Turf Talk Newsletter – 13 July, 2026

A picture of State Visit while in training in Australia with Ciaron Maher (Supplied)

Exciting news from KZN Breeders is they have acquired a Gr 1-performing son of Wootton Bassett and he will be the first son of this late record-breaking stallion phenomenon to stand in South Africa.

2022-born State Visit would have been unobtainable had he won the Aus$1 million Gr 1 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes over 1400m at Randwick, instead of finishing a somewhat unlucky short-head second. It was not solely due to the performance that he would have been out of reach for KZN Breeders, but rather due to the performance combined with his outstanding pedigree.

State Visit was caught wide in the Gr 1 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes, although he did have cover, and he accelerated smartly in the straight. He kept going courageously despite having challengers all around him and was beaten a short-head by Vinrock, who enjoyed a rails run. The I Am Invincible colt Vinrock ended his two-year-old career unbeaten in three starts, which also included a Gr 2 win, and he now stands with Yulong for Aus$22,000 (R250,000).

In addition to State Visit’s pedigree, he has it all in the looks department.

Wootton Bassett (GB) was unbeaten in five starts as a two-year-old, including the Gr 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere. The son of Iffraaj (Zafonic) was retired after his unsuccessful three-year-old season and his first French-bred crop consisted of just 23 foals. However, amongst these was the triple Gr 1-winner Almanzor and a host of other Graded performers. At this point Coolmore bought him and In Ireland he was duly inundated with mares, despite his service fee having been pushed up to €100 000 . His first Irish-bred crop of two-year-olds produced ten juvenile Group winners, surpassing the record of seven held jointly by super powers Danehill and Galileo! He went on to be named Europe’s best ever sire of two-year-olds. Shuttled to Australia he became a leading sire of two-year-olds there with only his first crop running and he became the highest priced stallion in Australia in 2025 with a stud fee of Aus$385 000 (R4.5m) before his untimely death.

It is now up to his sons to pass the blood through.

State Visit (Aus) is the first foal of the mare Celebrity Queen (Aus) who is by Redoutes Choice out of a stakes-winning More Than Ready mare. After a stellar racing career Celebrity Queen was sold as a filly for stud for Aus$2 500 000. She had 14 career starts and won seven of these (three on the trot), and this included the Gr 1 MRC Oakleigh Plate and the Gr 3 Colonel Reeves Stakes as well as 2nds in the Gr1 WATC Winterbottom Stakes and the Gr 3 AJ Scahill Stakes. As she is still a young mare at stud (born 2016) there is every chance State Visit’s pedigree is going to continue to grow. Clebrity Queen in fact has progeny of top class sires in the pipeline, a colt by Justify, a filly by Wotton Bassett and and she is in foal now to Home Affairs.

The depth of State Visit’s pedigree does not end with Celebrity Queen as the latter’s More Than Ready dam Celebrity Miss is not only a stakes winner herself, but she is out of a dual Gr1-winning daughter of Marscay (Biscay).

The potency in the sires of State Visit’s pedigree are simply unbelievable:

Wootton Bassett, champion two-year-old sire in Europe.

Redoute’s Choice was champion two-year-old sire in Australia in 2004 and claimed the champion sires title in 2005-06; 2009-10 and 2013-14. He has been a four-times champion Broodmare Sire and in June 2023 became the first broodmare sire in Australian history to crack $30 million in earnings in a season.

More Than Ready – sire of three-times South African champion sire Gimmethegreenlight. More Than Ready is the only sire to have had an Eclipse Champion for four years in a row and is the sire of the most Breeders Cup winners in history.

Marscay – Champion sire in Australia twice, and four times Champion Broodmare sire.

It comes as no surprise that State Visit was a true Gr 1-performing two-year- old in Australia, the land where juvenile races are king.

This is confirmed by the below comments from the yard:

“At his first start he was very impressive, running good sectionals, but he was still very new,” assistant trainer Gerard Dubord said.

“Second start he had to go all the way back and make his run on the outside, which is not easy to do, and in his last start he was very good. Jason (Collett) said he actually didn’t see the horse (winner Vinrock) on his inside and that’s why he came back again in the end.”

“He’s got the best attitude, a beautiful action. He is a lovely colt so we will try to get that Group One win.”

