Snaith retains W-Cape crown

OUTGOING National Champion Trainer Justin Snaith (pictured) was crowned Western Cape Champion Trainer again for the 2014/2015 season, having finished third on the national log, and he and his Cape Town colleagues had many memorable moments during the season.

Snaith is competitive but has always been magnanimous in defeat and he was the first to congratulate the new National Champion trainer Sean Tarry at the Equus Awards ceremony. Snaith, whose season's earning were R16,234,988, started the Cape Summer Of Champions Seasons well when Legislate broke the Kenilworth Old Course 1600m record in the Gr 2 Lanzerac le General Green Point Stakes.

However, the superstar colt then ran a shock last in Gr 1 L'Ormarin's Queen's Plate and was found to be suffering from a serious lung infection. Instead it was the Brett Crawford-trained Futura who won both the Queen's Plate and the Gr 1 J&B Met. Futura later joined the Snaith yard after a share in him was sold to Drakenstein Stud.

Legislate's eventual comeback was in the Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge and his victory there earned him the Equus Champion Miler award. He later finished third in both the Gr 1 Mercury Sprint and Gr 1 Champions Cup. Futura, fourth in the Gold Challenge, went on to finish fourth with topweight in the Vodacom Durban July before retaining his Champions Cup crown, although the latter event did officially fall in the new season.

Futura was named both Equus and Western Cape Horse Of The Year.

On top of those two Gr 1 wins, the Snaith yard won five Gr 2s, seven Gr 3s and nine Listed races.

Mike Bass earned stakes of R12,136,938 for fourth place on the national log. His yard had the highest earnings (over R10 million) in races held in the Western Cape region. The yard's mare Hammie's Hooker retained her Gr 2 Tibouchina crown, having earlier won a Gr 3, and she was named Equus Champion Older Female. However, her stablemate Fly By Night was named Western Cape Champion Older Female, as well as Champion Sprinter. The latter won the Gr 2 Tony Taberer Southern Cross Stakes and had a Gr 1 third and fourth and a Gr 2 third.

However, the stable star for the season was the three-year-old filly Inara, who won both the Gr 1 Maine Chance Farms Paddock Stakes and the Gr 1 Klawervlei Majorca Stakes, having finished runner up in the Gr 1 Avontuur Estate Cape Fillies Guineas. She had a disappointing Champions Season, but was named Western Cape Champion three-year-old filly. Bass overall won two Gr 1s, four Gr 2s, three Gr 3s and five Listed races (although one of the latter was at the postponed Super Saturday meeting).

Joey Ramsden finished fifth on the national with earnings of R10,825,900. His charges Act Of War and Coltrane were named Western Cape Three-Year-Old Male and Champion Stayer Of The Year respectively.

Act Of War won his first three races of the season, the Gr 3 Cape Classic over 1400m, the Gr 2 Selangor Cup and the Gr 1 Grand Parade Cape Guineas. His defeat in the Gr 1 Investec Cape Derby, when below par and possibly not staying the 2000m trip, probably cost him an Equus Award. He later won the Gr 3 Tekkie Town Winter Guineas. Coltrane won four races during the season including two Gr 3 staying events in cape Town. He was given the award ahead of his stablemate Disco Al, who won a Gr 2 over 2400m as well as a Gr 3 over 2000m. Ramsden's crack three-year-old filly Cold As Ice unfortunately broke through the stalls and bolted before the Cape Fillies Guineas having previously won the Gr 2 Choice Carriers Championship impressively.

She went on to win the Listed Laisserfaire Stakes and the Gr 2 Sceptre Stakes before being touched off in the Majorca. Another Ramsden three-year-old, The Conglomerate, won the Gr 3 Politician Stakes, the GR 2 KRA Guineas and then finished third in the GR 1 Daily News 2000 before being unlucky in the July. Overall Ramsden won one Gr 1, six Gr 2s (including one on Super Saturday), nine Gr 3s, three Listed races and one Non-Black Type event.

Dean Kannemeyer finished ninth on the national log with earnings of R7,175,088.

The highlight was Power King's July victory, Kannemeyer's third win of the country's premier race. Kannmeyer, whose reopened KZN satellite yard had a tremendous strike rate, also won one a Gr 3, a Listed race and two Non-Black Type events..

Brett Crawford finished tenth on the national log and has cemented himself as a top tier trainer just five seasons after going on his own. Futura provided the highlight by winning Cape Town's two biggest races, the Queen's Plate and the Met. Crawford took the subsequent decision by the connections to move Futura in his stride. The yard also won the Gr 1 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes with Captain America and in KZN Alexis won the Gr 2 KRA Fillies Guineas, while Gulf Storm won a Listed race before finishing runner up in the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Sprint. Glen Kotzen finished 15th on the log with earnings of R6,375,050 and won three G 3s, three Listed races and two Non-Black Type events.

His filly Princess Royal was named Western Cape Two-year-old filly Of The Year.

Vaughan Marshall finished in 22nd position on the national log with earnings of R4,584,338 and won two Listed races and a Non-Black Type event.

Stan Elley ended his 41 year career as a trainer on a high note, finishing first and third in the Gr 2 Betting World 1900 with Dynastic Power and Punta Arenas, and the latter then went on to win the Gr 3 Cup Trial before finishing a possibly unlucky second in the July. Elley also won a Listed race. Adam Marcus won a Gr 3 and a Listed race, Glen Puller and Ronnie Sheehan each won a Gr 3, Daryl Hodgson won two Listed races and Eric Sands, Neil Bruss and Paddy Kruyer each won a Listed event apiece.