This time last year, veteran jockey Piere Strydom was scrambling to get any rides. Then 56 years old, the former six-time champion jockey had set himself a goal of riding 5,500 South African winners before retiring and he was not far off his target.

Then, just before last year’s Grade 1 Cape Derby, his mount was scratched. Michael Roberts had See It Again in the race but was unable to find a decent jockey. It was suggested to him and owner Nic Jonsson they should get Strydom to ride the son of Twice Over, who was priced at 50-1. 

After much deliberation, Strydom was engaged and shocked the racing world when he beat odds-on favourite Charles Dickens to win the race.

The rest, as the saying goes, is history. Strydom has since ridden the horse seven more times, winning another three events, including the Grade 1 Daily News 2000 and finishing second in the others.

With the decision to retire Charles Dickens to stud, See It Again is now the highest-rated runner in the country and the four-year-old colt goes into Saturday’s (27 January) Grade 1 Cape Town Met (2000m) at Kenilworth as the 9-20 favourite.

Strydom is not one for overstating his case and he tends to err on the side of caution, but there is no lack of confidence emanating from the former champion. “You never know if there is going to be a pace or not and from number 11 draw it is not easy.

“The draw will be of concern if the pace is slow but if we get a good pace the draw won’t matter. If all things fall into place, he should win.”

If See It Again wins, Michael Roberts will join an elite group to have both ridden (Sledgehammer in 1975) and trained a Cape Town Met winner. 

Once one looks past See It Again, the race is wide open.

Justin Snaith has five runners representing his yard and Pacaya could be the best of the quintet. He showed his well-being by finishing a close-up third in two Graded features and is better off at the weights with all the runners who finished in front of him.

JP van der Merwe takes the ride and jumps from barrier three.

Rascallion is an outsider, but he was a decent three-year-old and has had two very good warm-up races. He is trained by Vaughan Marshall and will be ridden by Bernard Fayd’Herbe, each of whom has won this race three times.

Snaith also has Mucho Dinero who has won his last four races but rises in class and may struggle to beat the likes of Pacaya who is weighted to turnaround the outcome.

Royal Aussie is another Snaith inmate and this four-year-old gelding is still improving. There was a lot to like about his third place in the King’s Plate, coming from last to finish 1.25 lengths behind See It Again.

He is untried over the distance so one does not know what to expect but jockey Kabelo Matsunyane, who won his first Grade 1 race aboard Winchester Mansion in the Durban July in which he beat See It Again by 0.25 lengths, would love nothing better than to do it again in this event.