In summary he won his first start impressively (1250m), in his second start over 1200m in a Gr3 he came from last to run 3rd, and his next start in a Gr1 over 1400m he again came from the back of the field, and wide, to run 2nd. Only two weeks later he was in the Gr 1 Champagne Stakes over 1600m in soft going, which he didn’t enjoy, but ran 4th. So in the space of just under two months at the start of his two year old career he won, placed 3rd in a Gr 3, placed 2nd in a Gr 1 and 4th in a Gr 1, against what proved to be the best two year olds in Australia in that generation. He developed an issue after that pressure and they could never quite get to the bottom of it meaning his career was cut short. He had nine starts, with only the first not being in a stakes race, and was retired as a winner, 2nd in a Gr1, 3rd in a Gr3, 4th in a Gr1, 4th in a Listed and 5th in a Gr 2.

The KZN Breeders Club’s first stallion purchase, Eden Roc, has been well received and the mandate for their next step was to buy something that would introduce new blood and broader appeal. State Visit will do this and offer something special not only to their own members, but to the greater South African breeding fraternity.

See State Visit’s outstanding pedigree below:

State Visit is currently in quarantine and will be in KZN in time for the upcoming breeding season.

For more details contact Warwick Render (082 872 7799, bushhillstud@futurenet.co.za).

The Secretadversary, pictured winning at the Royal Ascot meeting, has star quality with his stand out looks and attractive way of going (Picture: Sky Sports Racing)

Gaynor Rupert landed a first overseas Gr 1 win in France on Sunday with her homebred colt Thesecretadversary and this could potentially spell good news for South African breeding.

She bred the St Mark’s Basilica colt in partnership with Coolmore through her UK operation Cayton Park Stud and she owns him through Cayton Park Stud in partnership with Mrs John Magnier.

The colt runs in the familiar light blue with a white box colours of Drakenstein Stud.

The good-looking chestnut colt with the unmistakeable white face stamped his credentials at Royal Ascot, winning the Gr 3 Jersey Stakes over seven furlongs despite jumping from what had proved to be an unfavourable low draw during the meeting.

He has now followed up with an impressive start-to finish victory in the Gr 1 Prix Jean Pratt over the same distance at Deauville.

Prior to Ascot he had fallen short when tackling Gr 1 events, hitting trouble in running at Woodbine last year and also not showing his true colours in both the Newmarket and Curragh editions of the 2000 Guineas.

However, the Fozzy Stack-trained colt had his tail up after Royal Ascot and excelled once again at the seven furlong distance under Christophe Soumillon, who was deputising for usual pilot, the suspended Seamie Heffernan.

Thesecretadversary was still full of running at the line as Aidan O’Brien’s running-on English 1000 Guineas winner True Love (No Nay Never) finished strongly to be beaten half-a-length and make it an Irish-trained one-two. Christopher Head’s Gr 2 winner Nighttime (Wootton Bassett) was best of the home team, finishing a further head back in third.

Stack said: “Christophe Soumillon gave him a superb ride. We were a little concerned about the pace of the race. He told me, ‘I think we’ll have to go on because nobody else seems willing to do it.’ I replied, ‘Go ahead’. Everything worked out perfectly. He had pulled too hard in the English Guineas, and in the Irish equivalent he never got a clear run.”

“We have always believed he was a good horse. When he then won the Jersey Stakes over seven furlongs at Ascot, Seamie Heffernan, who rode him that day, said he would be even better over six furlongs. Christophe Soumillon said exactly the same thing today.”

France-based Belgian rider Soumillon said, “Thesecretadversary is a superb horse. He’s tough and very straightforward to ride. The other day at Ascot, he was already beating some very good horses. He had also suffered from several troubled trips earlier in his career, but we knew that certain racecourses perhaps didn’t suit him perfectly. When I saw this straight course on a flat track, I thought he would be capable of running a very big race.”

Discussing prospective races for the remainder of the season for Thesecretadversary, Fozzy Stack said, “He holds entries in the City of York Stakes, a Group One at York, as well as the Sprint Cup at Haydock. I will now discuss the options with the owners to see what they would like to do. Both partners (Gaynor Rupert and the Magnier family) are involved in the stallion business, so I will partly be guided by their long-term objectives.”

The last statement gives reason to wonder whether Thesecretadversary will stand at Drakenstein Stud in South Africa one day.

If so he will join the Paardeberg Stud-based Expert Eye (Acclamation) as a Jersey Stakes winner standing in South Africa, while Paardeberg’s Kikkuli (Kingman), a three-parts brother to Frankel, was just touched off in the Jersey Stakes.

