Snaith chooses Guineas for Met champ Eight On Eighteen
All the stars out early in KZN season.
The winter racing season in KwaZulu-Natal is set for a rousing start at Greyville on the first Saturday of May, with early entries for Guineas day pitching most of the country's best racehorses into action.
Gimme A Prince, South Africa's top-rated horse, tops the list for the Drill Hall Stakes, a storied race that's always been closely linked to thinking about the country's premier contest, the Hollywoodbets Durban July.
Unfortunately for trainer Dean Kannemeyer, Gimme A Prince has drawn wide at 19 and racing fans will have to wait and see if the brilliant gelding stands his ground for the Grade 2, 1400m contest.
Put up against him are a phalanx of big names: Equus Horse of the Year Dave The King; smart Cape Town sprinter Café Culture; Joburg raiders Main Defender, Cousin Casey and Barbaresco; local heroes See It Again and Gladatorian … and plenty more.
Three-year-old Eight On Eighteen, winner of this year's Cape Town Met and Cape Derby, is among the Drill Hall nominations, but his trainer Justin Snaith has already accepted for the colt to run in the WSB Guineas on the same card.
Both races are Grade 2s carrying R750,000 purses, but the Guineas is over 1600m, which better suits the youngster at this stage.
Snaith's Drill Hall combatants will be Royal Aussie and Great Plains, both of whom could end up in the July line-up. The champion trainer's back-up to Eight On Eighteen in the Guineas is the improving Sail The Seas, who we're likely to hear a lot more about in the coming months.
The main threat to the Snaith pair in the Guineas will come from a trio of Highveld visitors: Sean Tarry-trained Cosmic Speed and Legend Of Arthur, and Alec Laird's Fire Attack.
ENTRIES
[draw, name, (age&sex), weight, MR, equipment, trainer]
Independent On Saturday Drill Hall Stakes
19 Gimme A Prince (6G) 60 134 A Dean Kannemeyer
16 Dave The King (5G) 60 128 A Mike / Mathew de Kock
24 Purple Pitcher (4C) 60 123 BA Robyn Klaasen
21 Main Defender (4G) 58.5 130 A Tony Peter
1 Cafe Culture (5G) 58.5 128 A Lucinda Woodruff
3 Royal Aussie (5G) 58.5 124 BA Justin Snaith
27 Outlaw King (4G) 58.5 110 A Dean Kannemeyer
5 Eight On Eighteen (3C) 58 127 A Justin Snaith
13 Cosmic Speed (3G) 58 125 A Sean Tarry
14 Montien (5G) 57 129 A Piet Botha
2 See It Again (5G) 57 127 A Michael Roberts
26 Cousin Casey (5H) 57 125 A Sean Tarry
8 Barbaresco (4G) 57 124 ATe J A Janse van Vuuren
10 Questioning (4G) 57 124 BA Vaughan Marshall
6 Gladatorian (5G) 57 123 AT Stuart Ferrie
25 The Real Prince (4G) 57 118 A Dean Kannemeyer
15 Texas Red (5G) 57 115 A Robyn Klaasen
18 Anfields Rocket (5G) 57 113 A Trevor Brown
20 Diani (5G) 57 103 A Dennis Bosch
11 Cats Pajamas (3G) 56.5 115 A Frank Robinson
9 Red Palace (4F) 56 119 A Dean Kannemeyer
23 White Pearl (4F) 56 114 A Mike / Mathew de Kock
17 Winds Of Change (3C) 55 121 AT M G Azzie/A A Azzie
4 Great Plains (3G) 55 112 A Justin Snaith
22 Sail The Seas (3C) 55 112 A Justin Snaith
7 Oxalis Gold (3F) 52.5 107 A Mike / Mathew de Kock
12 Khethiwe's Destiny (3F) 52.5 100 A Mike / Mathew de Kock
WSB Guineas
11 Eight On Eighteen (3C) 60 127 A Justin Snaith
10 Fire Attack (3C) 60 126 A Alec Laird
8 Cosmic Speed (3G) 60 125 A Sean Tarry
12 Legend Of Arthur (3C) 60 117 HA Sean Tarry
18 Cats Pajamas (3G) 60 115 A Frank Robinson
4 Great Plains (3G) 60 112 A Justin Snaith
6 Sail The Seas (3C) 60 112 A Justin Snaith
9 Musical Score (3G) 60 108 A Lucky Houdalakis
14 On My Honour (3G) 60 108 A Glen Kotzen
15 Royal Force (3G) 60 104 A Lucky Houdalakis
17 Field Marshal (3G) 60 102 A Frank Robinson
13 Legal Counsel (3G) 60 98 A Justin Snaith
7 Zeitz (3C) 60 97 BA Andre Nel
1 Jp's Palace (3G) 60 91 A Darryl Moore
3 Dance King (3G) 60 89 A Weichong Marwing
16 World Of Our Own (3G) 60 86 A Alyson Wright
2 Vj's Angel (3F) 57.5 119 A Tony Peter
5 Give Me Everything (3F) 57.5 103 A Dean Kannemeyer
19 Frozen Fantasy (3F) 57.5 99 A Robyn Klaasen
WSB Fillies Guineas
19 Spumante Dolce (3F) 60 119 AT Mike / Mathew de Kock
2 Vj's Angel (3F) 60 119 A Tony Peter
16 Scarlet Macaw (3F) 60 110 A Candice Bass-Robinson
3 Mon Petit Cherie (3F) 60 108 A BJ Crawford/JI Crawford
23 Little Suzie (3F) 60 107 A Justin Snaith
14 Oxalis Gold (3F) 60 107 A Mike / Mathew de Kock
15 Be Merry (3F) 60 104 A Justin Snaith
22 Green Sapphire (3F) 60 104 A Sean Tarry
24 Give Me Everything (3F) 60 103 A Dean Kannemeyer
17 Gimmefabulous (3F) 60 102 HA e M G Azzie/A A Azzie
7 Miss Scaletta (3F) 60 102 A Paul Matchett
5 Khethiwe's Destiny (3F) 60 100 A Mike / Mathew de Kock
9 Regeneration (3F) 60 100 A e Robbie Hill
10 Frozen Fantasy (3F) 60 99 A Robyn Klaasen
6 Jeanne Darc (3F) 60 99 A Stuart Ferrie
21 Lock And Key (3F) 60 98 A Glen Kotzen
1 Too Late My Mate (3F) 60 97 A Alec Laird
11 Magical View (3F) 60 96 AT Michael Miller
8 Mocha Blend (3F) 60 94 A Frank Robinson
4 Disting (3F) 60 92 BATe Glen Kotzen
13 Blind Ambition (3F) 60 91 BA Brett Webber
20 Goodnessgraciousme (3F) 60 91 A Justin Snaith
12 Two G's (3F) 60 89 A Gareth van Zyl
25 Glamorous Lady (3F) 60 85 A Weichong Marwing
18 One Path (3F) 60 79 A Frank Robinson
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