Bernard Fayd’Herbe will take over as stable jockey to Justin Snaith when Richard Fourie moves to Hong Kong next month and in the meantime Fayd’Herbe will regain the ride on Futura in Saturday week’s Champions Cup.

Fayd’Herbe, 33, has had a long association with Snaith and has won five of the trainer’s 22 Grade 1s. He also won this season’s L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate and J & B Met on Futura when the horse was trained by Brett Crawford.

He said yesterday: “I am very happy to be back on Futura and to ride for Justin again. Riding for Joey Ramsden has been a pleasure but it was a no-brainer when I got the opportunity to join Snaith Racing. I have been a bit restricted in the big races because Joey’s main owner is Markus Jooste who has his own jockey.”

Fayd’Herbe was replaced by Sean Cormack on Futura in the KZN season because he was committed to the Ramsden-trained King Of Pain and even under the new arrangement Wayne Kieswetter’s Ridgemont Stud operation will have first call on him.

Snaith, who paid tribute to both Fourie and Cormack, said: “Bernard has always had close ties to the stable and, although he has big shoes to fill, I am certain he will add enormous value to our stable. I was extremely pleased with Futura’s run in the July with top weight and he has come through it particularly well.”

Legislate (Fourie) will race over 1 200m for the first time since his debut two years ago on Saturday and a week later he is pencilled in for a further showdown with Futura.

Jonathan Snaith said: “Legislate runs in the Mercury Sprint and if he pulls up well he will then run in the 1 800m race.”

At Kenilworth this Saturday Fayd’Herbe partners last year’s winner Jet Supreme in the stable’s bid to win this Grade 3 for the third successive year. Snaith will also run Cat And The Moon.

King Of Pain, winner of last year’s Rising Sun Gold Challenge, was scratched from the Vodacom Durban July a few weeks before the race and has not raced since. “There is nothing wrong with him. He is just having a holiday,” said Ramsden.

Act Of War, the surprise packet among the Mercury Sprint entries, will not be declared this morning – Ramsden had some unprintable comments to make about the horse’s widest-of-all draw – but the Cape Guineas winner just might run in the Champions Cup.

Ramsden said: “It’s a possibility. We will see how we go.”

By Michael Clower

Picture: Bernard Fayd’Herbe