One World Repels Rainbow Bridge in Sun Met
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Photo: Liesl King
One World wins the Sun Met narrowly over Rainbow Bridge at Kenilworth
Globetrotting jockey Ryan Moore, second in the Jan. 25 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Stakes Presented by Runhappy (G1T) at Gulfstream Park and the Jan. 27 Classic Mile at Sha Tin, had to be content with the runner-up spot yet again in the Feb. 1 Sun Met (G1) at Kenilworth in South Africa.
Moore looked poised to score when he sent last year's winner, Rainbow Bridge, up to join One World a furlong out, but the 17-4 shot proved to have less in the tank that it appeared, and rider M.J. Byleveld conjured up a bit more from One World, who got the narrow verdict.
"Rainbow Bridge ran a great race, but I never thought I had it," said Moore, who had never ridden in South Africa until Saturday.
Byleveld, who won the country's richest conditions race for the first time, said: "Ryan went a head up on me, but I always thought I would hold on."
The 15-1 winner was the first Met success for Byleveld, 38, but the third for trainer Vaughan Marshall, who admitted that he might well not have run the 4-year-old son of Captain Al had the owners not pressed him to do so.
"I had my doubts about whether he would stay the 10 furlongs, so I was in two minds about running him here, but the owners were very keen to do so," he said.
One World and his connections head to the winner's circle at Kenilworth
Hawwaam, the latest Mike de Kock star, went off favored, but he was beaten and settled for third, another 3 1/2 lengths back.
"Rider Anton Marcus did a sterling job and settled him just as I wanted, and the horse ran up to the form he showed when winning the Premier here just before Christmas," de Kock said.
The Silvano 4-year-old is owned by Hamdan Al Maktoum and now goes into quarantine before leaving for Mauritius (when he will be similarly isolated for three months). He will next be seen in action in Britain.