The pair are now set to face each other in a North versus South clash of the Titans in the Gr 1 Daily News 2000 at Greyville on May 31, a contest that could decide the Equus Champion three-year-old male title. They might also face each other in the July, although the Snaith camp have emphasised that Legislate is not a certainty to run in that race.

Legislate, who was bred by Vaughan Koster’s Cheveley Stud, was purchased for R100,000 at the 2012 National Yearling Sales, well below the R234,064 average of that year. To date he has earned R1,159,850.

Justin’s brother Jonathon, his father Chris and bloodstock agent John Freeman identified the Dynasty colt as one of their picks of the Sale. Legislate is out of a four-time winning Restructure mare and the trio didn’t feel the female line “was the greatest”. However, they quickly became excited upon viewing him.

Jonathan said, “We were looking for a Dynasty, it is just a matter of time before he becomes Champion Sire, and this one had great conformation and fantastic movement.”

The team were prepared to fork out plenty to secure the colt and could not believe it when the bidding stopped at R100,000. Jonathon recalled, “I remember saying, hang on, this is a bit suspect. We hadn’t had the horse vetted or scoped and became concerned. Vaughan Koster then came over to congratulate us, although he was a bit disappointed by the price, so we asked him if the horse had any issues and he told us he was 100% sound.

I liked him so much that I immediately offered to buy half of him from Dennis Evans, who was going to put together the ownership. He said he would consider it, but on further thought it didn’t make sense as the plan was to ship the horse to Singapore.”

Evans has transported 26 South African-bred thoroughbreds to Singapore in total. The combination of good sales value in South Africa and the attractive prize money in Singapore makes good business sense. As it happened Legislate failed a piroplasmosis test and had to stay in South Africa.

The colt only won his maiden at the third time of asking, over 1 600m at Kenilworth, but then showed the signs of what was to come when finishing runner up in both the Gr 3 Cape Classic over 1 400m and in the Gr 2 Selangor Cup over 1 600m.

He disappointed in the Gr 1 Grand Parade Cape Guineas, finishing unplaced, but the yard freshened him up and he displayed a devastating turn of foot in the Gr 1 Cape Derby over 2 000m to beat the odds-on favourite Captain America by 1,25 lengths.

Evans received an offer from overseas after that win, but he kindly gave the Snaiths the chance to match the price through their own clients. Gaynor Rupert of Drakenstein Stud and Jack Micthell came to the party and are now the joint-owners together with Evans and his wife Gael.

Legislate’s beautiful action and superb turn of foot were there for all to see at Greyville last Saturday in the KRA Guineas, where he confirmed form with Captain America, trouncing him by three lengths.

His long term aim is the Dubai Carnival. However, his priorities before he leaves will be the L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate and the J&B Met, which is one reason for his July participation not being a certainty.

Justin said, “He has so much scope, he is still a big baby. His work leading up to the KRA Guineas was incredible. He was blowing away older horses, beating them by lengths.”

Jonathon said, “In my opinion the Johannesburg form is not as strong as the Cape’s. We are looking forward to the clash with Louis The King, but are confident that Province will get the upper hand!”

Louis The King is one of the rags to riches stories of the decade. His breeder Phillip Kahan of The Alchemy bought his mother in foal to Black Minnaloushe for R20,000 from Drakenstein Stud at a mares and weanlings sale. Kahan liked the resulting “docile” foal, but he was too immature for the Cape Premier Yearling Sales in January, so he sent him to the KZN Yearling Sale. However, the colt didn’t receive a single bid and Kahan had to buy him back for R55,000. Later in the car park, Kahan bumped into Woodruff, who was only there to drop off some July tickets. He explained to Woodruff that he had been unable to sell his best colt.

