Take notice of Frank Lloyd Wright

JUSTIN SNAITH’S long-awaited first two-year-old winner of the season looks like finally materialising shortly after noon tomorrow when Frank Lloyd Wright stands out in the opening Glasfit Maiden Juvenile at Kenilworth.

The former champion trainer, still over R5 million clear of Sean Tarry at the top of the national log, has run 16 juveniles in 29 Cape Town races with ten making the frame. Significantly, though, only two of his runners started favourite and he didn’t have a single runner in the Met day Listed race that he used to farm year after year.

Frank Lloyd Wright, though, has all the makings of a nailed-on winner and the American architect after whom the horse is named could hardly have designed a more suitable race for Grant van Niekerk’s mount.

None of his four opponents that have raced has finished closer than sixth and only one of the seven newcomers is priced in single figures.

In addition there is considerable stable confidence behind the R3.25 million Captain Al and Jonathan Snaith suggests that punters include him in all relevant bets, adding: “He is a serious horse and he will take a power of beating.”

Certainly there was a lot to like about his debut run at the end of February.

He started joint second favourite in a field of 14 and, despite running green, he was only beaten a head by the experienced Sailor Sam. Two of those behind have won since to frank the form.

He opened at what looked a reasonable 8-10 with World Sports Betting on Wednesday and has since tightened a fraction to 15-20.

Second favourite at 6-1 is Machiavelli, a Silvano newcomer in the Shirtliff colours and trained by Candice BassRobinson whose two-year-olds are particularly strong this season.

Mr Crumford

Mr Crumford (9-1), squeezed out at the start when only sixth of eight at Durbanville, is the only other in single figures and he wasn’t fancied on debut.

There is no Snaith runner in the other juvenile race, the Suburban Motor Spares Maiden, but with Vaughan Marshall in such form, it could pay to go for newcomer Sherwood Forest a, R200 000 Philanthropist colt out of a half-sister to the top sprinter (in England and Dubai as well as South Africa) National Colour.

Perhaps significantly this one carries the same colours as One World and Zinedine and is 2-1 favourite with fellow first-timer Rainbow Bridge next at 9-2.

Many punters will be looking for something to floor Legal Eagle, particularly at 4-10, in the Horse Chestnut Stakes after the way he ran in the Sun Met.

But he has never been beaten in eight runs over a mile and it seems folly to bet against him over this distance until he meets his Waterloo.