Justin Snaith’s first horse for the SA Champions Season, Platinum Prince, arrived at Summerveld on Thursday and will run in the Gr3 Kings Cup on Sunday 25 March.
Justin Snaith – hat trick on the day
The rest of his 30 horse-string will arrive on Friday 23 March.
It will be the most powerful string Snaith has ever sent to KZN and includes dual Gr 1 winners Snowdance and Oh Susanna.
Snaith said: “We finished in the first three in many of the Cape Summer Season’s features, so the strength of the string lies in it being an all-round one with runners over all distances. So we will have our work cut out, which is great, and we will stick to the same methods which worked in Cape Town.”
Tony Rivalland – will look after Platinum Prince
Summerveld trainer Tony Rivalland will oversee Platinum Prince’s care and training programme until Snaith arrives.
Snaith said: “I saved Platinum Prince through the latter part of the Cape Summer for the Champions Season. He was very unlucky in the Premier’s Trophy as he had to ease out of the race. And then he flew home for third in the Peninsula”.
The four-year-old Silvano gelding’s first two wins were over 1600m, but he has subsequently won three races from 1800-2000m so will probably find the Kings Cup, run over 1600m on the Greyville turf, a touch sharp, although he will come in fresh which will give him a shout.
He has landed a plum draw of two among the 24 entries and has been allotted a weight of 54kg off his 100 merit rating.
Southern Cross Stakes winner Jo’s Bond – scheduled to run in the Listed KZN Stakes
Snaith’s speedy filly Jo’s Bond will be the first of the rest to come out in the Listed Kwazulu-Natal over 1000m at Scottsville.
The following weekend he will have runners in the three-year-old pipe-opening events over 1400m at Greyville, the Gr 3 Byerley Turk and the Gr 3 Umzimkhulu Stakes, and among them will be a filly he rates, Dynamic Diana.
He will bring out his CTS 1200 runner up Kasimir and his Diadem winner Bishop’s Bounty on the same day for a Pinnacle event over 1100m.
Star filly Snowdance – major attraction in the season ahead
Snaith would prefer to keep Snowdance and Oh Susanna apart, but it will be difficult as the obvious starting point for both would be the Gr2 Daisy Fillies Guineas on the SA Champions Season’s official opening night, Friday 4 May at Greyville, although the weight –for- age plus penalties Gr 2 Drill Hall Stakes on the same night could be a viable option for Snowdance.
Snaith said the decision on whether to run Sun Met winner Oh Susanna in the Vodacom Durban July would lie out of his hands, but he would prefer to avoid it considering the impact such a tough race can have on the rest of her career.
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