Woodruff asked him how much he wanted and Kahan replied, “A minimum of R60,000”. Woodruff said, “Send him up.” Woodruff trusted Kahan’s opinion and didn’t even want to see the horse, but the latter managed to persuade him to have a peak over the stable door. Later, before Woodruff had returned to Johannesburg, an owner of his, Tiaan Van Der Vyver, phoned while on his way to have a look at one of the yard’s youngsters at Sharon Patterson’s pre-training centre.

Woodruff asked him to have a look at the Black Minnaloushe colt too. Van Der Vyver agreed and liked what he saw. He bought him and then named the colt after his son Louis, in whose name he also races. The colt is the first racehorse that Louis has ever owned and has earned R5,342,500 to date.

Louis The King has all the credentials of a champion, a fine temperament, a good action and a superb turn of foot. He also has plenty of scope for improvement and showed in his SA Derby win that he has courage in abundance. He will never lie down without a fight.[/expand]

Dean Kannemeyer, who won the July with Dynasty 11 years ago and again with Eyeofthetiger three years later, said: “There is a big question mark about the race as we are concerned about the 2 200m and so there is a possibility that Capetown Noir may not run. We will see how things go in the Rising Sun Gold Challenge at Clairwood on June 7 and I will discuss it with the owners.”

It had been widely assumed that the dual classic and L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate winner would be retired to cash in on his stud value after contesting the Champions Cup on July 26. But not so.

The Milnerton trainer explained: “I have been speaking to Khaya Stables [the official owners] and Jehan Malherbe about this and we are considering the possibility of sending him on an overseas campaign.

“He was going to go last year but we decided to keep him here for another season after he was narrowly beaten by Vercingetorix in the KRA Guineas and the Daily News. As things turned out that was pretty good form. We will make a decision after the Gold Challenge.”

Kannemeyer added that he was quite satisfied with the four-year-old’s third in the Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes. He said: “It was not really his game because the 1 400m at Greyville is too sharp for him but he came through it well and the Gold Challenge will be his next race.”

Capetown Noir is a 20-1 chance for the July and most of the money in recent days has been for Legislate who has been cut from 9-2 to 7-2 clear favourite while Triple Crown winner Louis The King has eased from 9-2 to 5-1.

Seemingly the KRA Guineas winner’s support is matched by his improvement since winning the Investec Cape Derby.

Justin Snaith said: “He was always going to improve as he is a son of Dynasty. He took the KRA Guineas well and indeed he is doing well in Durban. He appreciates the light tracks there.”[/expand]

No Worries, a four-year-old Kahal gelding, stayed on steadily in the Gr 2 Drill Hall Stakes over the too sharp 1 400m at Greyville last Saturday, finishing a 5,4 length seventh. He will have benefitted from the run and will have a chance over the suitable 1 900m trip next Friday as long as the tactics employed are favourable.

His best runs last season were when the blinkers were on and he was held up. On both of those occasions, in the Gr 1 Daily News 2000 and the July respectively, he ran on powerfully.

In the Cape summer he didn’t have it his way in any of his races. He needs to be rousted out of the gates, due to a tardy starting habit he was beginning to develop early in his career, and when he had the blinkers on during that disappointing Cape campaign he took hold of the bit and ended up too handy. However, when they were finally dispensed with for the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate he was still taken to the front in order to overcome a wide draw.

Things appeared to have gone well for him without blinkers in the running of the J&B Met, but he proved in that race that he produces his best with the blinkers on as he failed to go on with his effort in the straight.

There is no doubting his latent ability and he is due some luck, so should be a big runner in the 1900.

He is drawn nine out of the 39 entries, so looks likely to get a favourable barrier position and the early cover he will need in order to be settled near the back.

Shogunnar, a five-year-old Solskjaer gelding, hurt himself while in Cape Town after he had won his only start this season over 1 600m at Kenilworth on November 3. The yard could not pinpoint what was wrong with him, so chose to rest him.

He has “bounced back” after rehabilitation on the treadmill and has been doing “very nicely” ever since. He finished only 4,65 lengths back in last year’s July and only three lengths back in the Gold Cup. His next intended run after the 1900 will be in the Gr 2 weight for age Betting World Derby over 2 500m at Clairwood, which is now open to all ages. The Gold Cup is likely his main mission of the Champions Season.

