Former National Champion Trainer Justin Snaith will be arriving at Summerveld in about a week’s time with an SA Champions Season string of 22, which he said would be one of the strongest teams he had ever sent to KZN.

Snaith said a decision had been taken halfway through the Cape Summer to rest some of the yard’s top horses and save them for the Champions Season, because little had been going right for the yard at the time. There is nowhere to gallop horses on the grass in Cape Town at present, so the string will arrive in KZN earlier than usual in order to make use of the Summerveld grass. Snaith will have a strong hand in the Vodacom Durban July.

Justin Snaith(Left) Bela-Bela(Right) – Tracy Robertson

The like of It’s My Turn, Black Arthur, Elusive Silva, Zodiac Ruler, Prince Of Wales and Star Express will likely be among the yard’s entries. It’s My Turn, a Dynasty gelding who won last season’s Gr 1 Investec Cape Derby and finished fourth in the July, had a fair Cape Summer Of Champions Season. He finished a 2,4 length third to subsequent Sun Met winner Whisky Baron in the Gr 2 Peninsula Handicap over 1800m, despite giving the latter 1kg. He then finished a 5,6 length eighth in the Met, where he carried a 2kg Gr 1 penalty. He had few excuses in the Met, although could have got closer if not having to be switched inward. His connections will be glad to hear Whisky Baron is off overseas and that Met fourth-placed Gold Standard is unlikely to make it to KZN in time for the July.

Snaith said the Silvano four-year-old Black Arthur, who came from last to win the Gr 2 Canon Guineas last year before finishing seventh in the July, had done “very well” with a recent rest and gelding. It’s My Turn and Black Arthur are merit rated 106 and 104 respectively, a nice base from which to work.

Elusive Silva, a Silvano colt who has been rested since winning the Gr 3 Winter Derby over 2400m at Kenilworth last June, is merit rated only 93. However, he is described as a “very nice horse” by Snaith. He certainly showed a fantastic turn of foot in his Winter Derby win, coming from near last in a slow run race. He beat none other than Whisky Baron by 3,15 lengths, although that was the latter’s final run before career-transforming gelding.

Zodiac Ruler is an Australian-bred by Zoffany who showed his liking for Greyville last year by winning the Gr 2 Durban Golden Horseshoe over 1400m. He finished runner up in this year’s Cape Derby. He set the pace and fought back after being overtaken in the straight, so will get the July trip.

Prince Of Wales is a four-year-old gelding by Dynasty who has been rested since running an eye-catching one length fourth in the Gr 2 Premier Trophy over 1800m. He looks to be a horse to follow.

Zodiac Ruler (Nkosi Hlophe)

Star Express, a four-year-old Silvano mare, finished strongly for a narrow second in the Gr 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes over 1600m on Met day. She has won easily over 2000m before, so can go for either the July or the Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes.

Meanwhile, the yard’s champion filly Bela-Bela’s inclusion in the string is still to be finalised. It is likely she will be going to KZN and it will be no surprise to see her avoiding the July this year in favour of the Garden Province. The yard will be well represented in the sprint division by Sergeant Hardy and Bishop’s Bounty, as well as the filly Jo’s Bond. The admirable pair Krambambuli and Ovidio, first and third in the Gr 2 Cape Stayers over 2800m on Met day, head the staying team along with Listed Settler’s Trophy-winning filly Francia.

Copper Force, a Royal Air Force gelding who finished second in the US$500,000 CTS Mile, is described by Snaith as a “very nice horse and one to watch.” He will take part in the three-year-old classics. Gimmethegreenlight filly Gimme Six, third in the Prix du Cap, will go for the Fillies classics. Dynasty filly Qing disappointed the yard during the summer, but will be tried in fillies staying features during the Champions Season.

Snaith only brings two two-year-olds. Sir Frenchie is an Australian-bred speedster by Choisir, who has won two out of three starts. Captain Al filly Esteemal is described by Snaith as “the right type of horse for Durban.” The Snaiths will be using their facebook to provide the public with information per runner before every meeting.

By David Thiselton

One of the most famous traditional moments in sport is the roar which greets the off of the opening race of the annual Cheltenham Festival, the Gr 1 Supreme Novices Hurdle.

Ruby Walsh (www.honestbettingreviews.com)

It will be heard today (Tuesday) at 15h30 South African time live on Tellytrack. The Festival is anticipated for months each season and there can be no other race meeting in the world which generates such excitement and emotion. The opening roar is like a pressure valve release to acknowledge the end of the talking and the beginning of four days of spectacular action.

The Supreme Novice’s Hurdle is one of the meetings most analysed races due to its position on the program. Ruby Walsh and his guv’nor Willie Mullins have each won this race a record six-times. Walsh has won five of the last seven renewals, four of them for Mullins.

This year Mullins has four of the fourteen entries in the two mile and half-a-furlong event. Walsh was yet to have committed to a ride by the time of going to press. However, Mullins expected him to choose Melon, a French-bred five-year-old gelding by Medicean.

Melon won one race on the flat over a mile-and-a-half and won his only hurdles race over two miles at Leopardstown by ten lengths and did it easily.

Tipster Lewis Jones said about Melon, “Mullins has been unusually bullish, going on record stating that he’s well ahead of stablemate Bunk Off Early in terms of homework, which backs up the Autumn vibes that this horse blitzes the gallops at Closutton.”

