Justin Snaith said the Grade 1 Betting World Cape Flying Championship winner Kasimir was in “good shape” and would “take a lot of beating” in Saturday’s Grade 2 Khaya Stables Diadem Stakes over 1200m.
He also spoke about some of his plans for the rest of the season.
He said, “We always knew Kasimir was a very nice horse and the gelding in Durban made all the difference. He is a class act.”
The Diadem is run under weight for age plus penalties conditions and off his 117 merit rating plus a 2kg Grade 1 penalty he is officially second best in at the weights, half-a-kilogram under sufferance with the 114 merit rated three-year-old Chimichuri Run. Kasimir has to carry 60kg together with the other Grade 1 winners in the race, stablemate Sergeant Hardy, Bold Respect and Attenborough.
Sergeant Hardy will be an interesting running as he has quite a low draw of five. He has a habit of jumping to the left but the rail will be close enough for him to not waste too much ground, presuming he can jump fast enough to cross over to it.
Snaith will wait until after Saturday’s race to plan Kasimir’s next move but he said it was unlikely he would go for the Grade 1 Computaform Sprint over 1000m at Turffontein.
He said not only was it a tough journey but he was not a 1000m horse either, despite having won the Cape Flying. Turffontein is probably the fastest 1000m course in the country, whereas the Kenilworth 1000m is undoubtedly the toughest.
He said Kasimir would also likely avoid the Grade 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint over 1200m at Scottsville due to his high merit rating but would line up for the Grade 1 Mercury Sprint over 1200m at Greyville..
Snaith reckoned the Vodacom Durban July would be dominated by older horses this year. He reckoned a look at the three-year-old crop revealed that the best of them would be stretched by the July trip. He was not sure yet which three-year-olds he would be taking to KZN. He did say one of his promising ones, Belgarion, would be staying in Cape Town for the Winter series.
Snaith mentioned Doublemint as his probable best July horse. Like African Night Sky last year, Doublemint was the lucky horse to finish sixth in the Sun Met, which meant he escaped any merit rated raise and will be well handicapped. He reckoned this horse would be suited to Greyville and, asked whether he had a turn of foot to match African Night Sky’s, he replied, “There is not much in it.”
He added, “One horse I wouldn’t count out for the July is Magnificent Seven, he has done nothing wrong.”
Magnificent Seven has won seven of his last nine starts including the Algoa Cup over 2000m and the Grade 2 New Turf Carrier’s Stayers over 2800m.
He said July champion Do It Again would arrive in Durban in April and his route would initially be the Drill Hall and the Rising Sun Gold Challenge and it would then be taken from there.
Equus Horse Of The Year Oh Susanna’s program would be planned carefully due to her value but he said there was not much for her other than the Jonsson Workwear Garden Province unless she took on males.
By David Thiselton