The Secretadversary’s victory continues a fine run for Stack, who also sent out exciting juvenile Nola Soul to win at Royal Ascot, and Stack added: “If you said to me a month ago I would have had two Royal Ascot winners and then a Group One at Deauville I would have said ‘stop it’, it’s amazing.”

Gaynor Rupert, among numerous other homebreds, also has another top class three-year-old representing Cayton Park Stud in the UK at present, the Sea The Stars filly I’m The One. The John and Thady Gosden-trained filly won her debut over a mile and two furlongs at Newbury in ultra impressive fashion by six lengths under William Buick and was promptly installed as Epsom Oaks favourite. However, she was beaten into second in the Listed Cheshire Oaks at Chester next time out and has been laid off ever since.

See It Again is pictured winning the Gr 1 wfa Premier’s Champions Challenge (JC Photos)

See It Again is in the pound seats for the Equus Horse Of The Year award having won the Gr 1 wfa Sun Met and the Gr 1 wfa Premier’s Champions Challenge, and if he can add a third open Gr 1 weight for age race on the last Sunday of the month, i.e. the Gr 1 wfa HKJC Champions Cup, then he will surely be a shoe-in for the prestigious award.

Questioning and The Real Prince are also still in the running for the award, which will unlikely be going to a three-year-old this season after the country’s leading three-year-old, Star Major was scratched from the Champions Cup.

Star Major was scratched at the end of last week and at the same time the  connections renounced a false rumour about him having been sold and pointed out that said the temperature he was shown to have had before his scratching from the Hollywoodbets Durban July had remained in flux and had put him out of work for eleven days.

A horse can not go into a Gr 1 weight for age race on the back of such an interruption into his preparation.

Wish List is a dual Gr 1 winner with wins in the wfa Cartier Paddock Stakes and in the Lucky Fish Cape Derby, and she also won the Gr 2 WSB Fillies Guineas and the Gr 2 Woolavington 2000 before finishing second in the Gr 1 Hollywo0dbets Durban July. However, she lacks an open Gr 1 wfa win, with her big wins being either in female only races or in age restricted races, and she is not running again this season so will likely fall short of the required credentials.

Questioning is the most in-form horse in the country and could add the G1 weight for age Mercury Sprint to his Gr 1 wfa Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge win. He has also won two Gr 2s, the Khaya Stables Diadem Stakes over 1200m and the IOS Drill Hall stakes over 1400m.

In fact Questioning might even be considered if not winning the Mercury provided See It Again does not win the Champions Cup. The reason for the consideration would be that he narrowly beat See It Again when a short-head second in the King’s Plate and he beat an admittedly below par See It Again by 5,45 lengths when winning the Gold Challenge.

However, open Gr 1 weight for age wins usually carry the day in the Equus Horse Of The Year award.

The Real Prince could join See It Again on two Gr 1 wfa wins if landing the Champions Cup as he was the winner of the King’s Plate. If he wins the Champions Cup he will also have levelled the tally between himself and See It Again this season to 3-3.

Both horses have had two Gr 1 wfa places besides their wins, with See It Again finishing a 0,25 length third in the King’s Plate and a 3,75 length second in the Gr 1 Wilgerbosdrift HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes, while The Real Prince was a 1,25 length third in the Met and a 2,95 length fourth in the Gold Challenge. So See It Again will probably edge it between those two even if The Real Prince wins the Champions Cup.

However, Questioning could spoil the party for both of them.

The five-year-old Querari gelding has transformed this season from a hard-knockng Gr 1 sort into a horse with the X-factor and he will be going for his fifth victory in succession in the Mercury, presuming he takes his place.

The only reason for him not to take his place would be the unfortunate wide draw he has landed.  However, such have his performances been of late coupled with his obvious zest for racing that it would be no surprise to see him storming to victory, provided he can find some cover around the turn. However, he will need plenty of luck and even then he is up against the highest rated horse in the land, Buffalo Storm Cody.

The latter demonstrated his class last time out in his preparation run for the Mercury when eating up the ground late with his huge stride in the Gr 3 Post Merchants. That was run over the same 1200m course and distance as the Mercury and the weight turnaround will see him 2kg better off with Post Merchants winner Jet Force for a half-a-length beating.

However, Buffalo only beat Tenango by a short-head in the Post Merchants and faces him on the same terms. Furthermore, Tenango has landed a plum draw. Tenango was a 1,60 length second to Buffalo in last year’s Mercury when jumping from draw 13 compared to Buffalo’s 9, so on the draw reversal from that race he has a chance too.

