SNAITH’S CAPE DERBY FAVOURITE IN SUPERLATIVE SHAPE
Justin Snaith has won the Grade 1 Jonsson Workwear Cape Derby three times and was bullish earlier today he could add to that record at the Cape Town Seafood Racing Festival meeting at Kenilworth on Saturday with his Grade 1 Cape Guineas winner Double Superlative (Twice Over).
He said about the classy and progressive colt, “He went a little bit quiet on me in the last week before the WSB Met. If I had to take him on the Thursday before the Met or today I would take today every-time. He is spot on, I could not have him any better.”
Furthermore, the connections now know a little bit more about him.
He elaborated, “We were still learning about him so it easy to look at things in retrospect but Anton said after the Met he should have skipped earlier instead of waiting with him.”
Double Superlative would be a fitting winner as he is owned by the sponsor’s proprietor Nick Jonnson.
Justin quipped, “I don’t feel so much pressure anymore because Nick also sponsored the Jonsson Workwear Pro-Am this week at Royal Durban and he didn’t win it!”
Snaith played with former Bok Pat Lambie and professional golfer Brandon Stone and said it had been a privilege to be involved in such an “incredible day”.
Snaith also runs Pomp And Power (Vercingetorix) in the Derby and he is interestingly also entered in the Grade 1 WSB SA Classic next weekend.
He said, “It doesn’t look like it will be the strongest Classic so we are just keeping our options open and can decide after Saturday whether he will travel up. I’m not sure he gets 2000m, but he did have no problem staying 1600m, and the same question applies to three-quarters of the field anyway.
Pomp And Power is a three-parts brother to Punta Arenas (Silvano), who was an unlucky runner up in the July, but Vercingetorix has tended to be more of a speed influence than his father Silvano.
Interestingly, Pomp and Power’s full-sister Pucallpa (Vercingetorix) runs in the Grade 3 Kenilworth Fillies Nursery earlier in the day. He said she had shown speed and they were putting in her into this race on her debut to try and ascertain what level she is at.
Of his other juveniles on the day he said one to watch out for was Pure Maverick (The United States) in the Grade 3 Cape of good hope nursery
Snaith is also bullish about the chances of Rio Querari (Querari) in the Grade 2 Khaya Stables Diadem Stakes over 1200m. He said the champion Sprinter had had one or two niggles earlier in the season so had not had a perfect preparation into the Grade 1 Pongracz Cape Flying championship last time and furthermore after jumping sideways his saddle had slipped across and back and Grant van Niekerk had not been comfortable thereafter.
“Only a horse as good as him could have got as close as he did,” said Snaith.
He continued, “He is now spot on. I think one who could be a dangerous is Cosmic Highway (Gimmethegreenlight) … his form over 1200m is very good.”
Snaith said all four of his contenders in the Prix Du cap were 1400m specialists, although he added it was hard to pick one of them out.
He said Rain In Newmarket (Kingsbarns), a half-sister to the champion Rain In Holland (Duke Of Marmalade), should be in the money and also mentioned Major Attraction (Vercingetorix) as being in fine shape at the moment.
In the Listed Jet Master Stakes he runs Warrior (Futura), Nexus (Dynasty) and Sachdev (Silvano) and said on their day any of the trio could win, so the odds were with the yard as one of them was sure to light up.
Warrior looks progressive and he said both Nexus and Sachdev had jarred themselves earlier in the season and he had only recently been happy again with how they were moving, so he expected them to bounce back.
Babyberry (Flower Alley) has his swansong in the Listed Kenilworth Cup over 3200m. Snaith said he had been happy with his consistency lately. He also runs Salvator Mundi (Dynasty) but admitted he had kept his best stayers out of the race as they would have been weighted out of it.
Picture: Double Superlative (Chase Liebenberg Photography)
