The Equus Horse Of The Year elect Futura and last season’s Horse Of The Year Legislate have both arrived safely at Drakenstein Stud where they will enjoy a one month holiday before being brought back for the Cape Summer Of Champions Season.
The Justin Snaith-trained pair of five-year-old Dynasty entires finished first and third in the Gr 1 Champions Cup over 1800m at Greyville on Saturday. Futura put in a phenomenal performance and will thoroughly deserve the country’s highest accolade. He hit the starting gates before they had opened and this caused him to lose ground.
Snaith revealed the reason for him hitting the starting gates was probably due to getting a fright when Legislate alongside him kicked the back of the gate. Legislate did the same in the IOS Drill Hall Stakes and had to be scratched after his foot became momentarily stuck between the two back gates.
However, Gold Circle reacted to this and a subsequent incident by padding the back gates with rubber, which not only softens the blow but also prevents the foot from slipping through, and this paid dividends in respect of Legislate on Saturday as he ran his race and was beaten fair and square by two firecrackers.
After losing about a length-and-a-half Futura had to be used up significantly by Bernard Fayd’Herbe to get into the desired handy position. The effect of such fuel burn is usually revealed in the latter stages of the race, but not in the case of Futura, who must have a massive engine on top of his athleticism and wonderful action.
Ice Machine, who was given the perfect tow by Legislate until being switched out at the 300m mark used his tremendous turn of foot to overtake Futura and looked to have the race in the bag, especially considering he had the peerless Anton Marcus aboard. But amazingly Futura fought back under hard and superbly rhythmical driving from Fayd’Herbe to snare Ice Machine on the line.
Ice Machine has blossomed in the Charles Laird yard and deserves a Gr 1 victory. There looks to be no reason why he can’t continue racing as a seven-year-old, especially as he is by Silvano, whose progeny get better with age.
Snaith paid tribute to the gallant Futura, whom he felt beforehand would be in tip top condition and he proved correct.
Part-owner Jack Mitchell pointed out that one of Furura’s best career runs was in the Vodacom Durban July, considering he had carried a welter 60kg.
Both Snaith and another part-owner John Freeman paid tribute to Futura’s groom, Cyprian Mkhonowana, who gained some fame in 2008 because the decision to fly him in from Cape Town half-way through the Champions Season appeared to turnaround the fortunes of the filly he was devoted to, Dancer’s Daughter.
Drakenstein are part-owners in both Futura and Legislate and will be looking forward to them standing at stud one day, although not before they have likely added more big race success to their already glittering CV’s. They have now each won four Gr 1’s apiece and Futura has won the Champions Cup two years running.
By David Thiselton
Picture: Legislate left Futura right (John Lewis)
