David Thiselton

JUSTIN SNAITH has decided to target the Cape Town Met with his three highest rated middle distance horses only, Belgarion, Do It Again and African Night Sky, mindful that an unplaced run for lesser horses could still see them raised in the merit ratings.

Sachdev and Nexus have thus come out and he avoided the race completely for a three-year-old he views as his “July horse”,  Gatekeeper.

His said about his Met runners, “They put in their last big workouts and I am very happy with all of them. I will be very surprised if Belgarion and Do It Again don’t both finish in the first four. Belgarion’s performance in the Green Point was brilliant but he was running fresh and before that I had never believed him to be a Queen’s Plate horse as it is over a mile and he is by Silvano. We were hoping, make no mistake, but the pace in the Queen’s Plate turned out to be on the slow side and he was shown to not be a miler. There were a number of three-year-olds I could have run in the Queen’s Plate but opted for Jet Dark for just one reason and that is he is very strong over a mile. He had been very unlucky in the Cape Guineas in which he had a shocking draw and in a slow run race he flew from last in the running.”

The L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate pace thus suited Jet Dark whereas Belgarion could only run on in vain for a strong-finishing third.

Do It Again ran a sterling fourth and looks-wise struck as being back to his imposing best.

Snaith said, “It was a massive run. He was unlucky. It was a slow run race and he came from last and couldn’t get a clear run, the gap closed and he had to be switched. He is in a good space. He has come on a lot from that run and so has Belgarion.”

African Night Sky was also unlucky in the Grade 2 Glorious Goodwood Premier Trophy when squeezed out on the rail by Golden Ducat and Sachdev and then running on for a 0,95 length third after being switched.

Snaith said, “He should have won, no doubt. He has come on from the run but he has a very hard ask at level weights so we are just hoping for a positive run.”

In other yard news stable jockey Richard Fourie has opted to ride Erik The Red in the Grade 1 Cape Flying Championship and this has left Snaith with a predicament as no out of province jockeys will be allowed to travel to ride Kasimir.

Snaith said, “Richard just feels that 1000m is a bit short for Kasimir, although on the other had Kasimir doesn’t know how to run a bad race.”

Meanwhile, the yard’s Grade 1 WSB Cape Fillies Guineas winner Captain’s Ransom put up a good gallop at Kenilworth on Saturday ahead of her engagement in the Grade 1 Majorca Stakes, where she has been priced up as favourite by bookmakers despite the presence of Queen Supreme, Clouds Unfold and Celtic Sea.

Snaith said, “Everything has gone to plan. She is very easy to train and is spot on.”

Snaith felt his easy Grade 3 Chairman’s Cup winner, Silver Host, would be hard to beat in the Grade 2 Western Cape Stayers over 2800m.

He is also looking forward to High Hosanna’s run in the Listed Summer Juvenile Stakes. This Drakenstein Stud-bred Trippi filly is out of a half-sister to Oh Susanna and she won comfortably on debut. 

Snaith is also expecting good runs from Mach Four and Hoedspruit in the Grade 3 Politician Stakes. Mach Four is an up-and-coming sort who has won his last two and Fourie has opted for him. Snaith felt Hoedspruit was unlucky in the Cape Guineas when left near the back after a slow start and Gavin Lerena rides.