The Snaith machine powered on relentlessly under indecisive threatening grey skies at Kenilworth on Tuesday with the Varsfontein owned and bred Captain Al colt Erik The Red registering his fourth success on the trot with a facile strike in the Kuda R85 000 Listed Somerset 1200.
Giving weight to all of his four opponents, Erik The Red stormed into the lead at the 300m marker and was never pressured to lift his third feature trophy on the trot.
Richard Fourie steers Erik The Red to a popular victory (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
He won at short odds-on by 4,25 lengths in a time of 73,99 secs, with Matthew The King and first-time Freedom Park filling the trifecta.
Jonathan Snaith said that Erik The Red is a likely Guineas horse for next term and indicated that a decision will be made by the owners whether he should travel to KZN for the SA Champions Season and a likely shot at the Gr1 Gold Medallion at Hollywoodbets Scottsville.
Richard Fourie, who has been aboard at all Erik The Red’s starts, said the winner has furnished well and a big baby still.
“He has a good character and good charisma. I wake up in the mornings to ride these kind of horses. He is a Gr1 horse in my book,” said winning rider Richard Fourie, who seem to indicate that his vote was to go to Durban – “what are Gr1 races without Gr1 horses?” he asked.
The winner is a son of deceased champion Captain Al (Al Mufti) out of the 2011 Gr1 Majorca Stakes winner and seven-time scorer Covenant (Western Winter). The latter was also a proud Varsfontein Stud flagbearer and is out of Secret Pact, a multiple stakes winning own sister to former Horse of the Year and international winner, London News.
Erik The Red has won four races from five starts and has earned R321 825.
He looks a shoe-in for Cape Champion Juvenile colt honours.
