zackey (114) and Richard Fourie (107).
Lerena is one of six jockeys in the class of 2025 who have already won the Met which ranks as the biggest race of the Summer season in South Africa.
He caused a sensation with a terrific win with Kommetdieding in 2022.
Last year Ricard Fourie won on Jet Dark, and the other winning jockeys were Grant van Niekerk (2018, Oh Susanna), Juan Paul van der Merwe (2016, Smart Call), Aldo Domeyer (2013) and Piere Strydom (2003).
The race offers South African champion trainer Justin Snaith a chance to claim a hattrick of Met wins after his back-to-back triumphs in the past two seasons with Double Superlative (2024) and Jet Dark (2023).
Snaith has four runners in next week's Met. They are Royal Aussie (jockey Kabelo Matsunyane), Pacaya (Rachel Venniker), Future Swing (Grant van Niekerk), Eight On Eighteen (Richard Fourie) and Magic Verse (Aldo Domeyer).
The combination of champion trainer Snaith and these experienced jockeys makes for a serious combination and punters will be hard-pressed to look these entrants for a winner.
The Met is one of the premier events on South Africa’s social and sporting calendar and is an unmissable experience for racing fans and style enthusiasts alike.
The theme for this year is 'Couture Unleashed' and invites attendees to push creative boundaries by blending art, technology, and luxury fashion.