Cape Town - A high-quality field of 10, including the top four finishers in the sensational Grade 2 Green Point Stakes, are set to do battle in the R1.5 million Grade 1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate on January 5, 2019.
According to the Sportingpost website, the field is headed by three-time reigning champion Legal Eagle who will be out to equal the feat of the top-class Pocket Power who won the race four times on the trot between 2006 and 2010.
Trainer Eric Sands has made what looks to be a strategic inclusion with a possible pacemaker in the form of the former Alec Laird charge Amazing Strike for his fast ascending 4-year-old, Rainbow Bridge - possibly in order to avoid a repeat of the Green Point Stakes where Rainbow Bridge was caught slightly flat-footed late in the race off a generally pedestrian pace.
Coincidentally, both of the Sands runners are by Ideal World.
Rainbow Bridge races in the silks of the late Chris Gerber, while Amazing Strike races in the Mauritzfontein silks.
Final field for the 2019 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate:
Under number, draw, horse, weight, jockey, trainer, merit rating
1 - 7 - Legal Eagle - 60kg - Anton Marcus - Sean Tarry - 123
2 - 6 - Do It Again - 60kg - Richard Fourie - Justin Snaith - 120
3 - 5 - Undercover Agent - 60kg - Corne Orfer - Brett Crawford - 120
4 - 9 - Hat Puntano (ARG) - 60kg - Donovan Dillon - Joey Ramsden - 112
5 - 4 - Rainbow Bridge - 60kg - Bernard Fayd'Herbe - Eric Sands - 110
6 - 2 - Amazing Strike - 60kg - Greg Cheyne - Eric Sands - 107
7 - 1 - Infamous Fox (AUS) - 60kg - Raymond Danielson - Candice Dawson - 103
8 - 10 - Buffalo Bill Cody (IRE) - 59.5kg - Gavin Lerena - Mike de Kock - 108
9 - 8 - Snowdance - 57.5kg - Lyle Hewitson - Justin Snaith - 114
10 - 3 - Soqrat (AUS) - 55kg - Randall Simons - Mike de Kock - 118