Snowdance: a filly to outrun colts
“A good colt will always beat a good filly” is a racing myth that has been debunked so often one wonders where it originated.
In recent years three-yearold Igugu won the Durban July, four-year-old Smart Call won the Sun Met and last January three-year-old Oh Susanna became the first of her age to win the Met in over 100 years when she defeated the best colts and geldings in the land.
Not forgetting, too, that the Australian wonder mare Winx is at present the world’s highest rated racehorse.
Oh Susanna’s stable companion Snowdance is considered to be even better than the Met winner. When they crossed swords in the grade 1 Cape Fillies Guineas, Snowdance had her measure by three lengths.
This is the kind of performance that will make Snowdance hard to beat in Saturday’s grade1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge over 1,600m at Greyville, especially since Oh Susanna franked their form again with a
win in last weekend’s grade 1 Woolavington Stakes.
Justin Snaith, who trains Snowdance, said she was not at her peak in preparation for the Gold Challenge.
She ran a big race all the same, just touched off by Fiorella, which led the trainer to reflect: “Snowdance didn’t take well to being under the lights for the first time, it freaked her out a bit especially in the parade ring. The colts had better watch out next time.”
The connections of Snowdance can expect opposition from relentless galloper Captain America, who won the 2017 Gold Challenge when he made the pace and kept running well. Since Snowdance also likes to race handy, an interesting contest looms.
There are five other features on the Greyville programme,
including the grade 3 Cup Trial in which Durban July hopefuls African Night Sky and Platinum Prince will have their final warm-up runs.