Justin time at Big D

Four winners. Justin Snaith is hitting top form.

Barrier draws are to be allocated prior to final acceptance in line with the rest of the country with effect from today. Justin Snaith celebrated the good news greeting Cape owners and trainers with an impressive four-timer at Durbanville on 12 October. Trainers Joey Ramsden and Dean Kannemeyer also made their presence felt with a double apiece.

The process of blind draw allocation on acceptance was intended to bolster field sizes at the country course and it has probably proven mildly effective. But like most things in life, the novelty wore off over time and trainers were understandably manipulating the system by scratching poorly drawn horses.

The Snaith, Kannemeyer and Ramsden yards really look like the local outfits to follow as we approach the build-up of South Africa’s premier horseracing season. Between them they won eight of the nine races on today’s card and Snaith is a couple of rand behind the high-riding Sean Tarry team at the top of the national trainer log. We should not get too over-excited though as we know that the Mike De Kock stable have not even switched on their engines yet. But at least the Capetonians won’t be embarrassed as we head into the Group races of the lazy summer days ahead.

Happy! Andrew Fortune owns and rode the smart Var colt.

The most impressive winner of the afternoon was undoubtedly the Ramsden Var colt Happy Forever, who won the MR72 Handicap over 1200m on his proverbial coconut for his part-owner Andrew Fortune. In typically modest Fortune fashion, the one-time SA champion jockeys’ silks are the same as those worn by a national rugby team who were comprehensively beaten by a referee and Australia on Sunday.   This fellow is now unbeaten in two starts and while he beat a moderate bunch – even Tight Lines stayed on for second over 1200m-he really is a smashing specimen and very talented.

The Ramsden yard are hitting prime form at the right time and this was signalled by their  Gr3 Matchem victory on Sunday. Their first winner today was the Right Approach filly Genteel Approach who came through well under Glen Hatt to win the second race, a moderate looking Maiden Plate over 1200m. The fancied Herecomesthebride showed pace from her 15 draw, but fell away to third, while it was left to the improved Golden Flute to chase the winner home.

Jockey Felix Coetzee and apprentice Grant Van Niekerk shared the four Snaith winners between them. Coetzee opened and closed the afternoon on a  winning note. His first winner was on the Klawervlei Stud bred daughter of National Emblem, Trade Name, who narrowly won the Maiden Plate(F&M) over 1200m, after  an unlikely protracted battle with Phalaborwa Express. Ingrid and Markus Jooste own the winner. The second placed Mike Stewart trained Whistling Wood filly improved dramatically on her recent form to earn her first cheque. The top two pulled lengths clear of the rest of an ordinary looking bunch.

Coetzee then won the final race on yet another Dynasty product, when he skipped clear on the Mahony owned Need To Dream in the Maiden Plate over 1600m. Ladysingstheblues made the pace and was passed on the turn for home by Mark Of The Divine as the mad dash for home developed. Need To Dream came for home as the overdue Daily Flight rattled late from her poor draw. The winner was too good as the rest battled on for minor money, and the Highlands Stud bred daughter of Jallad looks a good buy now at R90 000.

Double. Dean Kannemeyer sent out two smart winners today.

Dean Kannemeyer provided Karl Neisius and Gerrit Schlechter with a winner apiece. Neisius won the Maiden Plate over 1400m on Richard Berg’s D’Angelo. The Doowaley gelding had relocated to Cape Town from the Asburton yard of Duncan Howells in mid year, and he held on well after hitting the front too early. He won from a wide draw and may go on with it from here. He is out of the very well-performed Model Man mare Magic Girl.

Kannemeyer handed prominent owner Markus Jooste his second winner when Gerrit Schlechter drove the handsome Go Deputy gelding Alula Borealis through to win the MR74 Handicap over 1600m. The three year old has now won two from three and showed that his last run under Karl Neisius was all wrong.  He beat the five year old favourite Crown Hill who plodded into second.

So a beautiful afternoon of punter friendly results dominated by three powerful yards drew to a close with the pieces of the puzzle slowly falling into place. It’s a long way to go though.

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