A regular contributor to the SA Champions Season action on the East Coast for the past twenty years, Cape champion trainer Justin Snaith is considering only travelling a handful of his substantial and powerful string up to Summerveld for the big season this year.
The sweeping announcement last week of a revitalisation of the Cape winter programme, with increased stakes and incentives into the bargain, may have many local trainers swapping their speedos for thermal underwear and reconsidering the relative costs and logistical inconveniences of interprovincial uprooting for the three months.
While the weather comparisons between the two provinces is chalk and cheese – the Cape is not the easiest region to train horses in during June, July and August – the underlying financial framework is a very stark reality for most.
One of the biggest horseracing festivals in the world and featuring 37 stakes races, including 13 Gr1 contests over a three-month programme period, the SA Champions Season is traditionally regarded as the national championships of South African horseracing and is set to get underway with a multi-feature programme at Hollywoodbets Greyville on 6 May.
Justin Snaith on the WSB Cape Town Met podium (Pic – Wayne Marks)
Talking to the Sporting Post over the weekend, Cape champion trainer Justin Snaith said that after looking at the comparative programmes, he would probably only be taking a handful of horses to KZN.
“We have to race where it makes most financial sense for our stakeholders. I see the KZN programme has the same stakes for MR 66 Handicaps as for Pinnacle Stakes, as one example. That’s an issue for me and, while the beach is more attractive and the weather is probably a lot more pleasant in Durban in the coming months, I have to make sensible business decisions in the very best interests of my owners,” added the champion conditioner after yet another highly successful WSB Met day.
Milnerton trainer Peter Wrensch said that while the increases and incentives helped the wide spectrum of trainers, the smaller trainers really and truly appreciated the boost and it was ‘very encouraging’ to see the substantial stakes increases.
“We realise that we have less meetings and with the wet weather, some more are likely to be washed out. But we have already felt the advantage of enjoying the benefits of the cash-flow spin-offs provided by the RaceCape cheques,” he added.
Peter Wrensch – excited about the improved prospects (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
When we put it to the former amateur champion rider that more Snaith horses staying at home could also well mean stiffer competition, Wrensch added that he saw it as providing the basis of a better quality of winter racing overall.
“Looking at it holistically, there are important positives in the domain of betting turnovers, and further on the plus side it creates an opportunity for the smaller yards to market a strong racing platform for horses wanting to escape the harsh winter tracks in Joburg, for the kinder underfoot conditions of the Cape.
“Even those horses out of their depth maybe in Durban during the season, are a possibility. Us smaller guys have a great opportunity. We have the empty boxes, the experience, and the ability to train winners. Now we also have a very attractive financial dynamic to underpin our business. It’s exciting and most of all, it’s only positive and good for the overall morale and for the game,” he added.
Another trainer said that he felt that it was disappointing that little imagination had been applied in the distribution of stakes in the KZN programme.
He pointed out that to race an MR66, a Maiden and a Pinnacle for the exact same stakes simply made no sense. “We should always be striving to reward excellence,surely?” he asked.
Here are a few comparisons of the Cape vs KZN feature stakes across various categories:
Open Features
Variety Club Mile (Gr3) R300 000 vs Kings Cup (L) R150 000
Legal Eagle (Gr3) R300 000 vs Sledgehammer (L) R150 000
Pocket Power (Gr3) R300 000 vs Derby (Gr3) R175 000
Cape Vase R200 000 vs Cup Trial (Gr3) R175 000
Winter Mile R200 000 vs Thukela Handicap (L) R150 000
Cape Point Stakes R200 000
Fillies & Mares
Sweet Chestnut (L) R200 000 vs Scarlet Lady (L) R150 000
Ladies Mile (L) R200 000 vs East Coast Cup (L) R150 000
Stormsvlei (L) R200 000
Final Fling (L) R200 000 vs Off To Stud (L) R100 000
Sprints
Champagne Stake (Gr3) R300 000 vs In Full Flight (L) R150 000
Easter Sprint R200 000 vs Umngeni (L) R150 000
Winter Sprint R200 000
Off To Stud (L) (F&M) R175 000 vs Poinsettia (Gr3) R175 000
The Magnolia (F&M) R175 000 vs KZN Stakes (L) R150 000
Juveniles
Winter Nursery (L) R200 000 vs Umkhomazi (Gr3) R200 000
Winter Fillies Nursery R150 000 vs Strelitzia (Gr3) R175 000
Somerset (L) R200 000 vs Godolphin Barb (Gr3) R175 000
Perfect Promise (L) R200 000 vs Debutante (Gr3) R200 000
Langerman (Gr3) R300 000 vs Gatecrasher (L) R150 000
Irridescence (L) R200 000 vs Devon Air Stakes (L) R150 000
