The curtain came down on the old Cape stakes regime at Kenilworth on Sunday, with local champion Justin Snaith helping himself to four of the eight winners on nippy afternoon. Three were ridden by Winning Form-rider Keagan de Melo, who has made a flying start to the new term.
Local racing takes something of a sabbatical until 7 September when the Spring Country Series commences with racing at Durbanville. Some exciting announcements are expected this week to coincide with the ‘rebirth’ of racing at very respectable stakes levels.
Keagan de Melo gets Top Quality home ahead of Somerset Maugham and Baratheon (Louis Mxothwa) in a nailbiter (Pic – Chase Liebenberg)
Thanks to a R15-million stakes sponsorship by Hollywoodbets, Cape Racing recently announced a minimum 35% increase in stakes across the feature and minor race programme for the coming season, with the kitty increasing from approximately R55 million for the twelve months ended 31 July 2022 to approximately R75 million for the current financial year, commencing 1 August 2022.
And the smile on the face of Justin Snaith on Sunday said it all.
The man who saddled 9 Gr1 winners last term could be in a for a very cool summer season, judging by some of his arsenal.
The Ridgemont Highlands-bred Top Quality, a 4yo gelded son of Dynasty out of the twice-winning Elliodor mare Red Kaschka, came from last under Keagan de Melo to win the fifth in the shadow of the post, to register his second victory.
“I thought we were running second and third – suddenly we were first and second,” mused Snaith, after Piet Botha’s Baratheon appeared to be going on to win it.
“We stole this horse at R500 000. Jono pulled him out once at the Cape Premier Yearling Sale. I think Ross Fuller was in charge. We never went back but knew we wanted him. The Kieswetters must have looked at the pull-out list and thought, mmm,” he laughed. Nic Jonsson races the aptly named athlete, who was placed in the East Cape Derby and the Pocket Power Stakes last term.
Another exciting looking Snaith winner was the Avontuur-bred Triple Time, a 3yo son of Twice Over from the VAR mare Valeta, who also races in the Jonsson silks. Richard Fourie had an easy time of it aboard the flashy grey, who won the third race as he liked. He cost R700 000 at the Cape Premier Yearling Sale, and is clearly one for the classic notebook.
Easiest winner of the day was the Drakenstein raced and bred Inara’s Dynasty, who followed up her facile maiden win with an easy victory under Keagan de Melo in the seventh, an MR 78 Handicap over 1400m. She is another classic contender if we ever saw one and looks set to follow in the golden hoofprints of her multiple Gr1 winning Dam, Inara (Trippi).
