Latest news with #JustinSnaith
The South African
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The South African
Justin Snaith scratches Sail The Seas from Hollywoodbets Durban July
Top Cape trainer Justin Snaith has scratched 3-year-old Sail The Seas from the 2025 Hollywoodbets Durban July. No reason for the scratching was given. Snaith still holds a strong hand in the field with a number of other entrants, including current race favourite Eight On Eighteen Hollywoodbets have priced Eight On Eighteen at 5/2 in the ante-post market. The Snaith yard have not won Africa's greatest race since Belgarion do so in 2020, rounding off a hat-trick that was launched in 2018 and 2019 by the iconic Do It Again. This year's R5 million Hollywoodbets Durban July over 2 200m will take place on Saturday, 5 July at Hollywoodbets Greyville. Second declarations close at 11:00 on Monday, 9 June Final supplementary entries close at 11:00 on Tuesday, 17 June, on which date the weights will be published Final Declarations close at 11:00 on Monday, 23 June Final field and draw announcement will take place on Tuesday, 24 June The official gallops will be held on Thursday 26 June A final field of 20 horses will be carded (18 + 2 Reserves) The reserves to be scratched by 08:15 on Friday, 4 July Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Citizen
26-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Dopamine aplenty on offer this weekend
Scottsville's sprint Jackpot pool is set to top R1.5 million. Like addictive drugs such as cocaine, heroin, nicotine and alcohol, gambling activates the brain's reward system, which is powered by dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter inside the brain that reinforces sensations of pleasure. That's what comes up if you ask Google why people gamble. Of course, we know that seeking too much pleasure reinforcement is unlikely to be good for us in the long run, so best be a tad careful with the dopamine fixes during this Champions Season at the racecourse. Health warning out of the way, on to the fun part: planning to scoop big Jackpot pools coming our way this weekend. Three carryovers totalling R700,000 will boost pools for Jackpot One wagers this coming Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Jackpot Ones at Fairview on Friday 30 May and at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Sunday 1 June will kick off with R100,000 carryovers, TAB announced on Monday. Between those two dates, the Jackpot One pool at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Saturday 30 June will get a weighty R500,000 carryover. The Scottsville meeting features four of South Africa's major sprint races, and they make up the four Jackpot One legs on the day. The four sprints, all over 1200m, comprise three Grade 1 contests and a Grade 2, with the R1.5 million Gold Medallion for two-year-olds heading the show. TAB predicts this pool will top R1.5 million, with the carryovers at Fairview and Kenilworth generating pools of more than R500,000. Down the line Looking a bit further ahead in the KwaZulu-Natal season, on Saturday 7 June punters will be able to bet into the huge Hong Kong Jockey Club World Pool tote on Races 7 to 10 at the Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge meeting, and on all races at the Epsom Derby meeting in the UK. In other good news for the patrons who keep cash churning through the system, the Pick 6 first-timer rule has been extended to include the Bipot – as seen at Greyville racecourse this past Saturday. Should first-timers finish first and second, the first horse to finish of those to have run before also qualifies for the Bipot. 'The purpose of applying the first-timer rule to the Bipot is to prevent customers from being disadvantaged by first-timers and will be welcomed by the many customers who have requested it apply to both the Pick 6 and Bipot,' said TAB. 'It should be noted that, in the Bipot, the first-timer rule does not apply in the event of a raced horse finishing first or second. 'As with the Pick 6, the first-timer rule only applies to Bipots on South African race meetings. In Quickmixes, it applies to South African races only.' Fields for the Scottsville sprints have been finalised. SA Fillies Sprint (draw, name, weight, MR, trainer, jockey) 1 Double Grand Slam 60 122 Justin Snaith Richard Fourie 2 Frozen Fantasy 58.5 99 Robyn Klaasen Kabelo Matsunyane 3 Symphony In White 58.5 105 Candice Bass-Robinson Andrew Fortune 4 Just Be Lekker 60 109 Candice Dawson Serino Moodley 5 Rascova 60 122 Sean Tarry Gavin Lerena 6 Chasing Happiness 60 112 J A Janse van Vuuren S'manga Khumalo 7 Mrs Browning 60 113 Sean Tarry Luyolo Mxothwa 8 Mia Moo 60 115 Sean Tarry Callan Murray 9 Whistle The Tune 58.5 105 Candice Dawson Calvin Habib 10 Asiye Phambili 60 116 Duncan Howells Sean Veale 11 Gimme A Shot 60 110 M G Azzie/A A Azzie Muzi Yeni 12 Mai Sensation 58.5 105 Lucinda Woodruff Juan Paul vd Merwe 13 Chrome Tourmaline 60 106 Fabian Habib Diego De Gouveia 14 Gimmie's Countess 58.5 107 Dean Kannemeyer Craig Zackey 15 Convocation 60 92 Gareth van Zyl Athandiwe Mgudlwa
