Trainer Justin Snaith defends his Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas title on Saturday in the face of a powerful challenge from raider Mike de Kock and Milnerton veteran Vaughan Marshall, who both bid to lift what will be their respective sixth prized trophy in a race widely regarded as South Africa’s premier classic.
Vaughan Marshall’s One Stripe aims to continue a proud Cape Guineas tradition for the top yard (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Sponsored for the third consecutive year by Hollywoodbets, the final field of 10 for the 2024 R2 million Hollywoodbets Gr1 Cape Guineas to be run at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday 14 December was published on Monday.
The Final Field for the R2 000 000 Hollywoodbets Gr1 Cape Guineas
Justin Snaith won his first Cape Guineas in 2010 with Solo Traveller, and has won two of the last three renewals courtesy of Snow Pilot (2023) and Double Superlative (2021). The SA champion sends out Langerman victor Eight On Eighteen, impressive Cape Classic winner Great Plains and Sail The Seas in a powerful attack.
Vaughan Marshall trained his first Cape Guineas winner 38 years ago when Sea Warrior won the 1986 renewal and saddles major hometown hope, the Gr2 Cape Punters Cup winner One Stripe, and the promising All Out For Six on Saturday.
Mike de Kock, who won his first Cape Guineas title with Horse Chestnut in 1999, saddles the unbeaten -in-three starts Rafeef colt Heather’s Boy for Khaya Stables. With a low-profile baby steps campaign so far, he will be ridden by Craig Zackey and remains an interesting dark horse to give De Kock his first Cape Guineas winner since the Australian-bred Soqrat in 2018. The latter, a Sandown stallion these days, was also the last ‘away’ winner of the ‘Classic Of Kings’.
Widely acknowledged as South Africa’s premier classic, the Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas features as the headliner on the Kaapse Klopse Voorsmakie raceday, the third in the series of eight Summer Festival Of Racing events.
