It’s an exciting three-year-old who commands much of the conversation ahead of Saturday’s (10 January) G1 King’s Plate (1600m) at Kenilworth in South Africa.

While the past two South African Horse of the Year recipients, Dave The King and Eight On Eighteen, are in the field, it is Jan Van Goyen who has tongues wagging ahead of the prestigious feature.

Victorious in the G1 Cape Guineas (1600m) over this course and distance, Jan Van Goyen is the lone three-year-old in the field and, as a result, the colt will carry 11lb less than his 13 rivals.

One of two runners for Mike and Mathew de Kock along with Dave The King, Jan Van Goyen is the choice of leading jockey Callan Murray after posting four wins and two seconds from the colt’s six career starts, including two victories at the top level.

Murray, who spent time riding in Hong Kong before departing in 2019, is the only jockey to partner the son of Master Of My Fate on race day.

“I definitely had a decision to make. Obviously, Dave The King’s a really good horse. He won well last time considering he got a lot of pressure and it wasn’t really run to suit. He had to be very tough,” said Murray of a horse he has also partnered to victory at the highest level in 2025, with the pair scooping the Gold Challenge (1600m) at Greyville.

“I also think that with not much rain about in Cape Town the track is going to be quite firm, which plays into his hands.

“Those are the pros with him, but I thought there were a lot of pros about Jan Van Goyen, too. Being the young horse getting a bit of weight from them, I opted that way.

“It’s very exciting. We’ve really liked him from day dot and to see him prove it on the racecourse has been great. It’d be nice to see him pull one off against the older horses.”

It was also Murray who was in the saddle for Dave The King’s last-start victory in the G2 Green Point Stakes (1600m) at the course and distance of Saturday’s contest.

Behind Dave The King, who will be ridden by Ryan Munger this weekend, in that key lead-up contest on 13 December were Garrix, See It Again and Sail The Seas, who should all feature prominently in the King’s Plate market.

“Garrix and See It Again were finishing very well, even Sail The Seas I thought was finishing quite well,” Murray said.

“Obviously Eight On Eighteen is having his first run (since July) but he’s probably the best horse in the race on paper, but a mile is probably short of his best and first up it’s probably not going to be easy,” added Murray.

G1 victories in the Cape Town Met (2000m), Cape Derby (2000m) and Daily News 2000 (2000m) were enough to see Eight On Eighteen named the 2024/25 South African Horse of the Year, however, he ended the campaign on a slightly sour note when finishing a narrow second behind The Real Prince, who is also among the chances for this weekend’s race, in the G1 Durban July (2200m).

Eight On Eighteen races for the first time since that July defeat and star Irish jockey Oisin Murphy has been booked to ride.

The King’s Plate is carded as S1-8 and will be run at 10.45pm (Hong Kong time) on Saturday, 10 January.