Justin Snaith’s top-class Lancaster Bomber colt Eight On Eighteen brought the curtain down on the 2024/25 Cape Racing Summer Festival Of Champions Grade 1 roster at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday in scintillating fashion when he became the first horse since Feltos 79 years ago to win the Met and Cape Derby in the same term.
Eight On Eighteen powers home under Richard Fourie to beat a game Sail The Seas (JP van der Merwe) in the final Gr1 of the summer (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
The Drakenstein bred galloper is owned by Nic Jonsson and Johann Rupert and has been a headline grabber since chasing Vaughan Marshall’s champion One Stripe home in the Hollywoodbets Cape Guineas in December last year.
After his eyecatching victory in the WSB Cape Town Met last month, and following a rather shallow entry for Saturday’s R1,5 million Splashout Cape Derby, it was hardly surprising to see Eight On Eighteen start just North of 5-10 for the final Grade 1 race of the Cape Summer.
Relaxed as newly blinkered stablemate Express Yourself set the fractions ahead of Native Ruler and Dawn Till Dusk, Eight On Eighteen was quick to make ground in the run for home, but looked to be under pressure as stablemate Sail The Seas and Piet Steyn’s Garrix challenged him around the 300m.
But at the 200m, Fourie looked like he was playing poker as the 127-rated galloper found his top stride and stayed on well to beat the 103-rated Sail The Seas (7-1) by 1,50 lengths.
Eight On Eighteen’s win time was 126,10 secs, as opposed to the 123,68 secs clocked in the Met a month earlier!
The promising Garrix (6-1) was examined by the Vet at the start, and faded late to run a further 2,25 lengths back in third.
The big topic next week will no doubt be the handicapper’s analysis of this race and what happens to the ratings of those that followed in Eight On Eighteen’s wake.
Ridgemont jockey Richard Fourie said that part-owner Nic Jonsson suggested kick-starting Eight On Eighteen a little bit earlier, after his late flourish to win the Met.
“Even though it felt like he was labouring in the straight, only through the 200m he found his gear. He is a special horse!” added Fourie.
Trainer Justin Snaith marked his second Grade 1 victory of the season, and said that ‘horses like this make it a little bit easier’.
“He’s very immature and a big baby. But he’s got the nicest nature. People are talking about weak races. These races are hard. If you think these races are weak, try beating these horses! Both Sail The Sea and Garrix are class acts. Native Ruler ran a great race in fourth. It’s always the same people giving in this industry. Thanks to Greg Bortz for pitching in with his horses, and to Hollywoodbets and SplashOut for the sponsorship,” added a delighted Snaith.
Justin Snaith makes a splash with the Cape Derby winner (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
Owner Nic Jonsson said that Eight On Eighteen might be up there with the best he has owned.
“He has a stallion’s pedigree and it’s a huge thrill to win two Grade 1 races in a row. Richard Fourie rode him beautifully,” he added.
Eight On Eighteen, a R700 000 National Yearling Sale purchase, made it 4 wins with 4 places from his 8 starts for stakes of R4 700 213.
Raced by Jonsson and Johann Rupert, he was another feature winner on the afternoon for the deceased War Front stallion Lancaster Bomber and is out of the unraced Captain Al mare, Sempre Libre.
