Gold Cup: it's a real LSD trip

Racing wouldn't be racing without hard-luck stories. It's a hurly-burly game with heavyweight athletes battling it out at high speed, using acceleration, balance and muscularity.

There are bound to be those that get boxed in, pushed wide, cut off or bumped off their stride.

The Durban July at Greyville two weeks ago was a case in point. Apart from the altered result - with Legislate placed first after "winner" Wylie Hall came into contact with him in the closing stages - there was a lengthy log of whinges from other runners.

Blame it on the pace of the race.

Casual observers might not know what you mean when you say "pace"; they just see ponies thundering along like they do in every race. But, truth is, there's galloping and there's galloping.

Unusually for the July, there was no natural front-runner this year, so it was a "crawl", with no jockey daring to disobey instructions to play a waiting game.

When this happens, a canny rider can "steal" a race - slowing his leading horse right down as the field nears the final turn, causing following runners to suddenly bunch up and generally get in each other's way. Before the pack sorts itself out and finds a stride, the troublemaker is on his bike and past the post.

Cue the July: Many fancied candidates simply never got going. Favourite Louis The King was reported to have nearly fallen at one stage and was "cut into" - lacerated on the legs by flying hooves.

That's racing, as they say.

But the big question now, as we return to Greyville for Gold Cup day, is the pace at which the two big races will be run.

Half the July field meets again in the Champions Cup over 1800m, and it'll be interesting to see how the July form holds up. For this time there are candidates to play the hare - No Worries and Readytogorightnow.

Wylie Hall is back to right a wrong, while 2012 July winner Pomodoro also has a point to prove.

As intriguing as this Champions Cup might be, the main focus tomorrow is on the Gold Cup. It's South Africa's premier test of stamina, calling for a different type of animal from your typical July horse, namely a true stayer.

Contested over 3200m, with the field passing the grandstand twice on their long journey, it is a great racing spectacle.

The nuances of pace do play a role in such a marathon, but they're a little less critical. It's endurance, fitness and bravery that are required over the long, slow, distance - what we used to call LSD back in my athletic days.

And then there were those other LSD days, which I don't remember quite so well.

I'm fancying a Gold Cup punt on Wild One.

Selections

Gold Cup (Race 7): 12 Wild One, 11 Gothic, 15 Alexander, 4 Shogunnar

Champs Cup (Race 8): 12 Pomodoro, 8 One Cool Dude, 3 Wylie Hall, 10 Killua Castle