David Thiselton
Justin Snaith is on track to have a crack at the record number of wins in a South African season although he would have to improve his win rate per day as the season enters its second half.
Paul Peter holds the record of 221 in a season set in the 2021/2022 season, but interestingly he was only on 104 wins at close of play on February 3, 2022, whereas Justin Snaith was on 101 wins at the same stage, just three behind.
Jonathan Snaith said about a record chase, “It is definitely on Justin’s radar. He’s not actively chasing the record right now, but if he’s in the hunt come May, then he’ll push hard.”
He then revealed that, “Justin will be opening a permanent yard in KZN this April now that Hollywoodbets and Greg Bortz are managing the Durban franchise. This will help in the record attempt.”
Snaith has had 634 runs and 101 wins this season for a strike rate of 15.93%.
That means if he keeps up the same number of runners per day rate and same strike rate as he had at the close of play on Monday this week, he will end the season on 197 wins.
That is some way short of 221, so he is going to have to probably increase both his number of runners per calendar day rate of 3.39 and his strike rate of 15.93%.
Snaith’s 208 wins in the 2020/2021 season has been his best ever return but Paul Peter broke the record of 215 set by Sean Tarry in the 2016/2017 season.
However, Snaith is a racing certainty to win the championship this year.
It looks highly unlikely there will be any late charges like those Sean Tarry mounted in the last two seasons, which saw him coming within one feature race result on Gold Cup day of landing the championship in the 2022/2023 season and of creeping within about R1,5 million of Snaith before Gold Cup day last year.
Snaith is close to R10 million ahead at the halfway mark this season.
His stakes earnings of R16,638,019 before yesterday’s racing at Fairview had started were well clear of Vaughan Marshall on R6,785,675, Alec Laird on R6,501,500, Alan Greeff on 6,285,963, Tony Peter on R5,907,875, Gavin Smith on R5,585,513 and Candice Bass-Robinson on R5,406,188.
Sean Tarry is enduring his worst season for some time and just sneaks into the top ten on R4,654,013, but he does usually pick up significantly from February onward as he generally does well in Jo’Burg’s main season and in the Champions Season. His Gr 1 record at Hollywoodbets Scottsville is of course unmatched.
Brett Crawford was in 8th place on R4,765,156, while many-times champion Mike de Kock was in ninth place on R4,682,575, but their stakes earnings will not increase as they are now in official partnerships with their respective sons James and Mathew.
Snaith is also well clear in the number of wins column. In second place, 23 behind him, was Alan Greeff on 78 wins. Next best are Gavin Smith on 63, Tony Peter on 50 and Candice Bass-Robinson on 40.
These stats would likely have changed slightly by the close of play yesterday.
