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One of South Africa’s biggest races is The Met run at Kenilworth on Saturday.

We see the 2020 The Met (2000m) at Kenilworth on Saturday being another great contest.

2020 THE MET - RACE HISTORY AND BACKGROUND

The Metropolitan Mile or 'The Met' is a Grade 1 race run under Weight For Age conditions at Kenilworth conducted by Kenilworth Racing.

The Metropolitan Mile is run over 2000m.  It was first run in 1883.

This is the Cape's premier race and had been known as the 'J&B Met' for many years. It is now known as the Sun Met and is the biggest race of the Summer season in South Africa.

The 'Met' is at sea level giving the best South African racehorses an equal opportunity. Originally, the race was run over a mile hence the initial name.

By 1915, the race had been extended to 1800m and finally set at 2000m in 1948, which remains the distance today.

For a decade The Metropolitan Handicap was run more than once a year – between 1895 and 1909.

In 1901, The 'Met' was run five times – in March, April, June, October and December.

The Metropolitan was not run in 1914 and 1918 due to WW1. The Metropolitan Handicap of 1943 and 1944 was run at Milnerton, with Kenilworth being used during the war years as a military base.

The 'Met' was traditionally run in November before it moved to January in 1947, when Thorium won.

One of the local champs was Pocket Power who won the race three times from 2007.

Horse Chestnut was considered by many to have been the best racehorse in South Africa. Racing in the Oppenheimer's colours and trained by Mike de Kock, he would become South Africa's first Triple Crown winner and the first three-year-old in 54 years to win The Met. These accomplishments earned Horse Chestnut the titles of Equus Horse of the Year and Champion 3-Year-Old Colt in 1999.

The 'Met' roll of honour includes the names of many of South Africa's top racehorses like Ariel, Pocket Power, Wolf Power, Model Man, Empress Club, London News and Horse Chestnut.

Over the course of the history of the 'Met', three families have dominated race victories – the Lairds, Millards and Kannemeyers, who between them won the race 10 times.

Syd Laird won it twice with Politician racehorse in 1978 and 1979 and Alec Laird won it with London News in 1997. Terrance Millard won it with Arctic Cove in 1983, Mark Anthony in 1988 and Olympic Duel in 1991, while his son Tony Millard won it with Empress Club in 1993. The Kannemeyer team, Peter and son Dean, won The Met with Sunshine Man in 1980, then with Divine Master in 1992 and with Pas De Quoi in 1994.

Oh Susanna became the first 3yo filly to win the race since Maid Of Honour in 1888.

After filling the quinella in 2019, Rainbow Bridge and Do It Again would also do that in the Durban July but in the reverse order later in the year.

The 158th running of the 'Met' was worth $5m South African Rand in 2020.

The 2019 'Met' was won by Rainbow Bridge from Do It Again and Head Honcho.