Buffalo has a fair draw of nine this year out of the 24 entries still standing their ground, so should come into a nice draw.

The Gr 1 SA Fillies Sprint winner Asiye Phambili also comes into it with her 2,5kg gender claim and she has landed draw eleven among the entries.

Others to consider are the in-form Taxi To The Moon, while Cosmic Speed and Cats Pajamas are capable sorts who have not landed favourable draws.
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In the Champions Cup See It Again’s chief opposition could come from his own stablemate Eight On Eighteen.

The Lancaster Bomber gelding is the reigning Equus Horse Of The Year, but has had an interrupted season. His run in the Gold Challenge can be ignored as he was caught wide behind an unsuitable slow pace. He put up a fine workout at the Hollywoodbets Durban July Gallops and Richard Fourie has since been quoted as saying it would require a crowbar to separate him from Eight On Eighteen, so good did he feel in the gallop.

Eight On Eighteen will appreciate the step up in trip and has drawn a fair six out of 12. He will come in nice and fresh having not run in the July.

Running in the July did not stop Gladatorian from winning the Champions Cup last year and he has landed a plum draw again.

Legal Counsel can’t be ignored either having run a short-head second to Questioning in the Gold Challenge and second to See It Again in the Met. In the July he was asked to lead with topweight and it proved too much. He should appreciate the step down in trip in the Champions Cup and is a tough horse.

Former Equus Horse Of The Year Dave The King has won this race before, but is not in the best form, while Main Defender would have been capable of winning this race at his best, but also needs to bounce back.

Questioning is in line for a number of awards and can enhance his chances in some of them by wining the Gr 1 Mercury Sprint on Gold Cup day if he takes his chances from a wide draw (Picture: Wayne Marks)  

Johannesburg, South Africa — With the conclusion of 2026 Hollywoodbets Durban July day on 4 July, the Equus Committee has released the log standings as at 6 July.

Despite bypassing the 2026 Hollywoodbets Durban July, 2025/26 dual Grade 1-winning See It Again (Justin Snaith) maintains his position at the top of the Horse Of The Year log with 138 points, while Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge winner Questioning (Vaughan Marshall) now occupies joint second spot alongside Hollywoodbets Durban July runner-up Wish List (Justin Snaith) with 124 points each.

In the Two-Year-Old categories, the Sean Tarry-trained Get Up still tops the boards for Champion Two-Year-Old Filly honours with 28 points, while victory in the Gr2 Amusnet Golden Slipper earned Palace Of Arvernia (Dean Kannemeyer) 16 points to join Good Day Sunshine (Mike/Mathew de Kock) in the second spot on the log.

Haute Couture (Mike/Mathew de Kock) and Rich Man’s World (Vaughan Marshall) stay on their ratings of 32 and 24 respectively and maintain their first and second slots on the Champion Two-Year-Old Male log, while fellow Marshall charge Vibe Check earned 16 points for his Gr2 Omoda Golden Horseshoe performance to occupy joint third spot with Better Never Ends (Siboniso Ngcobo).

Wish List (Justin Snaith) enjoys a 26 point lead in the Champion Three Year Old Filly category, topping the board on 124 points after her runner up effort in the 2026 Hollywoodbets Durban July. Victory in the Gr1 Ridgemont Garden Province Stakes sees Tienie Prinsloo charge Quickstepgal in second place on 98 points and Hazy Dazy (Corne Spies) rounds off the Three Year Old Filly table with 64 points.

There has been plenty of movement in the Champion Three-Year-Old Colt/Gelding category. While Tin Pan Alley (Sean Tarry) maintains his position at the top of the log with 84 points, victory in the Hollywoodbets Durban July earned Note To Self (Justin Snaith) 64 points and second spot on the log with Star Major (James Crawford) and Trust (Candice/Tammy Dawson) filling 3rd and 4th spots with 60 and 44 points respectively.

In the Champion Older Female category, Double Grand Slam (Justin Snaith) has increased her lead to 92 points, 39 points ahead of nearest rival Asiye Phambili (Duncan Howells) who remains on 53; and 40 points ahead of Callmegetrix (Sean Tarry) on 52. Minogue takes up 4th spot with 40 points.

The standings for Champion Older Male remain static with See It Again (Justin Snaith) maintaining a 14 point lead over nearest rival Questioning (Vaughan Marshall), with The Real Prince (Dean Kannemeyer) and Legal Counsel (Justin Snaith) filling 3rd and 4th positions with 66 and 56 points respectively. Buffalo Storm Cody (Tony Peter) has edged out stablemate Taxi To The Moon for 5th spot with 52 points.

