Justin Snaith is all smiles after winning last year’s WSB Met with the 33/1 outsider Double Superlative. (Picture: Wayne Marks)
Justin Snaith will be going for a third WSB Met victory in succession and a fourth overall and he has a team of five lively contestants, including the ruling favourite Eight On Eighteen.
Below is a transcribed version of his Met runner comments and below that is a link to a video in which he gives insight on all of his runners on he day.
Snaith said, “In the World Sports Meeting Met there is a bit of a spanner in the works with a three-year-old running, Eight On Eighteen, which certainly opens the race up and will certainly give the older horses something to think about. He’s an up-and-coming youngster, but it is never easy. When you’re going over 2,000 metres, it does change things. It is a race of not so much a turn of foot but a race where stamina comes into play and I don’t think Eight On Eighteen is going to be lacking in any of that. He is certainly a deserved favourite for the race, because he hasn’t put a foot wrong yet. All of his races have been come-on runs with probably this moment and the Derby in mind. That’s how we have played the season into being right at the right time. So here we are and he’s doing really well at home. He’ll look amazing in the parade ring and will showcase a lot of quality from his father (Lancaster Bomber) and mother (Sempre Libre (Captain Al half-sister to the like of Bela-Bela)).
The track has been narrowed, which is something I haven’t seen before, but obviously there’s a bit of a play to where the horses might want to run on the day. It’s going to be very interesting. I think it’s thrown a complete spanner in the works. It’s very tight.
As I said on L’Ormarins King’s Plate Day, we found there were quite a few horses who were finding trouble and that’s something that’s going to come into play one Met Day. We’re going to have to work that out. I’m going to have to sit down with a few jocks and work out what the tactics are going to be.
Another runner in the big race is Pacaya. He’s a beautiful individual. He’s been here before. Yes, it is a tough ask, but on the strength of the older horses, he’s a horse that has done what they’ve done, all of them, a moment in a career where they’ve played at the highest level. Pacaya’s one of those horses. Go watch his last run (Premier Trophy). You’re going to see something incredible. He flew home, and I really believe that my horses that ran in that race, things didn’t go our way, and they’re certainly horses to follow.
Future Swing was really unlucky. He was baulked up against the fence.
And Triple Time was in that race. He came into the straight, went for an inside run, couldn’t get the run, tried to get another run, and literally went across the line with Richard standing up in the irons.
Future Swing was another one trying to get through. In fact, Future Swing is the one that moved over a little bit and caused trouble for Triple Time.
Future Swing couldn’t get a run when he needed it. Being a stayer and a horse with stamina, it’s very hard to gear him up again.
It is going to be very interesting on the day and I certainly would like Future Swing to be a little bit more forward in the running, to ensure we don’t find too much trouble in the straight, because I think horses like that need every chance they can get.
Future Swing is a dark horse on that previous run and there is always that X-factor about Grant (Van Niekerk), that he can bring something to the table. So let’s hope it’ll be on Saturday.
The other runner who is an interesting runner is Magic Verse. Everyone said we were mad running him in the Premiers.He almost won it!
All those horses who finished around him are in the Met, so why shouldn’t he be? He’s got Aldo Domeyer, who is certainly one of the best riders here in the Western Cape. He knows the track well. One good thing about Aldo is you actually don’t need to say anything to him. He rides his race and he’s quite confident in that manner. A lot of the guys come from Joburg and they don’t even know anything about the horse and sometimes, for me, that’s a worry. Magic Verse may be a huge outsider in the race, but he is certainly a horse to consider for the quartets and trifectas, you never know.
Royal Aussie is in good form at home. I thought he ran a very credible race in the L’Ormarins King’s Plate. He ran his usual type of race. I probably would have thought he could have run better with Snow Pilot overracing in front. I would have thought he could have finished in front of some of those horses. He’s doing really well at home, and Kabelo knows him. In last year’s Met, he actually overraced, so if we can just get him to settle a little bit. If they go slow, this horse comes into play. It’s very simple … if there’s a good pace, other horses come into play. If they go slow in this year’s Met, Royal Aussie comes alive, and is going to be a big runner.
I’m sure this track will be beautiful on Saturday. It’s going to be very interesting how it plays out.”
