Snaith’s charges primed
JUSTIN SNAITH explained the disappointing run of Grade 1 winner Sergeant Hardy last Saturday before talking about his runners in Saturday’s big meeting at Greyville where he saddles the favourites for both the Daily News 2000 and Woolavington 2000, Do It Again and Oh Susanna respectively.
Sergeant Hardy has a habit of jumping left and on this occasion Snaith said, “He over-reacted as usual when the pens opened, went left and a horse (isca) hit him sideways. That was his race gone right there.”
Fayd’Herbe
Bernard Fayd’Herbe had already been pulling on the right rein in an attempt to straighten him and when the horse hit him the force on the right side of his mouth must have been doubled and the inside of the mouth on that side was cut.
“That was why he took off to the left rail,” explained Snaith.
“Because of his cut mouth I have had to scrap the original plan to run him in the Post Merchants and will now have to wait for the Mercury Sprint.”
Snaith said in all of his pre-race comments he had pointed out Sergeant Hardy had still been recovering from his trip to Johannesburg and the Scottsville race was not ever going to be his peak event.
Sergeant Hardy drifted alarmingly in the betting and from odds-on eventually started 17-10.
Snaith said it would be hard for the horses whom Do It Again beat in the Grade 2 Daisy Guineas to reverse form in the Grade 1 Daily News over 2 000m as this was “his trip.” He added, “He is doing well and everything has gone according to plan. He is spot on. Its very competitive and very good horses are taking part, I will be particularly interested to see how Tap O’Noth runs as he is a high quality horse.”
Sun Met winner Oh Susanna is at cramped odds for the Grade 1 Woolavington. Snaith said the crack in her heel, which forced her to miss the Daisy Fillies Guineas, had grown out and he reckoned she would be at her best. He concluded, “She is doing well and is fit and ready.”
He also runs Silvano filly Miyabi Gold in the Woolavington and said, “She is a half-sister to Ultimate Dollar and I'm hoping she finishes in the first three, but it will be tough. She is a high quality young horse and she wouldn't be in the race if I didn’t think she was good enough. She will be running on strongly.” Snaith runs Captain Splendid, Strathdon and Made To Conquer in the Grade 3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup over 2400m.
Captain Splendid
Captain Splendid defends his crown here and he said, “He is the dark horse, he needed his last run and considering he got bumped it wasn’t a bad run at all. “He has come out of that race well and is ready.” “Strathdon was very unlucky in that race (WSB 1900).
“The jockey was battling to hold It's My Turn and he bumped Strathdon three wide and he then had to loop the field, so a line can be drawn through that run.”
“Made To Conquer should run his usual consistent race, although I am a little bit worried about the second run after a layoff syndrome so am not as confident as normal.
“But if he runs well here he will be a contender in any race, he is high quality and will get every bit of the 2 400m.”
One Direction runs in the fourth race over 1 900m and he said, “He is doing very well and will fight out the finish, it just depends on whether Silva’s Bullet comes back to form, he is high quality and I just wish he wasn’t in the race.”
He runs Captain Courteous in race eight over 1 400m and said, “He is doing very well at home and had a very good first run in KZN.
“He should fight out the finish.”