Asiye Phambili (Duncan Howells) has stormed to the top of the log for Champion Sprinter, courtesy of her win in the SA Fillies Sprint. With 53 points, she holds a narrow lead over Buffalo Storm Cody (Tony Peter) on 52 points and fellow Peter charge, Taxi To The Moon in third with 48 points. The Eastern Cape’s Kingdundee (Dean Smith) moves into 4th place with 40 points.

In the Champion Miler standings, Vaughan Marshall charge Questioning holds a strong lead with 104 points, 32 ahead of nearest rival, Double Grand Slam (Justin Snaith) on 72. Tin Pan Alley (Sean Tarry) is next best on 68 points, followed by The Real Prince (Dean Kannemeyer) and Quickstepgal (Tienie Prinsloo) with 54 and 48 points respectively.

See It Again (Justin Snaith) retains his position at the top of the Champion Middle Distance category log with 96 points. Wish List (Justin Snaith) moves into second spot with 68 points and Hollywoodbets Durban July winner Note To Self (Justin Snaith) occupies 3rd spot with 40 points.

Ahead Of The Facts (Justin Snaith) has increased his lead in the Champion Stayer category to 26, giving him a 12 point lead on Holding Thumbs (Glen Kotzen), currently on 14 points and 13 points ahead of the Candice/Tammy Dawson-trained Enflame on 13 points.

Nominees will be announced after the conclusion of the season after the running of World Pool Gold Cup Day on 26 July.

While the panel will have the deciding vote on the winners in each category, both the list of nominees and the final results are drawn from the Equus Logs.

The 2026 Equus judging panel comprises Graeme Hawkins (Chairman), Robert Bloomberg, Karel Miedema, Aveen Sewpersad and Darryl Maree.

Further updates and information will be published on the official Equus Awards website (www.equusawards.co.za) and social media channels.

See The log details below:

ENDS.

Gimmethatworldcup is out on his own on the Fairview poly on Friday (Pauline Herman Photography)

When the Alan Greeff-trained Gimmethegreenlight gelding Gimmethatworldcup powered in by 7,25 lengths under Richard Fourie over 1600m on the Fairview poly on Friday it seemed that Varsfontein Stud should be praised for fine foresight having seemingly predicted that the horse would have his first win during the Football World Cup.

Susan Rowett, who owns the stud farm with twin brother John Kalmanson, always puts a lot of thought into the names of the stud’s progeny and comes up with some real gems.

However, she pointed out this two-year-old’s name in fact referred to the 2023 Rugby World Cup and added, “He was born right at the start of the final!  Just as everyone was settling down to watch, the watchman called and Jaco (Erasmus) had to go up to the stables and foal down Captive Lady.”

Nevertheless, the son of Gimmethegreenlight looks to have promise.

It was his second start and Fourie said, “He has a beautiful action. On debut the fixture was switched from grass to poly and it wasn’t going to suit him. It was a good experience for him though and I said afterwards to the boss, ‘He is one of our loveliest horses, so put him straight into a mile.’ He moved well to the post and came out on good terms and was just idling nicely around the turn. Before the straight he started unwinding and when I gave him a squeeze he quickened, but he was looking around, and when I tapped him with the stick he ducked immediately. He’s going to end up in a big race somewhere, he is a good horse.”

His placed dam Captive Lady is by Sail From Seattle and is a full-brother to Gr 1 Cape Guineas winner Elusive Gold.

Gimmethatworldcup is also from the family of the like of ARCSA Horse Of The Year Enchanted Garden as well as the Equus Champion Three-year-old filly Dog Wood among a plethora of other stakes winners.

Gimmethatworldcup was purchased for R600,000 at the BSA National Yearling Sale and is owned by Peter Moor.

Rank outsider Spoil Yourself becomes just the second filly in history to win the Port Elizabeth Gold Cup (Picture: Pauline Herman)

Henk Steenkamp

DON’T laugh when trainer Jacques Strydom tells you he is going to win the most prestigious long-distance horse race in the Eastern Cape.

The local “Gold Cup King”, as Strydom has become known in racing circles, was at it again on Friday on the Fairview Polytrack in Greenbushes.

His four-year-old filly Spoil Yourself surprised when she stormed home under jockey Yuzae Ramzan to win the R175 000 Listed Port Elizabeth Gold Cup over the marathon distance of 3 150m at odds of 66/1.

