The Cheveley-bred Dynasty colt has clearly come on considerably since last season and he fairly strode away when Richard Fourie pressed the button over a furlong out. He scored by three and a half lengths with the 2-1 favourite’s rider glancing right for non-existent dangers and patting him down the neck.
Almost three hours of load-shedding played a part in no times being recorded for four of the nine races but, fortunately for posterity, the clock was working for this one and Legislate’s 1 min 35.84 sec took more than a third of a second off Counter Action’s 1995 record.
Fourie said: “He needed this – he was blowing quite hard coming back – but he is a brilliant horse and he is by far the best I have ever ridden. He has improved so much and he knows he is now the best. You could tell that from the way he was standing proud at the back of the pens.”
Justin Snaith, like Fourie winning his first Green Point, scored twice in South Africa’s 7-4 defeat of the French polo team and he immediately rang from India to congratulate Jack Mitchell and Gaynor Rupert who own the four-year-old in partnership with Dennis Evans.
Younger brother Jonathan said: “We have a superstar horse and I couldn’t see anything beating him. We were very confident.”
Nobody more so than his father Chris who, looking up at the roof of the stands, grinned and said: “At least I haven’t got to jump now! He is a better horse than he was last season and he won’t run again before the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate. Then he goes for the J & B Met, and that’s it.”
The surprise packet was 16-1 shot Ashton Park who finished second and Mike Bass said: “He has been scatty and difficult to train but he is now improving all the time. He will go for the Queen’s Plate and before that he will probably join the rest of mine in the Diadem.”
Brett Crawford was understandably pleased with the way Futura ran on into third and also with the return of Captain America who seemed to settle in front. The Philippi trainer said: “Both run in the Queen’s Plate. Futura will go straight there but Captain America might run in the Jet Master on 20 December.”
Afrikaburn, who again lost ground at the start, managed only seventh but there were excuses even though the course vet could find nothing wrong. Gerrit Schlechter, who had to get down to work at halfway, reported that his mount was continually changing stride. Dean Kannemeyer, preferring to draw on the positives, said: “He stayed on all the way to the line and finished only two lengths off the July third. This was a good test and his next race will be the Guineas.”
Pictures: Liesl King
