Justin Snaith, Daniel Muscutt and Double Superlative might well be going for a rare WSB Met/Hollywoodbets Durban July double meaning owner Nick Jonsson will soon have six July entries and four of them will be by Twice Over (Picture: Wayne Marks)
The Justin Snaith-trained WSB Met winner Double Superlative was a surprise name among the entries in a big race this week, because it was generally believed he had been retired to stud.
The exciting news is the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Durban July is very much on the cards for the five-year-old Twice Over entire and his Met rider Daniel Muscutt has already been approached to take the ride.
Owner Nick Jonsson said, “We were thinking of sending him to stud and there wasn’t really enough support to get me excited about it. So, he is sound and he had a bit of a break after the Met and Justin put him back in training and we thought, ‘Let’s have a go.’ He is a fantastic horse, he is only lightly raced, he’s only had 13 starts and is a five-year-old, nearly six. He is enjoying his racing too, he is in a good space, so let’s have a go.”
Double Superlative is entered in the Gr 1 Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge, but is likely to avoid it in favour of running in a Pinnacle Stakes event over 1600m at Hollywoodbets Greyville on June 15.
Nick said, “He is ready for the Gold Challenge, but we’re not sure we’re going to run him there. We’ve entered him just in case we change our minds, but he probably won’t run in that race. We’ve entered him in a Pinnacle for the 15th, which we think is a better race for him, and then he’ll run in the July.”
Nick added, “He is obviously well weighted in the July. He will get 4kg from See It Again and as things stand he will only be giving Green With Envy half-a-kilogram.”
He continued, “So he’s in a good place in the weights if he runs, but that’s our plan, to run him in the July.”
He said, “So let’s see, he is in a good space but of course he hasn’t run since the Met, he’s got to have a warm up, let’s see how he goes.”
Nick concluded, “We will supplement when we want to, there is no big rush. I think he is obviously a big runner at that weight if he runs, and at this stage we plan to run him, and I have got Daniel Muscutt to ride him. He’s going to come out and ride him and let’s see if we can do the double.”
Only seven horses in history have won both the Met and the July and Double Superlative will be out to become the eighth.
Nick will be out to win his third July and have his second individual July winner.
His first July winner was the dual July-winning legend Do It Again, who is by the unfashionable sire Twice Over.
Having failed narrowly to win the big race last year with Twice Over colt See It Again, Nick will soon have six July entries this year, See It Again, Double Superlative, Mucho Dinero, Triple Time, Without Question and Hluhluwe. Amazingly the first four of those mentioned are all by Twice Over. Nick Jonsson is obviously not among the many who have snubbed Twice Over. See It Again and Double Superlative will both have massive chances and Mucho Dinero could also be a sneaker if bouncing back to his best.
Jonathan Snaith had said earlier about Double Superlative, “He is particularly well. He loves his training and his racing and is such a happy horse right now.”
He added, “Depending on his performance and fitness level, the connections will make a decision either on the Hollywoodbets Durban July or the Champions Cup.”
