Futura and fellow stable star Legislate are building up for their five-year-old campaigns but there is no indication yet whether either or both will take on Act Of War in the Green Point Stakes at Kenilworth on November 21.
Justin Snaith said yesterday: “They both went for a rest on a farm after Durban and they are now slowly getting there but we haven’t yet decided on any plans.”
The pair started off in the Green Point last season with Legislate setting a new mile course record and Futura finishing third before going on to take both the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and the J & B Met for Brett Crawford, and later winning the Champions Cup for Snaith to clinch the Equus Horse of the Year award. Legislate won the Gold Challenge.
Act Of War was left on his 117 merit rating despite breaking the 1 400m Durbanville record in last Saturday’s Kuda Matchem and Anton Marcus casting doubt on the handicap mark, saying: “Joey Ramsden will probably call me a prophet of doom but I am not convinced the horse is 117.”
However Heartland, beaten a length and a half when in receipt of 1.5kg, has been raised five points to 102. Bernard Fayd’Herbe felt that the colt wasn’t at ease on the tight course and Snaith’s immediate reaction was that he had banged a fetlock.
The former champion trainer said yesterday: “I couldn’t find much wrong with him even though he knocked himself but he didn’t feel right on the track. I might run him in something like the Diadem (Dec 26) later.”
Snaith’s Baritone, twice a winner at Kenilworth in August, is set to give weight all round in the Magnum Cape Classic at Kenilworth a fortnight on Saturday. Easily the highest-rated horse among the 44 entries is Brazuca who went under by only a short head to Seventh Plain in the Durban Golden Horseshoe on Vodacom Durban July day despite being still a maiden.
Joey Ramsden, who has won the last two runnings of the Cape Classic with Red Ray and Act Of War, has entered six including the highly regarded pair Hard Day’s Night and Tar Heel who has his first run of the season at Durbanville on Saturday.
Ronnie Sheehan reported yesterday that Cape Nursery winner Captain Chaos “has come on a lot” since his reappearance but he was disappointed by the colt’s 35 draw.
– Michael Clower
Picture: Legislate left Futura right (John Lewis)
