Do It Again, current ante-post favourite for the Vodacom Durban July (VDJ), can cement his place at the top of the boards with victory in the Daily News 2000 at Greyville tomorrow.

He takes on a high-class field but Justin Snaith is bullish about his charge’s chance in the Grade 1 event over 2000.

Speaking to David Thiselton earlier in the week, Snaith said it would be hard for the horses that Do It Again beat in the Gr 2 Daisy Guineas to reverse form as this was “his trip.” Snaith added, “He is doing well and everything has gone according to plan. He is spot on. It’s very competitive and very good horses are taking part, I will be particularly interested to see how Tap O’ Noth runs as he is a high quality horse.”

However, if Do It Again does fluff his lines, there will be some major changes in the market and this year’s renewal looks particularly strong.

Pack Leader was strongly fancied to win the WSB 1900 but a suspected attack of colic saw him scratched at the 11^th hour. He made a quick recovery however, and Glen Kotzen said he had not suffered any ill effects. Third behind stable companion Eyes Wide Open and Do It Again in the Investec Cape Derby, Pack Leader made a smart local debut when beaten a short head by the older Head Honcho in the Sledgehammer Stakes at Scottsville in what was a slow-run race and that outing should have brought him on nicely.

Snaith was particularly worried about the challenge from Top O’ Noth and Vaughan Marshall is quietly confident of his charge. Earlier in the week Marshall commented; “He is doing exceptionally well at the moment and I think he is a very big runner. You will see a vastly different performance this time.”

“In the Guineas he was drawn towards the inside, came up the worst going and got sand in his face – the next day both his eyes were closed. But I was happy with the way he finished in that race.”

That said, Do It Again came from last to first in a matter of strides and was extending at the line.

Surcharge was the ‘Alydar’ of the Highveld Triple Crown races, finishing second in all three legs, although to different horses. There is no doubting that Stuart Pettigrew’s colt is right up there with the best but he does take an extraordinary long time to wind up and the short Greyville straight could find him out.

White River and Like A Panther are both VDJ entries but do look held on current form.

Do It Again looks the right one and taken to get home ahead of Pack Leader.

Oh Susanna became the first three-year-old filly to win the Met in over a century and will be in warm order for the Woolavington 2000 where she is by far the highest rated filly in the race.

Snaith said the crack in her heel, which forced her to miss the Daisy Guineas, had grown out and he reckoned she would be at her best come Saturday. He concluded, “She is doing well and is fit and ready.”

Fresh in Snaith’s memory will be the defeat of his hot favourite Snowdance in the Daisy Fillies Guineas where Fiorella turned the screws inside the final furlong and went on to a head victory.

Fiorella is in opposition and Duncan Howells will again send out an extremely fit horse. “I don’t know if we can beat Oh Susanna,” said Howells. “But she has not been out since the Met in late January so that may be a chink in her armour.”

Howells supplemented Fiorella for the VDJ after her Fillies Guineas win and in her only previous attempt beyond a mile she finished a 1,55 length fourth in the SA Fillies Classic over 1800m at Turffontein. However, Howells said she had still needed that run as a yard virus had interrupted her preparation and she had consequently been scratched from her intended build-up race. He otherwise reckoned she could have won the race.

Snaith has a strong chance of a feature race treble his two fancied runners, Made To Conquer and Strathdon, doing duty in the Lonsdale Stirrup Cup.

By Andrew Harrison