Strydom is an absolute master in preparing horses for staying races, and this was the sixth time he had lifted the coveted Gold Cup trophy.

Over the years, Strydom has often been laughed at when telling owners their horses could win the Gold Cup.

Some were considered too old, while others were dismissed as lacking the stamina for the grueling test.

Time and again, however, the Gold Cup master worked his magic.

This time, the partners involved with Spoil Yourself gave him free rein to map out the campaign.

She became only the second filly to win this true test of stamina – and, remarkably, the first was also trained by Strydom.

That was Onesie, who completed a memorable double in 2019 by winning the Port Elizabeth Gold Cup and the Glenlair Trophy in the same season.

So what is the winning recipe?

“Your horse must be super fit, but what I think counts in my favour is that I am prepared for my horse to run last in the race,” Strydom explained.

“Many people feel a horse won’t see out the testing distance and aren’t prepared to take the chance.”

Spoil Yourself was one of the light weights in the race, carrying 51kg, and Strydom believes that played a significant role.

“She took on top-division horses, but I thought the weight might help offset the class difference.

“It was like my horse was running with spikes while the top weights were wearing gum boots.”

In his very first season as a licensed trainer, Strydom won his first Gold Cup with Me Tarzan in 2002.

“I received the horse with the message that 1 400m was his distance, or 1 600m at a stretch.

“Before his first race for me, I told the owners, Wimpie Kruger, Richard Clarke and the late Tony Bain, that we were going to win the Gold Cup.

“They laughed at me, but were shocked when Me Tarzan won easily.

“I was also laughed at when I bought Palm King (2007 winner) who was already eight years at the time.

“Key Castle (the 2011 winner) was also bought as an eight-year-old and owners were reluctant to get involved.

Luckily, Kruger stepped in again as an owner and Key Castle was still winning races at the age of ten.

“Arctic Fleece, the 2009 winner, was originally aimed at the Derby but developed into a genuine stayer, while Onesie made history.”

What made this year’s Gold Cup triumph even more remarkable is that Strydom has recently undergone a series of eye operations.

That, however, has not stopped him from turning his stable around after a quiet previous season.

“Getting fresh stock is the key and the product from Indigo that improves the recovery rate of the horses is just fantastic.”

Strydom has already saddled 36 winners this season after managing nine last term.

The season is not over, so keep an eye (sorry, Jacques!) on his runners!

Follow the Jacques Strydom Racing Team on Facebook.

Note To Self is looking pleased to be home having accomplished his chief assignment in Durban, winning the R10 million Hollywoodbets Durban July (Picture Supplied)

Part-owner Jonathan Bloch was at Futura Park on Sunday to greet his home-coming Hollywoodbets Durban July winner and runner-up, Note To Self and Wish List, as they arrived at their home in Cape Town after the long journey from Summerveld.

Both horses were looking in fine fettle as they got off the New Turf Carriers float and surveyed the familiar surrounds of the immaculately kept smallholding where Justin Snaith stables his horses.

They enjoyed some fresh cut, scrumptious-looking green snacks in their respective stables, while being fed carrots by Jonathan.

Jonathan said all of the yard’s horses enjoyed carrots, especially Note To Self.

After they had finished their snacks the victorious pair were each given a turn to enjoy a roll in the sand paddock.

Note To Self, like most progeny of Futura, took time to come to hand and had only had five starts for two wins before being thrown into the deep end in the Gr 1 Lucky Fish Cape Derby on February 28, where he finished a 0,75 length second to Wish List.

That was Wish List’s second Gr 1 win and she went on to land two Gr 2s in Durban.

She was 2kg worse off with Note To Self in the July compared to the Cape Derby as she did not  receive a gender allowance and she was duly beaten by a quarter of a length.

The Cape Derby had once again proved to be a reliable pointer to the country’s most iconic race.

Note To Self and Wish List are the first and third highest earning horses of the season having accumulated stakes winnings of R6,382,850 and R3,749362.50 respectively with their stablemate See It Again splitting them with earnings of R4,795,750.

Note To Self’s home Futura Park will have more meaning now as he is in fact the first son of Futura to win a Gr 1.

Jonathan Bloch heaped praise on trainer Justin Snaith, saying, “Justin is the ultimate professional horseman. For an owner who loves his horses it’s so nice to see that the horse always comes first. The level of professionalism out of that yard, the attention to detail to the horses and their mental and physical well-being puts Justin in a class of his own.”