Sun Met defending champion combination Vaughan Marshall and MJ Byleveld broke the Snaith-Fourie stranglehold on the Listed Settlers Trophy at Durbanville on Saturday.
The promising lightly-raced Black Knap showed he is well over his winter setback, with a smartly taken first stakes success.
Ironically racing in the Alec and Honourable Gillian Foster silks that have also been leading flagwavers for the Snaiths over many seasons, Black Knap (9-2) and his 4yo counterpart and race favourite Bayberry (7-2), looked to be the scopiest pair in the 2000m event.
And they duly provided the thrills with Avontuur stalwart MJ Byleveld producing a typically enthusiastic and honest effort, to get the better of Grant van Niekerk on the runner-up.
Black Knap (MJ Byleveld, gold cap) finishes too strongly for Baybverry and Grant van Niekerk (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Just 0,30 lengths separated the top two, with Black Knap clocking 120,58 secs as he ranged up down the inside with ears twitching and the smart colt duly won more easily than the official margin may suggest.
The 7yo Silver De Lange (16-1) came on late to boost the trifecta and relegate long-time pacemaker Herodotus into fourth.
On the National Punter’s Grid selections, Tricks was the only tipster to suggest Black Knap could win, while Winning Form found the lurker, Silver De Lange in their place rankings.
The fancied Love Happens (3-1), stablemate to the runner-up and a veritable model of consistency, ran a rare disappointing race as he fell away to run just under 5 lengths off the winner.
A son of the Fosters’ Varsfontein-based one-time winning daughter of Western Winter, Wintersweet, Black Knap is by the late Dynasty (Fort Wood) and is a half brother to his Cape Guineas winning stablemate Tap O’Noth (Captain Al), and the accomplished staying stakes winner, Strathdon (Silvano).
Milnerton maestro’s – MJ and Vaughan (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Vaughan Marshall told the Sporting Post that he believes Black Knap will go a mile and a half.
“He took a long while to get over his muscle injury. But he showed us that he is back on track here and he is talented and classy. We will plan our summer campaign and thanks again to the Fosters. They would have watched the race from the UK. They have been staunch patrons of our yard,” added Vaughan Marshall.
The lightly-raced winner took his stakes total to R119 250 with his second win with two places from 7 starts.
