One of the standout races of the month will take place at Durbanville this Saturday, as the G3 Cape Classic Stakes will be run. It will be the sixth race on the card at Hollywoodbets Durbanville, with the field of 12 runners competing over a distance of 2,000 meters on the turf.
Race & Course Records
As one of the most prestigious races to be staged in October, a talented field will go to post. The course record was set back in 2021, as Fort Agopian landed victory in a time of 119.24 seconds. However, the class record is held by last year’s winning runner Join The Dots, who finished in 120.63 seconds.
History of Durbanville
Durbanville is one of the main attractions in the local region, having been welcoming racing fans to the track in 1922. It is one of two locations to watch action in the Western Cape, along with Kenilworth.
The left-handed oval course covers a distance of 2200 metres, with the home straight covering a total of 600 metres. Hollywoodbets has been the naming rights sponsor of both Western Cape racecourses since 2022.
Cape Classic Leading Contenders
Pointdexter
Vaughan Marshall-trained Pointdexter will be a probable win angle for many bettors this weekend, with Gareth Wright jumping aboard to take the ride. The four-year-old is yet to win in 12 career starts, but has looked more progressive on his previous two starts.
The latest of those came at Durbanville over 2,000 metres when finishing fourth behind Join The Dots. Was a massive price in that race, but will be much shorter this Saturday on more favourable terms.
Groovejet
Justin Snaith-trained Groovejet appears to be among the leading contenders this weekend after winning once from six starts this season, and finishing in the top two in each of his last three starts.
Another progressive outing was produced on his previous outing when taking second over 1400 metres at Kenilworth.
His record is hugely positive, winning once and taking five places in seven career starts. No denying he will be among the market principles with BetXchange.
Commander Green
Commander Green is a runner for the Gareth van Zyl stable this weekend, with Corne Orffer taking the ride on the three-year-old. Will carry less weight than many of the market leaders, and has shown enough progression to play a leading role in this company.
His best career-run to date came when winning over 1800 metres at Durbanville, before he was dropped back in distance on his last two appearances. The most recent of those saw him finish fourth over 1400 metres.
A return to a more favourable distance is a major plus, and it is hard to overlook him finishing outside of the top three for a red-hot stable.
Cape Classic Prediction
Join The Dots could prove to be a strong chance to follow up on his recent success this weekend. The Brett Crawford-trained runner will be the ride of Richard Fourie, who was aboard the four-year-old when he claimed victory over 2000 metres at Durbanville at the end of September.
