Gold Circle Pty (Ltd)

Today's Racing :

Snaith's Champion Season troops settle in

David Thiselton
Justin Snaith arrived at his Clairwood satellite yard for the KZN Champions Season on Monday. He brought with him a string of 12 horses including his superstar grey mare Dancer’s Daughter.
Dancer’s Daughter is the only horse from Snaith’s last Durban string to return this year, illustrating the extent to which top trainers have to rotate their stock in this age of thoroughbred export and trading.
She was set to run in three Grade 1’s in Johannesburg before coming to Durban but tweaked her near fore foot in training after winning the first of them, Empress Club Stakes.
“She had a slightly strained tendon but is fine now,” said Snaith. “It was the first problem she’s ever had. If only I had more horses like that.”
Travelled well
The mare travelled very well.
“She went straight to her manger and ate every morsel in one go.
“It was amazing, the first time I have ever witnessed such a thing after such a long journey. Then after she’d finished she started kicking her door.”
Snaith said that she was in a very bad mood on the first day, which has become the sign that tells him she is in the mint of health.
“Yesterday she ran around the paddock with Sparkling Gem and is much happier today,” he added.
She is carrying a bit of condition, but Snaith is not worried.
“She takes a huge amount of work and over here at Clairwood we have the tracks to give her that work,” he said. “In Cape Town I wasn’t able to get her within 15kg of her July winning weight.”
Yesterday her beloved groom, Cyprian Mkhonowana, tacked her up at the yard at 7am before riding her down to the training tracks with Sparkling Gem.
She has many extra gadgets on her headgear, including a drop noseband, which is designed to keep her mouth shut, preventing her from throwing her head around, and another gadget that aids in keeping her head down.
“They have been career changing gadgets,” said Snaith of the notoriously headstrong mare.
Dancer’s Daughter did almost an entire circuit of the Clairwood inner sand track at a light canter.
Snaith has not yet finalised where or when her first race will be, but he wants to avoid the Scottsville sprint day, where she ran her worst race ever last year, and doesn’t want to put her through a night racemeeting, so will avoid the Drill Hall Stakes too.
The Grade 1 Gold Challenge over 1 600m at Clairwood on June 13, a race she won last year, is definitely on the menu as, of course, is the Vodacom Durban July.
Snaith also clearly has huge admiration for the enormous three-year-old filly, Sparkling Gem, who looks in superb condition.“She is as good as Captain’s Lover and is very well,” he said.
The yard’s aim for the season is to reap Grade 1 prizes, so Sparkling Gem, a sprint-miler, will avoid the three-year-old races and instead go for the Grade 3 Poinsettia Stakes over 1 200m at Clairwood, the Grade 1 SA Fillies Sprint over 1 200m at Scottsville, the Grade 2 Tibouchina Stakes over 1 450m at Clairwood and the Grade 1 Garden Province Stakes over 1 600m on July day.
He sounded bullish about some of the others in his string, including two-year-old maiden, Peony Paradise, who finished third in a Listed race last time, “I’m looking forward to her campaign.”
He added, “Alvaro is better than his bad summer campaign suggests - he will do better here.
“Pivotal Blue was haemo-concentrating badly, but we’ve gelded him now and he should improve.
“Summer Recess is a nice one for punters to follow. He is an improving Captain Al three-year-old gelding and his win on Saturday was just a preparation gallop.
“Jet Park won a good race last time and is a quality Team Valor filly.
“Vision Of Grandeur is a smart stayer. Dance With Al is a nice three-year-old filly.
“Fingal’s Cave is an improving three-year-old sprinter. Ribbons For Thee is an unraced Team Valor-owned two-year-old Captain Al filly.”

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