BUFFALO Bill Cody will be leaving for Cape Town shortly and is marked down to contest the Gr1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate on 6 January, noted Mike de Kock after the four-year-old Irish-bred colt turned in another dominating display in Pinnacle Stakes over 1600m at Turffontein, Tuesday.

Buffalo Bill Cody posted a three-length score over the highly-regarded, Graded-placed Captain And Master, and made it look effortless.

Mike said: “I am pleased with this run because Buffalo Bill Cody came from off the pace and won very well, instead of racing handy early. He’s a good horse, his rating will probably go up several pounds and he’s worth it. If all goes well, he and Soqrat will take on the big guns in the Queen’s Plate.”

Asked how he thought his pair would shape, Mike commented: “The Queen’s Plate really is the race it’s hyped up to be, all the very best milers are going be in there. The race will show us where we stand. It will be a contest of truly top horses and it certainly is something to look forward to.”

If there is any line of form to be drawn through Captain and Master, it is his second (beaten 1.25-lengths at level weights by Undercover Agent) in the CTS Mile at Kenilworth on Sun Met Day in January 2018, which points to Buffalo Bill Cody being right up there with the best.

It’s an old line of form, but even those are often confirmed and it will give owner Mary Slack a degree of confidence that her exciting galloper by Redoute’s Choice is right on a par, if not better, than his formidable opposition.

Mike said that getting to Cape Town as soon as possible will allow Buffalo Bill Cody to settle down and get to see the track like Mathew de Kock did successfully with Soqrat before the Cape Guineas.