Meanwhile, the yard’s now dual Gr 1-winning champion filly Along Came Polly is doing well at Summerveld and has become more relaxed with age, an asset which is always welcomed in horseracing. The Judpot filly was given a bit of an easier program for a few days after her Gr 1 Laurie Jaffee Empress Club Stakes (1 600m) victory, but has never been out of training and was soon back in full work. Her next race will likely be in the Gr 1 Woolavington 2000 at Greyville, where she landed her first career Gr 1 in last season’s Thekwini Stakes over 1600m.

The Gr 1 SA Oaks runner up Mohave Princess, an Australian-bred bred filly by Mount Nelson, has been doing well in Johannesburg and will be coming down for the Woolavington 2000. She was unlucky in the GR 1 SA Classic, when sent for home too soon and only finishing two lengths back in sixth, so will enjoy the Greyville 2 000m trip.

The yard’s promising two-year-old colt Trippi colt Punk Rocker will be running in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Medallion over 1 200m at Scottsville on May 24.

He has won two from two and showed tremendous resolve when beating Beckedorf in the Gr 3 Godolphin Barb Stakes over 1 100m last time out. This pair went eyeball to eyeball for 500m in that race but Punk Rocker got the upper hand late despite having to give 2kg to the runner up.

Beckedorf franked the form by winning a Maiden Juvenile Plate by 4,25 lengths next time out. Punk Rocker has the credentials to be a contender in the Medallion as he has good cruising speed together with the ability to kick and then fight on all the way to the line.

The yard’s former sprinting star Franny has been retired, having failed to recapture her excellent two-year-old and three-year-old form on her return from a fetlock injury, although she did finish a close-up third in the Gr 2 Sceptre Stakes over 1 200m at Kenilworth in January.[/expand]

Maybe Yes, a compact daughter of Tiger Ridge, showed an explosive turn of foot and won comfortably, defying her 16-1 odds. However, Crawford is not sure she will stay the 2 000m trip of the Gr 1 Woolavington 2000 on May 31, so is still thinking about her next step.

The Gr 2 Tibouchina over 1 450m at Clairwood on June 7 and the Gr 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes over 1 600m on Vodacom Durban July day are the obvious targets for a miler, while the Gr 2 Gold Bracelet over 1 800m on Gold Cup day could also be an option.

Captain America, a strapping colt by Captain Al, has always had the Gr 1 Daily News 2000 as his main Champions Season target and will likely be at his peak for that race.

It is often said that big horses are not suited to Greyville, but the key to the course is actually a turn of foot and he has shown before in Cape Town that he has that asset in abundance. He did battle to quicken on Saturday, but that likely had more to with needing the outing.

Furthermore, it is interesting to note that Captain America, despite finishing three lengths behind Legislate in the KRA Guineas, still had a considerably quicker time than Maybe Yes’s winning time in the KRA Fillies Guineas, 1,27 seconds quicker to be exact.

Legislate, trained by Justin Snaith, must be some horse and Richard Fourie did say afterwards that this Dynasty colt was one of the best horses he had ever ridden. It was not surprising that he shortened from 14-1 into 9-2 joint favourite for the Vodacom Durban July after his fine performance last Saturday. Captain America is currently a 16-1 shot.

The shortest priced Crawford-trained horse in the Vodacom Durban July betting at this stage is the unexposed three-year-old Dynasty colt Futura, who has won three out of four starts and been particularly impressive in his last two outings, which were both over 1 600m, at Kenilworth and Clairwood respectively. He is 10-1 in the betting.

Crawford has entered Futura for the Betting World 1900. He is currently merit rated only 85, but did beat the likes of KRA Guineas fourth-placed Top Jet at level weights in his last start in a Graduation Plate and also beat Wild One, who ran last year’s July, by 5,5 lengths at level weights in that same race.

