Firstly it will give him a base from which to target the big races in Johannesburg. Secondly, it will alleviate a problem of importing horses. The arduous journey horses must undergo when being exported from South Africa, due to African Horse Sickness (AHS), has been viewed as one of the country’s biggest horseracing problems, but Cape Town trainers also face a problem importing. A direct flight to Cape Town solves the problem but can only be done at enormous expense.

The alternative route is via Johannesburg. Upon arriving horses have to be given AHS vaccinations and then complete one month of quarantine.A horse can only enter the Western Cape’s AHS Controlled zone 60 days after the last vaccine. Hence, it is usually about three months before an imported horse destined for the Cape can reach its destination.

The normal route is via Port Elizabeth, where horses need to stay for about two months. Snaith’s new yard should help alleviate this problem.

Meanwhile, Snaith’s Vodacom Durban July winner Legislate has been doing “very well” and will be ready to gallop soon. He added, “The July took a lot out of him and he has recovered completely (from both the exertion and the lameness in his near fore), but it took months. The Dynasty colt’s main targets this season are the L’Ormarin’s Queen’s Plate and the J&B Met.