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The Dean Kannemeyer-trained Hot Ticket is favoured to win his first Group One race in Saturday’s Gold Cup at Greyville.

Hot Ticket is the only one of Kannemeyer’s team of three horses entered for the Champions meeting that is not a G1 winner but the trainer expects that to change in Saturday’s 3200m feature.

“He came through his win in the Gold Vase very well. He has been moving very well, very freely, and has thrived in Durban,” Kannemeyer said.

“He has been giving Karl Neisius a good feel and is in top shape.

“He has earned his stripes by winning some of the biggest staying races in the country. It is tough to carry 60kg over 3200m, but he is only maturing now and has ended up being one of the biggest horses in the yard.”

Hot Ticket won the Gold Vase under the topweight over 3000m on Vodacom Durban July day.

Kannemeyer’s unbeaten colt Afrikaburn impressed with his win on July day in the G1 Durban Golden Horseshoe over 1400m and is drawn in pole position in the G1 Premier’s Champion Stakes over 1600m on Saturday.

The yard’s stalwart three-time G1 winner Capetown Noir runs in the G1 Beach Beauty Champions Cup with the blinkers removed as he over raced in the Durban July.

“He is a brilliant miler and is in great shape, so if he puts his best foot forward is a lively runner although he has a tricky draw,” Kannemeyer said.

Mike de Kock has two runners in the Gold Cup and can’t separate Wild One and Canterbury Tale despite stable jockey Anthony Delpech electing to ride Wild One.

“They are a similar type of horse and will both relish the trip, so I don’t have a preference. They are both very well,” De Kock said.

Canterbury Tale showed that he as an out and out stayer in last year’s Gold Cup, when staying on strongly for third.

He is only two points higher in the merit ratings this year but carries the same weight of 54kg.

Earlier last season he won the G2 Gold Bowl over 3200m at Turffontein and looks to have had a perfect preparation this year as this will be his third run after a seven month layoff.

However he is drawn 15 of the 16 runners but does have a top class jockey Weichong Marwing aboard.

Wild One looks potentially well handicapped with 53,5kg.

He gave his passionate owner Sean Phillips his first Graded race success when winning the G3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup over 2400m at Greyville in May and followed that run with a third to Hot Ticket in the G2 Gold Bowl over 3000m on Durban July day.

He is 0,5kg better off with Hot Ticket but has to jump from the widest draw of all.

De Kock has a strong hand in the two G1 two-year-old races with five runners in total.

He runs the G1 Allan Robertson winner Alboran Sea as well as Pine Princess in the G1 Thekwini Stakes over 1600m for two-year-old fillies.

Alboran Sea jumped tardily last time out in the Zulu Kingdom Golden Slipper over 1400m but looked the winner when bursting into the lead late, only to be caught near the line by the outsider Bilateral.

Pine Princess was drawn wide in the Golden Slipper, but stayed on well from a handy position for a 0,75 length third.

“Pine Princess will relish the step up in trip. It might be the top end of Alboran Sea’s range because she has tremendous speed, but that might be an asset because on pedigree she will get the trip on her head,” De Kock said.

Delpech replaces Muzi Yeni on Alboran Sea and Bernard Fayd’Herbe goes on to Pine Princess.

De Kock’s pair Anjaal and Jayyed had jarred up from their July day runs where they finished within a short-head of each other in fourth and fifth in the G1 Golden Horseshoe over 1400m.

Mootahadee is his third runner and shouldn’t be underestimated as he finished close up to older horses over 1400m on the Greyville polytrack last time when running off an official merit rating of 84.

“All three will be decent horses in time to come and all are doing well. In the long term the maiden Jayyed might be the best of them,” De Kock said.