The Western Cape trainers were as prominent as usual in the 2017/2018 season and four of their yards finished in the top ten on the national log.

The Western Cape wrested back the South African trainer’s championships as the Justin Snaith yard broke the three year hold Sean Tarry had on the title. Snaith’s first national championship was in the 2013/2014 season and that broke a four season streak by Mike de Kock.

However, the Western Cape won less Grade 1s than their Johannesburg counterparts. Of the 29 South African Grade 1s on offer 15 were won by Gauteng yards and 13 by Cape Town yards.

Snaith’s stakes earnings of R32.263.050, if restricted races are excluded, was his best ever return but was less than Tarry’s record amount of R32,263.050 in the 2016/2017 season. If restricted stakes are included Snaith earned R29,987,488, a massive return yet some way short of Tarry’s R36,109,550 of the 2016/2017 season.

Snaith won seven Grade 1s and these included the countries two most celebrated races, the Vodacom Durban July with Do It Again and the Sun Met with Oh Susanna. He was also just 0,4 lengths away from winning the prestigious Grade 1 L’Ormarin’s Queens Plate with Copper Force. Oh Susanna became the first three-year-old filly in over 100 years to win the Met and this followed an emphatic victory in the Grade 1 Cartier Paddock Stakes. She then made it three Grade 1s in a row when winning the Woolavington 2000 in her only start in KZN. Before those three wins she had met her stablemate Snowdance twice, in the Grade 2 Western Cape Fillies Championship and the Grade 1 WSB Cape Fillies Guineas and been beaten into fifth and second respectively.

Snowdance also won the Grade 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes. She arrived in KZN a superstar but was then responsible for the yard’s three biggest disappointments as she was beaten narrowly into second in all of the Grade 2 Daisy Fillies Guineas, the Grade 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge and the Grade 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes. However, it was still a memorable SA Champions Season for the yard as they returned the most dominant finish in Vodacom Durban July history. Terrance Millard did the July trifecta twice but Snaith went one better by sending out the trifecta and the fifth-placed horse. However, Snaith’s best day of the season was on Met day, where he landed three Grade 1s. Sergeant Hardy got the ball rolling that day in the Betting World Cape Flying Championships.

Snaith also won five Grade 2s, six Grade 3s, seven Listed races and five Non-Black Type events. Among the latter was the R2,5 million Lanzerac Ready To Run Stakes with Miss Katalin.

Brett Crawford was fourth on the National trainers log with official earnings of R12,379,188. He won three Grade 1s, all in the SA Champions Season. He retained his crowns in both the Rising Sun Gold Challenge and the Champions Cup. His highlight was when Captain America, the yard’s flag bearer for many seasons, won the latter race in his swansong. Three-year-old Undercover Agent won the Gold Challenge. His other Grade 1 winner was with three-year-old Bold Respect in the Tsogo Sun Sprint. He also won two Grade 3s, five Listed races and two Non-Black Types. Among the latter wins was the US$500,000 CTS Mile with Undercover Agent.

Candice Bass-Robinson finished sixth on the National trainers log with official earnings of R10,463,900. She retained her crown in the US$500,000 CTS 1200, this year doing it with Dutch Phillip.  All in all she won two Grade 2s, three Grade 3s, two Listed races and two Non-Black Types.

Glen Kotzen finished 8^th on the National log with official earnings of R8,985,000. His highlight was winning the Grade 1 Investec Cape Derby with Eyes Wide Open, who also won the Grade 2 Peninsula Handicap. Kotzen provided the first South African Graded winner for the top European performer Duke Of Marmalade when Temple Grafin won the Grade 3 Debutante over 1200m on Gold Cup day, Kotzen won one other Grade 3 and also five Listed races.

Dean Kannemeyer finished eleventh on the National log and pulled off a magnificent training feat with It’s My Turn, who joined his yard as a five-year-old having not won since victory in the Cape Derby as a three-year-old. In the space of five weeks in June and July It’s My Turn won the Track and Ball Oaks, the Gold Vase and the Gold Cup, all Grade 3s but the latter event remains the most prestigious staying event in the land. Kennemeyer also won one other Grade 3 and a Non-Black type with his unbeaten KZN-based filly Hashtagyolo, and he also won a Listed race.

Joey Ramsden was probably the chief sufferer among trainers when perennial champion owners Mayfair Speculators began disbanding last December, but he still finished 13^th on the national log and landed one Grade 1, the Computaform Sprint with Attenborough, and won Grade 2 and four Listed races. His filly Fresnaye did the Stormsvlei Mile and Winter Oaks double.

Vaughan Marshall and Andre Nel finished 18th and 19^th on the national log respectively. Marshall landed the Grade 1 Cape Guineas with Tap O’Noth, who also won a Grade 3. Marshall also won a Grade 2, a Listed race and two Non-Black Types. Nel won a Grade 2, three Listed races and a Non-Black Type.

Eric Sands’ provided one of the Cape highlights with the unbeaten three-year-old Rainbow Bridge, who won the first two legs of the Cape Winter Series, both Grade 3s, before being sent overseas.

Harold Crawford won a Listed race as well as the Grade 2 Drill Hall Stakes with Perovskia.  Bill Prestage won a Grade 2 and a Listed race, Dan Katz won a Grade 2, Glen Puller won a Grade 2, Adam Marcus won a Grade 3 and a Listed race, and Mike Robinson won a Grade 3.

By David Thiselton