Dean Kannemeyer, 25 Grade 1 winners already in the bag including the Durban July three times, goes into battle with 90 horses this season.

He said: “I have 30 two-year-olds coming in and, while 25 of the string will stay in Durban, I am bringing back 20 horses to Cape Town next month. October 2 is the earliest they can come back into the free zone as this will be 40 days after their last shot.

Justin Snaith

“I haven’t had any boom horses in the last year but I particularly like Last Winter. He won his only start at Greyville at two and I thought he would be a classic horse last season but he kicked a wall and suffered a hairline fracture of his pedal bone.

“He came back to win his first two at Scottsville in May and July (both mile handicaps) and I think he has a very bright future. I haven’t exposed him yet – I have tried to do the right thing with him – but he is well bred (by Western Winter out of the 2009 Cape Fillies Guineas winner Field Flower) and he has a lot of potential.”

Andre Nel has the Maine Chance Farms Paddock Stakes on January 6 as the ultimate objective for Igugu’s half-sister Ngaga who won her first three starts before finishing second in both the Stormsvlei Mile and the Ladies Mile.

Nel said: “She is having a break at the moment but we are going to put a bit more pressure on her this season. She is prone to niggly little problems and so we were easy on her during the winter.”

Saturday week’s Settlers Trophy has attracted 15 entries and Justin Snaith has already accepted with three for the mile and a half Durbanville feature – Arezzo (Bernard Fayd’Herbe) who won the race in 2015, One Direction (Richard Fourie) and Cigar Boy. Snaith is bidding for his fifth Settlers victory.

By Michael Clower