TRAINER Mike de Kock knows what it takes to win an Emerald Cup - he knows what it takes to win any race - but he does have the prestige of being the trainer to saddle the winner of the inaugural race three years ago with ill-fated Hilti.He might have won it again last year with Scrutinize had his charge got into the Grade 2 race.

The National Assembly gelding won the Emerald Cup Consolation in faster time than Narc took the laurels in the main attraction.

But De Kock could remedy that disappointment tomorrow when he sends out two top-class performers in Braggadacio and Scrutinize. Not only do they have exceptional form on the sand, they have both run against the best in the land on the turf and performed with aplomb.

Braggadacio has run 11 times for four wins and five places and only his questionable soundness has prevented him from winning many more graded races.

Only this year did De Kock start running him more frequently. During that period, Braggadacio has finished a 4.25-length fourth behind Buy And Sell following a six-month layoff and he then finished third to Our Giant and Emperor Napoleon in the Grade 1 Horse Chestnut Stakes over 1600m at Turffontein.

When the 2007-08 season drew to a close, De Kock took Braggadacio to the Vaal to race on the sand for the first time. He was confident the Western Winter gelding would have no problem on the surface and so it turned out. Johnny Geroudis sent the gelding to the front shortly after the field turned for home and he coasted clear to beat Showroom by 4.75 lengths over 1450m, the distance of tomorrow’s R600 000 race.

It was only the second time Braggadacio had been fitted with blinkers and that also appears to have been a master stroke.

In that race, he was drawn at No 1, a benefit he will not have this time. He will jump from draw No 11, reduced from 13 with the removal of the reserve runners, and Geroudis may need luck to get him perfectly positioned.

But class runners have a knack of overcoming all the adversities and Braggadacio has the capacity to cope with that problem.

Some pundits have felt the 58kg could get on top of him but both Narc last year and National Spirit a year earlier carried 60kg to victory, while Hilti shouldered 59.5kg.

It is noteworthy that De Kock has opted to bring Raymond Danielson to the Highveld to ride Scrutinize as they have a good rapport. Danielson has ridden Scrutinize five times and they have won on four of those occasions, twice on the sand.

The National Assembly five-year-old has run four times this year, for two wins and a third behind Glow Star in his comeback run following a six-month rest. His only poor showing came in an Open Handicap over 1200m where he was never in contention and clearly found the distance too sharp.

Two runs back Scrutinize won the Listed Thukela Handicap over 1600m at Clairwood, beating Tap Tap by 0.50 lengths with some useful runners, like Kilcoy Castle, Wonder Lawn, Naughty Prince and Candy Bar behind him.

Perhaps most significantly, so was Braggadacio, who was beaten 5.75 lengths. He was reported to be short behind so there were excuses for the poor run, but he is only 0.5kg better off and his stablemate could give him a run for his money.

Alimony has been faultless since racing on the sand track, racking up three successive victories by a combination of 21 lengths. Those victories have come at high price and he has been heavily penalised, with his merit rating raised by 25 points.

His last start saw him beat Close As Oak, who was conceding 5kg, by 9.5 lengths but on a line of form through Heraldic Seal, Alimony still has ground to find on Braggadacio. Heraldic Seal beat Close As Oak by one length, giving him 1kg, but was thumped 10 lengths by Braggadacio when in receipt of 5kg.

Alimony and Heraldic Seal will carry 52kg and get 6kg from the De Kock runner, indicating that St John Gray’s runner still has a few lengths to find on Braggadacio. That is on paper and the race could tell another story, especially as Alimony is drawn at No 4.

E-Fuel could be the joker in the pack, despite his shocking No 15 draw. He came back after a break of more than six months to defeat Clean Getaway by 1.75 lengths. Heraldic Seal finished fourth that day and is now 1kg better off, not enough to make up the 2.30 lengths he conceded.

It was not only who he beat, but the effortless manner of victory that impressed. Andre Kirsten’s runner came from well off the pace to win easing up over 1450m at this track and as long as Brandon Lerena is not caught too far back, he could run into the Quartet.

With Mark Khan aboard, Renegade cannot be overlooked. Jan Breedt’s runner has performed well on the surface but on a line of form through Showroom, he is another who should not beat Braggadacio. The other factor against him is the distance. He has run over 1400m and 1450m on the inside track at Turffontein and failed on both occasions. He did finish a one-length third to Emir on the first occasion but was then beaten 6.50-lengths by Scarlet Letter over 1450m.

It is difficult to assess Something Else, El Padrino and Tropical Empire as they have never run on the sand. Trainers Joey Ramsden, Dave Goss and Michael Roberts have all said their runners work well on the surface, but as Sean Tarry said: “I have had runners with actions I thought would do well on the sand and they don’t, and I’ve had runners I thought would never perform on the sand and they do. They either run on the sand, or they don’t and only the race will tell.’’

With that in mind, I prefer to stick to the tried-and-trusted performers in a race like this.

Lawful Leader will have his admirers but I am not among them. I feel the distance is too short, he has too much weight and in his only run at the track, he was beaten 9.75 lengths by Secretivity. Not much of a recommendation for the Emerald Cup.
(Source: Tabonline)