The Citizen
21-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Vintage crop for Daily News 2000, but the sips are rather small
Good horses are dodging superstars at Greyville this weekend. Every year racing people pass personal judgements on the quality of the current three-year-old crop of horses. Are the sophomores better or worse than usual? There's seldom consensus; it's 'stronger' or 'weaker' on the spectrum. Occasionally, the young guns are 'exceptional' – like this year. Champion trainer Justin Snaith even went as far as to say the class of 2025 was the 'best ever'. Old gits point out that 1972 saw mighty clashes between Elevation, In Full Flight and Sentinel, but young Snaith's 'ever' was probably within the confines of the 21st century. It is indeed a brilliant crop for any era. From Snaith's yard alone, Eight On Eighteen, Sail The Seas and Okavango are already making marks in the history books. Count in other stables' stars like One Stripe, Fire Attack, Quid Pro Quo, Confederate, Fatal Flaw, Spumante Dolce and My Best Shot and you can't not be impressed. So, then, why are fields for the three-year-old Classic races so tiny? Seven horses for Daily News 2000 Only seven horses are due to line up for the Daily News 2000 at Greyville on Saturday. This is arguably the premier three-year-old contest in the country, with the prestige of Grade 1 status, a total purse of R2-million and valuable merit rating points on offer that could open doors to other important races. A couple of months ago, the Grade 1 Splashout Cape Derby only got five takers, prompting officials to reopen entries and scrape together another two participants. Earlier, the storied WSB Cape Guineas had six runners, and before that the Gauteng Guineas and SA Classic in Joburg had 11 horses each – dismal for a generation of horses just coming to the peak of their abilities. There have been some high-profile injuries reported, such as to Fire Attack and Sail The Seas, but one would then expect a clamour of wannabes for their places. South Africa's merit rating system has been blamed for the problem. There might be some truth in the argument that the Daily News 2000 is positioned close to the Hollywoodbets Durban July on the calendar and owners and trainers of up-and-coming horses prioritise that glamour event and are reluctant to incur heavy MR penalties that might disadvantage them in their quest for immortality. If that's true, and owners and trainers are eschewing the chance to win big money and big trophies, our racing scene is in a strange moment. Rich owners and top-level trainers are vitally important in keeping the game going, but perhaps we have reached the stage when stakes on offer have fallen so far behind the game that they've become of little consideration to the ultra-wealthy among us. Durban July The Durban July itself is also blamed by some. The fact that the country's biggest race is a handicap – with qualifications – is also cited as a reason for connections shying away from Classic clashes with highly rated opposition. No-one is yet suggesting the July change its essential DNA. Nonetheless, there is an argument for the July's conditions to be tweaked to make it a wee bit tougher for three-year-olds. Eight of the last 20 renewals have gone to three-year-olds and a high proportion of the remainder to lightly raced four-year-olds with low weights. Everyone is trying to get their nag selected for the final line-up with the lowest possible MR – and therefore a feather weight. That's clearly a major factor in the outcome and you'd imagine powers-that-be would want to even up the contest a bit and bring some of the country's top older horses back into the July reckoning. There might only be seven horses lining up at Greyville's 2000m mark on Saturday, but they will not be short on ability. Cape Town Met and Cape Derby winner Eight On Eighteen will be a banker for many punters. However, it should be remembered that young horses can improve quite suddenly and rivals such as Okavango, Spumante Dolce and Confederate could be ready to spring a surprise. Daily News 2000 betting 5-10 Eight On Eighteen 6-1 Confederate, Okavango 7-1 Spumante Dolce 10-1 Native Ruler 14-1 Parisian Walkway 40-1 Makazole
The Citizen
23-04-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
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
