Met 2022
The Met is here! Horse racing enthusiasts will have the 2022 Cape Town Met penned in their diaries. Simply referred to as the ‘Met’, the event attracts a plethora of attendees from various walks of life. From punters to the fashion-forward, the day has something for all.
Considered one of Cape Town’s premium summer occasions, the Met is hoping to make a statement in 2022. ‘Glam Garden’ is the theme for this year. Alongside the excitement of the horse racing, attendees will be surrounded by the who’s who of the Cape Town glamour scene. Entertainment will also be provided by top South African music artists.
Last year’s winner, Rainbow Bridge ridden by Luke Ferraris will not be in the mix in 2022. This follows after she recently retired due to injury concerns. This leaves the field wide open for a new champion in 2022.
History of the Met
Known locally as The Met, the 2022 Cape Metropolitan Stakes will presented by World Sports Betting. The Met is a grade 1 thoroughbred horse race held at the Kenilworth racecourse in Cape Town. First held in 1883, the 2022 edition is the 160th running of the event.
Initially known as the Metropolitan Mile, the race took place in its earlier years over the mile distance. The distance increased to 1800m in 1915. Since 1948 the race is run over the current distance of 2000m. The showpiece initially occurred in November of each year. This changed to January from 1947, and it has remained in this spot in the calendar ever since. Liquor brand J&B were sponsors of the Met for 39 years. The event became synonymous with the brand – so much so that many people still reference the ‘J&B Met’.
The top racehorses of the South African scene have over the years all won the Met title. Arial, Model Man and Pocket Power are to name but a few. Arguably the most successful horse in current times is Pocket Power. Pocket Power won on three consecutive occasions from 2007 to 2009. Recently Rainbow Bridge is the only repeat winner, taking line honours in 2019 and 2021. The fact that the defending champion is no longer competing opens the door for the rest of the field.
Who to watch at The Met 2022?
While the Met is undoubtedly the most prestigious race to win in the Cape Town horse-racing scene, the R2 million prize purse for the 2022 event will have some tongues wagging. 11 horses will compete in the main race. Even with Rainbow Bridge not defending the title won last year, the 2022 race will be an exciting one nonetheless. 2021 Durban July winner, Kommetdieding is the odds-on favourite to take the title. If Kommetdieding wins, it will be the first Durban July/ Met consecutive win since the success of Igugu in 2012. Ridden by jockey Gavin Lerena, Kommetdieding will be difficult to beat.
Another strong contender is Jet Dark, who won the recent L’Ormarins Queens Plate on the same track, but critically competed over only 1600m. Double Superlative, Linebacker, Do It Again and Hoedspruit are the other contenders with favourable odds.
Marina, Second Base, Puerto Manzano, Cirillo and Rocking Ringo will all hope to cause an upset. Punters betting on these horses will be in line for a big pay day should any of them manage to pull off an unlikely win. They are however all outsiders.
2022 Met – A Day for All
The day-long event has something for all. With 11 races on offer throughout the day, horse racing enthusiasts will have more than enough to keep them entertained.
Fashion at The Met
For the fashion-minded, there will be ample opportunity for one and all to turn heads while showcasing their interpretation of the ‘Glam Garden’ theme. With prizes on offer for best dressed, one knows that there will be individuals donning some outrageous outfits.
Known for the fashion as much as for the horse-racing, this year’s Met will be no different. Known to attract many a local celebrity and sports star, the day definitely lives up to its reputation as one of Cape Town’s finest offerings on the event calendar.
Rounding off the festivities on the day are a list of popular South African artists and DJ’s. Acts such as Dean Fuel, Goodluck and Zakes Bantwini are all set to perform on the day.
Race Day
Saturday the 29th of January cannot come soon enough for the lucky few ticket holders of the Met. The finest horses and their jockeys will all be vying for victory, while the punters will hope their bets bear fruit. The horse-racing is but a backdrop to a most special day where fashion and sports entwine to provide a unique experience for all in attendance.
The question on pundits’ minds is whether the outright favourite Kommetdieding can shrug off the pressure and claim a maiden title? Or will one of the outsiders claim a historic victory? The other more social question comes in the form of who embraces the theme best, and will they win the coveted best dressed title?
Of course, it wouldn’t be the Met without reference to the social side of things. In these strange and uncertain times, sometimes it is the things we take for granted that mean the most to us. Being able to have the Met back in all its glory is a wonderful thing. Once the sun has set and the dust settled, it will take days to wipe the smile off the faces of all attendees of the 2022 Met.
Met 2022 promotions
Most bookies that offer horse racing betting on site have lined up really strong Met 2022 promotions for you to celebrate the biggest race of the summer.
Hollywood Bets
Hollywoodbets has some really strong offers. Have a look at these unmissable offers!
- The special Hollywoodbets WSB Cape Met Punters’ Challenge is open to all customers who have a Hollywoodbets account. Don’t have one yet? Now is the time to register your account! The Punters’ challenge is FREE to enter and there are big cash prizes to be won. R200000 are up for grabs and must be won. The winner gets R100,000 while another 49 players share the rest as per prize table. Moreover there is a Met Day Special. A massive R10 million will be awarded to the player/s who picks the winner of all 12 races on the card on 29th January. Full details and T&Cs are available on the Hollywood Bets site.
- All punters who place a bet on any of the Kenilworth racecourse races between 24 – 29 January will enter the competition to win R20,000 in cash. The R20,000 prize amount will be shared between 20 players and each will win R1,000.
- In addition you can benefit from a 15% bonus on all deposits up to R3000 which is valid on horse racing but also on other sports as well as lucky numbers.
Bet.co.za
Bet on The Met 2022 and join bet.co.za. Receive a R10 risk free bet on Met day with promo code MET2022. You will also get a 100% first time deposit bonus up to R2,000. In addition, you can use the Met First Race Insurance offer. Take an outright winner bet on the first race of the Met 2022. If your bet loses they will refund you up to R500.
WSB
The race sponsor World Sports Betting has of course also some fantastic Met 2022 offers:
- New players can enjoy a free no deposit R50 Welcome Bonus which can be used on horse racing betting.
- Back any horse in the final field of the World Sports Betting Met and get your stake back in free bets if your horse come 2nd. You need to place your bet before the race start on 29th Jan to benefit from this promotion.
- WSB Cape Town Met Predictor: correctly predict the first 6 horses to cross the line to win your share of R170,000.
- Deposit Match bonus: between 25-31 January you can benefit from 20% bonus on all deposits up to R100,000.
There surely is a great offer for new and existing WSB customers alike. For full T&Cs and even more great bonus offers visit the WSB promo page.
Betway has recently added horse racing betting to its portfolio and new customers can enjoy a R25 sign up bet.
GGGaming’s horse racing betting offering is always strong. Currently new customers can benefit from a R3000 free first match bet deposit bonus.
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Update: Kommetdieding has won the 2022 Met. Let’s see who will win the 2023 Cape Town Met on 28 January 2023.
