Snaith contests two big races on Saturday, the Gr 2 Lanzerac le General Green Point Stakes over 1600m and the R2 million Lanzerac Ready To Run Cup over 1400m, and have three runners in each.

Sue said, “Legislate is over the injury he picked up in the July and galloped well recently at Kenilworth. My heart is with Jet Explorer due to his courage in overcoming his fall and jaw break, he is doing well and is peaking. Justin has high hopes for Readytogorightnow, but it’s a big jump and he has to prove he has the class.”

She added, “I think Sunset Tripp will give us our best chance in the Ready To Run Stakes. But we are worried about the Johannesburg horses of Sean Tarry and Geoff Woodruff that we have heard a lot about.”

Sue concluded, “Princess Chloe, Legislate and Eros’s Girl are our best runners on the day.”

Earlier today, the yard’s four-year-old Australian-bred Danehill Dancer filly Acrostar was impressive from off the pace for the second time in succession when winning a competitive Conditions Plate for fillies and mares over 1600m at Kenilworth under Richard Fourie. This much improved sort could make an impact in the biggest female events of the Cape Summer Of Champions Season.

Picture: Legislate gallop (Snaith Racing)

His impressive Dynasty filly Alexis is a leading contender in the Ready To Run Stakes over 1400m and both Captain America and Gr 1 winner Futura have a chance of winning the Gr 2 Lanzerac Le General Green Points Stakes over 1600m.

Crawford said about the athletic filly who could maintain his unbeaten record in the Ready To Run Stakes, “Alexis has won both of her last two starts well and she shows us a lot at home. It will be a tough test against the boys but she is drawn well and is fit and well, so we are expecting a good run.”

She showed a fine turn of foot first time out of the maidens in a MR 79 handicap over 1200m against some useful older fillies and won by 2,25 lengths, despite having been awarded an 85 merit rating for her facile maiden win over 1300m at Durbanville.

On pedigree Alexis will have no problem with the trip at all as she is out of a half-sister by Parade Leader to the stakes winning Winona, who won from 1600m to 2600m.

She is drawn superbly in barrier two with Corné Orffer up and should be doing her best work at the finish.

Fillies receive 2,5kg from the boys and have a fine record in the country’s big sales races, having won half of the eight renewals of Turffontein’s lucrative Emperor’s Palace Ready To Run Cup.

Crawford said about the Captain Al gelding Captain America and the Dynasty colt Futura, who are both making their seasonal reappearances, “They are both very well and have come on beautifully. It’s obviously their first run but both are exactly where I want them to be and they are going to be competitive on Saturday.”

Orffer, who has filled in for the sidelined Glen Hatt as Crawford’s stable jockey, is aboard Captain America and Crawford explained, “Corné knows that Futura is Glen’s horse so he would rather stick with Captain America than be replaced when Glen returns.”

Bernard Fayd’Herbe rides Futura from a wide draw of ten and Captain America hasn’t fared much better in barrier 9.  However, both horses have a tremendous turn of foot and will likely be running on.

Futura, third in the Vodacom Durban July and winner of the Gr 1 Champions Cup over 1800m, is merit rated 113, just one point below Equus Horse Of The Year Legislate, who also lines up in the Green Point. Captain America, who is a twice Gr 1 runner up, enjoyed no luck at all in the July and is merit rated 106. He is a big horse and will likely enjoy being back on his home, left-handed course.

Crawford  mentioned some of his other runners on the day, “Secret Society will run well and Prescient has a chance. Zacharias has a big weight, but is doing very, very well. She likes running fresh and over the tough Kenilworth 1200m should be in the shake up.”

Picture: Futura (Nkosi Hlophe)

Picture: Futura (Nkosi Hlophe)

Final field and draws for the 2014 Gr1 Gauteng Sansui Summer Cup:

Sc# Horse                        Mass   MR  Draw   Jockey                    Trainer

Couplings: (2,4,5,6,8) (3,12,14,18) (7,17) (15,19)

Zambezi River gets a visit from Felix Coetzee.                 Picture: Liesl King

Zambezi River, a Drakenstein Stud-bred Trippi colt, is unbeaten in two starts over 1000m and 1160m respectively and has been impressive in the process. He dwelt and lost a couple of lengths on both occasions before scything through the field and winning going away. The form of his first start has worked out very well.

He is drawn in pole position on Saturday and Tarry said, “He has jumped slowly so I’m not sure we will be able to use that good draw, but at least we will have options if he does start well. I haven’t done a lot with him and he’s done everything right and won effortlessly, so still has scope and we haven’t seen the best of him yet.”

Tarry believes there is no reason for him not to stay the 1400m trip. He is beautifully bred being by a top class stallion out of an unraced USA-bred mare whose dam is a half-sister to the brilliant European Horse Of The Year Lammtara (won the Epsom Derby, King George and Arc). On the downside, as far as staying the trip goes, Margaret River has so far tended to produce sprinters, although Zambezi River’s full brother River Trip did finish second over 1450m on one occasion.  S’Manga Khumalo keeps the ride for Saturday.

Imperial Gold, a Goldkeeper colt, won his debut over 1200m at Clairwood in comfortable fashion by 2,5 lengths. He then ran in the Gr 1 Premiers Champion Stakes over 1600m at Greyville on the last weekend of last season and finished 8,5 lengths back in twelfth.

He hasn’t run since that last outing and Tarry said, “He had a few interruptions and might be short of match fitness, but I hope he is right on the day as we’ve got him as good as we can.” Anthony Delpech rides from draw 10.

Both horses will be staying at Milnerton training centre. They will stay on after the race and how they do on Saturday will dictate whether they go for other forthcoming Cape Summer of Champions features.

The Captain Al gelding was doing his best work late last time out on October 4 in a Graduation Plate over 1600m, finishing just 1,75 lengths behind Bezanova. He was receiving 5kg, but as a three-year-old at that stage of the season he was actually 2,5kg worse off with Bezanova than weight for age terms. Furthermore, Bezanova won the Gr 2 Peermont Emperor’s Palace Charity Mile next time out.

Therefore, on paper, The Captain’s Tune’s put up a top class performance, but it should be taken into account that Bezanova did need the run and came on a lot for it. On the other hand The Captain’s Tune was only 0,75 lengths behind the well regarded runner up, Sun On Africa, at level weights.

However, Woodruff was not overly bullish about The Captain’s Tune’s chances on Saturday and said, “He has qualified and we will be taking our chances. That last race signifies that he has talent and he has a good draw (3) and a good rider (Piere Strydom), but the 1400m will definitely be on the sharp side for him as he is a horse who will soon be looking for 2000m. There has also been a lot of talk about the Cape horses in the race.”

Meanwhile the yard’s Sansui Summer Cup favourite, the Triple Crown hero Louis The King, is in “very good” shape. He ran a flying 0,75 length third in the Charity Mile with topweight under Strydom and Woodruff said, “He has come along nicely since that run and will be ready for the day.”

Woodruff was not too concerned about Summer Cup entry Killua Castle’s 13 length sixth with joint topweight in the Gr 2 Victory Moon Stakes over 1800m on Saturday and said, “I can’t see the form of that race being too important as it came down in buckets just before the start and was run in a bog. We knew the more it rained the less chance he would have from that wide draw and with that weight. He ran a nice enough race and the main thing is that he came out of it well.”

Picture: JC Photos