3 minute read
Trainer Justin Snaith feels he has everything is set up for a very competitive Cape Sizzling Summer Season with a number of contenders for the big prizes.
Photo by Liesl King
His two-year-old filly Agra was the first of Trippi’s local progeny to confirm that this stallion’s huge import price had been worth every penny.
She was an easy winner of her two starts last season over 900m and 1000m respectively but unfortunately chipped a knee when winning the Listed Schweppes Summer Juvenile Stakes on J&B Met day.
Snaith said the knee chip had come out easily in the surgery and she had recovered well.
“She is very well,” he said. “She had a recent gallop and beat some nice horses which proved she has trained on. She is looking good and is ready for the summer."
Her target will be the G2 Southern Cross Stakes over 1000m at Kenilworth on December 8 with Snaith planning a run before in an Allowance Plate.
Races like the G2 Graham Beck Sceptre Stakes over 1200m on December 29 and the G1 SA Fillies Sprint over 1200m at Scottsville in May will be suitable races for her later on.
Snaith said his top class five-year-old mare Ebony Flyer was very well and he wished he could find a race for her now, but was battling to do so.
He said that Bernard Fayd’herbe would likely retain the ride on her for the Cape Sizzling Summer Season, despite Felix Coetzee being the chief stable jockey.
“Bernard knows her and I don’t like chopping and changing riders,": Snaith said.
Snaith said that the five-year-old Dynasty entire Run For It had recovered from his injury suffered in Johannesburg and was “exceptionally well”.
“He is looking magnificent,” said Snaith.
Run For It was an unlucky fourth in the G1 J&B Met last season when interfered with and baulked for a run. The Met will be his main target again.
Snaith regards the three-year-old colt Changingoftheguard as a horse for the public to follow.
“He was extremely shin sore after the Cape Derby and we rested him after that," he said.
Snaith also regards the three-year-old Jet Master filly Sold Sister as having classic potential.
She won her penultimate start, a maiden juvenile plate over 1200m at Kenilworth, in impressive style and the form has worked out well.
She broke blood vessels in her next start in a feature at Fairview in June where she started odds on favourite and will soon complete her automatic three month suspension.
Snaith was undecided on his best classic three-year-old males prospects as he reckons a lot of them were still “quite backward.”
However one he mentioned was Cigar Boy, who to date has won one race in four starts and is merit rated 80.