African Night Sky is being laid out for the Vodacom Durban July after the stable’s high hopes for last season’s Winter Series winner failed to materialise when he was only sixth in the Met.

Justin Snaith, bidding for his third July after Dancer’s Daughter in 2008 and Legislate four years ago, said: “He is one to note and I need to hide him because one hike in his rating would spoil his July chance.

“I am going to plan his campaign very carefully and the only way will be to race him sparingly, maybe running him in a big handicap where a win wouldn’t put him up much.”

African Night Sky (Liesl King)

Snaith Racing’s 30-strong armada sets out for Durban on March 24 and will include Do It Again who returned to his best to take second in the Cape Derby.

Snaith said: “He ran flat in the Cape Guineas as I’d over-trained him and I had to freshen him up for the Derby. His programme will be a prep then the Daisy Guineas followed by the Daily News. After that, we will see.

“But I have got one hell of a string for Durban and I just want a bit of luck with the draws. You need to be on the inside at both Scottsville and Greyville.”

The Cape Town stipes are waiting to hear from the National Horse Racing Authority in Johannesburg after taking DNA tests on All Aboard last week but their investigations are already focussed on the centre page of his passport which showed white socks and a white muzzle. The Mambo In Seattle colt had no such markings when he was compulsorily scratched from his debut at Kenilworth 13 days ago.

Senior stipe Ernie Rodrigues said: “We have to establish how this centre page (it was the horse’s third passport) got there and when. It is so different from the markings that it would have been noticed by the stalls team.”

The horse’s passport was checked by the stalls team on two occasions before his planned debut and seemingly it tallied with the horse both times.

By Michael Clower