By David Thiselton

Brutal Force, who returned to winning form in the Vasco Food Trucks Pinnacle at Kenilworth 17 days ago, has been sent to Johannesburg to campaign in sprints there.

Joey Ramsden (Nkosi Hlophe)

Joey Ramsden said: “He won a nice race that day considering he had had a wind-op as well as a life-saving operation for colic, and I thought it was a good effort for a horse who can get up to 600kg.

“With him it’s just a question of freshening him up once he is fit but there are some good sprinters around this year whereas last year I thought that, with the exception of Red Ray, they were mostly moderate.”

The Milnerton trainer has also sent the well bred three-year-old Pillar Of Hercules, third the Sophomore Sprint two months ago, with Brutal Force as well as the filly Captain Gambler who took on the colts in the Investec Cape Derby and beat all except Edict Of Nantes and Zodiac Ruler.

Ramsden said: “She is going to have a crack at the (Wilgerbosdrift) SA Oaks. The Gauteng Fillies Guineas would have been too short for her and the Fillies Classic will probably be so too but the Oaks is her target.”

By Michael Clower

The KZN Breeders Club are always looking for innovative ways to encourage the purchase of KZN-bred horses and have come up with a new concept labelled “Levelling the playing fields”.

‘Levelling the playing fields’ is a R1 million incentive scheme for horses bred in the province and who have a gross merit rating of 78 or less, giving horses at the lower end of the handicap scale a chance of earning good money for their connections.

In a unique concept, trainers are invited to nominate ONE horse in their yard that meets all the criteria for participation.

General rules are that the horse nominated is KZN bred in terms of the rules of the KZN Breeders’ Club rules.

It must have a gross merit rating of 78 or less at the time of entry and has had a minimum of five runs at time of entry so their form is well exposed.

Races will be run over 1200m, 1400m, and 1600m with the final run over 1400m. All races will be on the turf and to win the series the horse will need to be versatile and sound.

A maximum of 30 horses will compete in each of rounds 1,2 and 3 with each round split into two groups of 15 horses – this will be done by ballot.

Riders will also be drawn by ballot and apprentice allowances may be claimed, including in the final.

Weights range between 63kg and 57kgs. MR’s 78 to 76 to carry 63kgs with 1kg off for every three merit rating points to bottom weight of 57kg for horses with ratings 60 and below.

Round 1 will see two races run over 1200m at Scottsville, followed by two races over 1400m at the same venue and two races over 1600m also at Scottsville. Each of these races will carry a R100 000 stake. The final over 1400m will be run at Greyville for a stake of R200 000.

Entry is free but will be restricted to 30 horses and eliminations will be from the lowest meriting rating upwards.

If a horse’s MR is raised above 78 after the series has begun, that horse will continue to be eligible for the entire series but will carry top weight of 63kgs.

An added incentive is that each of the owner, trainer and breeder will be eligible for a R50 000 bonus along with the jockey who accumulates the most points over the series.

Entries close at noon this Friday, March 17.

By Andrew Harrison

The Vaal has a nine race meeting tomorrow on the Classic Track and there look to be some fair opportunities for punters.

Muntahaa is selected as the best bet on the card. He runs in the third over 1700m and this good looking horse should relish the step up in trip from a good draw. In his last race over 1600m he had to be used up early to go handy from a wide draw and was then left flat footed at the business end. However, he was staying on nicely at the line. He now has a good draw in an uninspiring field and should outclass them.

Piere Strydom

The value bet of the day is Fish River Canyon in the last over 1500m. She over raced slightly when sent to the front from a wide draw over 1800m last time. However, she was soon in the box seat after others had gone around her. She then found a nice turn of foot to hit the front 400m out. However, she was run out of it late. By all accounts she should enjoy the step down in trip from a good draw off her competitive current merit rating.

In the first over 1000m De Nimes has generally had long gaps between runs, so has her issues, but she has talent. Last time she met a firecracker in Gratuity, but ran on well after a slow start. The lightly raced five-year-old by Fort Beluga should have come on from the run, so should confirm form with the main danger, Gotoluvher.

In the next over 1000m Twinkle Town is a nice looking type, who ran on well last time after a slow start over this trip. The only two concerns are her returning from a three month layoff and whether she can beat Street Life. The latter’s form on paper looks weaker, but she was not given a good ride last time over 1200m and could improve.

In the fourth race over 1700m, Half A Bar will be hard to beat if he settles. The zip he showed with first-time pacifiers on over 1400m last time is a slight concern over this further trip, because the headgear stays on. On the other hand he has pole position, which will give him every chance of finding cover. If settling he should mow them down as he has been thereabouts over 1600m and 1800m before, albeit without pacifiers.

In the fifth over 2000m, Arlington over raced over 1800m in his penultimate start with blinkers on. However, he still still finished quite close up, so considering his good turn of foot he is interesting here over 2000m with the blinkers now off and jumping from pole position.

My Treasure also makes some appeal from a good draw in the eighth over 1500m as he has turned the corner since blinkers were fitted. He can be excused his disappointing third last time as the saddle slipped. Piere Strydom has remained aboard, which is significant.

By David Thiselton