It’s the race that kick-started the march to Vodacom Durban July glory of Belgarion last season, and Richard Fourie and Justin Snaith will be bidding for a hat-trick when they vie for top honours in the Listed Settlers Trophy at Durbanville on Saturday.
With a R100 000 Pick 6 carryover, the local exotic pool is expected to reach R1 million.
The top team made it a double in the 2019 Listed Settlers Trophy – run for almost double the stake on offer on Saturday – when the then lightly exposed Belgarion finished with a flourish to follow up on stablemate Magnificent Seven’s classy victory in the race in 2018.
Belgarion wins the Settlers Trophy in 2019 – Can Snaiths do it again? (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
The stake is not the only factor reduced on Saturday – in line with a request to give the race a better fit in the prep programme, the distance was dropped from the traditional 2400m to 2000m from 2019.
The Fourie-Snaith combo go to post with the 6yo Love Happens, in what looks to be an open race.
The Silvano gelding has been a bit unlucky over shorter when beaten narrowly by his paper weighted stablemate Hurricane Harry twice at the country course. In fact he has not finished too far off the winner in his last four starts. He has won once and finished second twice from four Durbanville starts.
Well suited to Durbanville, Glen Kotzen’s Herodotus starts his summer campaign. His four starts in KZN didn’t produce any fireworks without being embarrassing, and he should be much more effective on his home track.
Second of the Snaith trio, the 4yo Flower Alley gelding Bayberry probably should have finished closer to the unbeaten Singapore export Katak last time. He had to ease at the 250m mark, but ran on strongly. The 2000m should be his game and with a bit of luck in running, he could be thereabouts.
Watch the Clocking The Gallop preview of the Durbanville Saturday meeting
