SA Oaks winner Ash Cloud – Snaith looking for a big run
Champion trainer Justin Snaith won the Post Merchants on Friday evening and will be looking for more success at Scottsville today. He rates his Gr 2 Gold Circle Oaks contender Ash Cloud the best of them.
Speaking to David Thiselton on www.goldcircle.co.za, Snaith said about the four-year-old daughter of Black Minnaloushe, who will jump from a plum draw of two and be ridden by in-form stable jockey Richard Fourie in the 2400m event at Scottsville on Sunday: “Months and months of effort have gone into her run, this is the one we have been waiting for.”
The former Gr 1 SA Oaks winner is only merit rated 95 and has to carry a 2kg Gr 1 penalty, meaning she is officially a whopping 5,5kg under sufferance with the best weighted horse Vino Veritas, but Snaith feels she is up to it.
Snaith also runs the Kahal filly Bountiful Harvest. She finished third in the East Cape Oaks over 2000m and has landed a nice draw with Donovan Dillon aboard, but Snaith said, “It will be very hard for her at the weights as a three-year-old.”
Tradition Change
Gold Circle announced early in 2014 that a decision had been made that the Betting World Derby and the Betting World Oaks would in future be open to all ages at weight-for-age terms, plus penalties.
“With the main focus of the three year olds during Champions Season being the KRA Guineas’, The Daily News 2000, the Woolavington Stakes and obviously the Vodacom Durban July, the Derby and Oaks have been downgraded over the years and have struggled to find a consistent place in the programme,” said Racing and Marketing Executive Graeme Hawkins at the time.
“There is International precedent, such as the Irish St Leger and the Yorkshire Oaks, to vary the terms and conditions of some of the “traditional” Classics and we are of the firm view that the quality and depth of both races will be enhanced by throwing them open to all ages,” said Hawkins.
“In addition, there are no weight-for-age races in South Africa over the distance and the overall programme for stayers will benefit from the change. The Graded Races sub-committee had no reservations about endorsing the move,” he added.
The new look classics will be run at Scottsville for the first time over 100m shorter today.
