Win or lose, champion Pocket Power is likely to be given a rousing reception when he graces Kenilworth Racecourse for possibly the last time when he runs in the R2,5 million J&B Met on Saturday, January 29.

The three-time winner of the Western Cape’s most prestigious race heads up a field of 17 that includes recent L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate winner Mother Russia, runner-up Tales Of Bravery, Sansui Summer Cup winner Flirtation and the exciting three-year-old Run For It.

Pocket Power shares joint top weight with the Mike de Kock-trained Rudra in this conditions event and forms part of a quartet of runners from the Mike Bass yard. Others include Fort Vogue, Rushing Wind and Super Storm.

De Kock holds a formidable hand and will saddle three runners including Mother Russia, Rudra and Flirtation.

De Kock is the only trainer to have won the Met with a three-year-old in recent history, firstly with Horse Chestnut in 1999 and to prove a point, Badger’s Coast followed up for the stable the very next year. This time round the lot falls to Justin Snaith who sends out Run For It.

Second to smart stable companion Solo Traveller in the Bloodstock SA Cape Guineas, Run For It was very unlucky in the Peninsula Handicap won by another Met candidate, Lion In Winter, after running into serious traffic in the straight. With bottom weight of 52kg and from a very in form stable, Run For It will have many supporters.

The Darryl Hodgson-trained Past Master ran an indifferent race in the L’Omarins Queen’s Plate behind Mother Russia but his connections have been bullish about his Met chances all summer and Hodgson has had three weeks to remedy any problems.

The draw for barrier positions will take place on Thursday, January 20, and will be shown live on Tellytrack after the official Met gallops which start at 7am and should finish at around 8am.

Sc# Horse Mass MR Draw B A T Jockey Trainer
1 POCKET POWER 60.0 114 (114) 0 A B Fayd'Herbe Mike Bass
2 RUDRA 60.0 109 (109) 0 A J Geroudis Mike de Kock
3 BRAVURA 59.5 110 (109) 0 A G Hatt Joey Ramsden
4 FORT VOGUE 58.0 104 (104) 0 A K Neisius Mike Bass
5 RUSHING WIND 58.0 104 (104) 0 B A P Strydom Mike Bass
6 IN WRITING 58.0 97 ( 97) 0 B A R Fradd Dean Kannemeyer
7 PAST MASTER 57.5 114 (113) 0 B A G Schlechter Darryl Hodgson
8 MOTHER RUSSIA 57.5 111 (111) 0 A A Marcus Mike de Kock
9 TALES OF BRAVERY 57.5 111 (110) 0 A M Byleveld Vaughan Marshall
10 CELTIC FIRE 57.5 107 (106) 0 A K Teetan Yvette Bremner
11 LION IN WINTER 57.5 105 (104) 0 A A Fortune Joey Ramsden
12 LAST REGAL 57.5 104 (103) 0 A ............... Dean Kannemeyer
13 CASK 57.5 100 ( 99) 0 A R Fourie S H Page
14 PADDY O'REILLY 57.5 100 ( 99) 0 A R Danielson Glen Kotzen
15 SUPER STORM 57.5 99 ( 98) 0 A A Domeyer Mike Bass
16 FLIRTATION 57.0 104 (103) 0 A A Delpech Mike de Kock
17 RUN FOR IT 52.0 108 ( 96) 0 A F Coetzee Justin Snaith
Couplings: (1,4,5,15) (2,8,16) (3,11) (6,12)