The selection process for the big Champions Season’s races doesn’t only go on merit ratings and an exciting prospect like this stands a chance of being included above a higher rated horse.

The yard’s Gr 2 Sceptre Stakes winner Reflective Image is on track for the Gr 1 SA Fillies Sprint.

She ran 6,35 lengths back in the Gr 3 Poinsettia Stakes over 1 200m last time out at Clairwood, which was her first run since finishing tailed off in the Gr 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes over 1 600m on J&B Met day. She was outpaced in the Poinsettia before making up plenty of ground and might appreciate the tougher Scottsville 1 200m course.[/expand]

Watson went on to point out that the average racehorse causes more heart ache than it causes joy. “Horses are fragile things, they drop dead, they break down, need long spells and the majority of them are just too slow. So why do we persist? “ Yet there has to be a reason why so many people own racehorses and keep on acquiring them.

According to Watson the answer lies in the horse and in the age old relationship that has existed between man and horse. “We are wired to the beasts”, he explained . They have exercised and inspired our imagination for centuries. An animal that just happens to have a gap between its molars where a bit would fit and with a finely tuned flight instinct honed in age when they were easy prey for sabre tooth tigers. “Of course”, Watson added with a twinkle in his eye, “that’s probably why we have to put blinkers on them, as there is bound to be a sabre tooth tiger lurking in that car park adjacent to the home straight.”

Jokes aside, Watson has probably owned thirty odd horses during his lifetime and he has certainly heard every excuse in the book as to why a particular horse could not win a particular race. “Besides the physical limitations of the horse, you have the added influences of the state of the track, the vigor of the jockey or lack thereof and the trainer, farrier or vet’s ability to keep it fit, sound and healthy. Then there is a gene that kicks in to remind the horse that it is a leader and should fight to the end or that it belongs back in the herd.”

Yet people still want to own horses. Watson points out much of his childhood was spent dreaming of an ordinary horse belonging to his father’s friend, before he switched the focus of his attention to a magnificent chestnut sprinter called Vain. Vain was a champion, but as Watson pointed out, you need to own ordinary horses to understand how freakish the champions are. So are we any closer to figuring out why people would even want to own a horse or follow horseracing?

According to Watson, the one thing that connects racing to the popular culture is a charismatic horse, a champion that is the face of racing. The ones that write themselves into the history books and fire the imagination of ordinary people. Yet racing does very little with is champions, treating them almost as an accessory, he adds and therein lies the cause of some of the disconnect between racing and popular culture.

To conclude, Watson ends with another question, one he came across in a questionnaire once: “What would make owning a racehorse more attractive to you?” The simple answer, according to Watson? Owning a better horse of course!

Bill Barich, lead writer for the TV series Luck agreed, pointing out that when he spent ten weeks on the backstretch of a racetrack, the stories people told him always involved a horse. Racing may be a confined universe, where people’s lives are completely enmeshed, but it is a great leveller, a great democracy and at its centre is the horse. The horse provides that spark of life, the excitement and the noise as it thunders down the home straight. For Barich, who seldom speaks in public, the answer is simple. Make racing more about the horse and you will reconnect with the popular culture.

In closing, Chris Luoni and Gerald Fell, explained why they set up a NZ Hall Of Fame. For Luoni it was very straightforward. “I loved the stories. We had the opportunity to use the digital media to tell the stories of the heroes and their histories to the young people. Phar Lap’s skeleton is on display, but it is a bare sterile bunch of bones. So we put his story on film and it was an instant success .”

These DVD’s have certainly gone some way towards making the horse the centre of the story of racing again as Gerald explains. “We have gone back and made DVD’s of our great horses such as Carbine, Phar Lap and Sunline, and these are regularly used as fillers by our local racing channel.” And enabling people to reconnect with the stars of the past, will hopefully fire their imagination to follow the stars of the future.
– Hong Kong Jockey Club[/expand]