Main Defender takes second place in the ranking
3 min
Main Defender’s rating rose by 10 points from 121 to 131, putting him second in the country behind See It Again and Best Miller.
Since they could not use this year’s Horse of the Year at the horse racing betting sites in South Africa, Princess Calla, as a line horse, handicappers had to rate the horse this high. This would have given Main Defender an even higher rating, probably around 136 points. Princess Kalla’s rating remained unchanged, indicating that she ran up to her rating.
- After confidently winning the Grade 1 Wilgerbosdrift H.F. Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes over 1600m on Saturday at the Turfontein Standside Track, the rating of the main defender rose from 121 to 131. The handicappers were unanimous that fourth-placed Cosine Casey is the best line horse for this race and he remains unchanged with a rating of 123
- DAVE THE KING took second place, beating COUSIN CASEY by a longer distance than in their last meeting. His rating increased from 122 to 126, confirming his previous career best. SON OF RAJ also received a rating increase, rising from 115 to 119.
- The only entrant to suffer a downgrade was AT MY COMMAND, which dropped to 124 from 126 points. It is important to note that this horse received a 2lb increase after winning the Cape A Stakes last time out. This was due to the special conditions of the race, which stipulated that the winners had to receive a minimum increase of 2 pounds. Consequently, the handicappers decided to restore AT MY COMMAND’s rating to the 124 points he received in the Grade 2 Green Point Stakes.
