Daniel Muscutt and Double Superlative led into the winner’s enclosure by owner Nick Jonsson after winning the Gr 1 WSB Met (Picture: Wayne Marks)
Daniel Muscutt has been confirmed to ride Double Superlative in the Gr 1 Hollywoobets Durban July and is the only overseas jockey among the declarations.
Muscutt, son of Summerveld trainer Peter Muscutt, is a prominent jockey in the UK, with an all weather championship title being one of his achievements.
He partnered the Justin Snaith-trained Nick Jonsson-owned Twice Over entire Double Superlative to victory in his first ever ride in the WSB Met, with the seed of that partnership being planted due to a recommednation by English trainer William Haggas to Nick Jonsson more than a year earlier, towards the end of 2022.
Double Superlative will be out to become the eighth horse in history to win both the Met and the July and he will be out to be only the third to do it in the same season.
The only horses to have done the Met/July double in the same season are two all time greats, Politician in the 1977/1978 season and Pocket Power in the 2007/2008 season.
Others to have won both the Met and the July are Hussein (1920s), Yataghan (1970s), London News (1990s), Igugu (just over ten years ago) and Kommetdieding.
Daniel will almost certainly become the first to have won both the Met and the July in his first respective rides in the iconic events.
However, he is currently roundabout a 30/1 shot to do it.
Snaith will be out to join Terrance Millard as a six-time July winner, one behind the all time record of seven held by South Africa’s only Hall Of Fame trainer, Syd Laird.
Nick Jonsson will be out to win the July for the third time, having won it twice with his part-owned Do It Again. Both horse are by the unfashionable sire Twice Over.
Of course Jonsson’s colours will also be carried by the second favourite See It Again, and also possibly by Mucho Dinero, Without Question and Hluhluwe. Remarkably the former pair of that quartet are also by Twice Over.
Muscutt will also be riding the Snaith-trained Jonsson-owned One Way Traffic in the DSTV Gr 3 Gold Vase, the Snaith-trained Jonsson-owned Great Plains in the Durban Gr 2 Golden Horseshoe and Royal Aussie in the Gr 2 Post Merchants.
Other Hollywoodbets Durban July rides confirmed by the Snaiths are Winning Form wizard Richard Fourie (Future Swing), Jonsson Workwear flagbearer Rachel Venniker (Without Question), new Sporting Post-sponsored rider Sean Veale (Mucho Dinero), and Grant Van Niekerk (Hluhluwe).
Beyond the Snaith attack, confirmed riders include Piere Strydom (See It Again), Muzi Yeni (Royal Victory), Smanga Khumalo (Cousin Casey), Corne Orffer (Master Redoute), Gavin Lerena (Barbaresco) and Gareth Wright (Hotarubi).
Declarations were due by 11h00 on Monday morning.
However, it is a wait-and-see game for certain trainers, because those riders who are booked but whose horses do not make the final 18 will then become available again.
