Justin Snaith is now chasing the July legends
Six months ago I went to Justin and told him that Belgarion was the horse I wanted to ride. This race has been a year in the making ... We had a plan
● Trainer Justin Snaith took another step closer to the land of SA racing giants when he won the country’s biggest horse-racing event, the Vodacom Durban July, for the fifth time yesterday.
He did so with the well-fancied Belgarion, who produced a blistering finish down the home straight, while the nation’s favourite, Do It Again, ran third.
Both Snaith runners had the worst of the draws, in stall gates 17 and 18, for the Greyville 2,200m event, but both ran their hearts out.
Snaith hat-trick
Snaith completed his hat-trick of victories in the race, while jockey Richard Fourie was triumphant for a third time, having ridden Do It Again last year.
This year he was given the choice of Snaith’s five runners in the 18-strong field, but there had never been a doubt in his mind which one he wanted to be aboard.
“Six months ago I went to Justin and told him that Belgarion was the horse I wanted to ride. This race has been a year in the making. I knew that he had a bad draw but we had a plan.”
Rainbow Bridge, the ultra-consistent gelding who had never been out of the placings in 16 previous starts and was second last year, started tote favourite but faded in the straight and finished sixth.
For the first time in its 124-year history the event was run behind closed doors, given the restrictions relating to the Covid-19 pandemic.
During the build-up Belgarion was the 4-1 favourite, but on the day the money came for Rainbow Bridge who started at 4-1, with Belgarion easing out to 93-20, and Bunker Hunt at 7-1, Do It Again at 15-2 and Got The Greenlight at 17-2.
Though the start was slightly delayed due to Twist Of Fate having to be fitted with new front shoes — never a good omen and so it proved as he tailed off last — once the gates opened the race took a predictable shape.
The filly Silvano’s Pride hared off to the front, followed by Golden Ducat, Twist Of Fate, with Rainbow Bridge and Padre Pio.
First July ride
Serino Moodley, having his first ride in the July, opened up a gap of six lengths on the field, which meant that Do It Again and Got The Greenlight were more than a dozen lengths behind, while Belgarion was 20 lengths back. “I never panicked,” Fourie said.
When the field turned for home with 450m left, Rainbow Bridge hit the front. His younger stablemate Golden Ducat refused to go away, while Do It Again was running on down the outside with Belgarion and Got The Greenlight. Belgarion hit the front with 100m left and showed heart to fight off Got The Greenlight.
Belgarion is now a seven-time winner from nine starts and has been a revelation since being gelded, winning five in a row. He came into the race the best handicapped horse with 53kg. He also stopped the clock in 132.4sec, the fastest time in the July since Pocket Power deadheated with Dancer’s Daughter in 2008, a race in which Snaith had his first July winner with the latter.
He’ll be back for No 6 next year as he hunts down Terrance Millard (six wins) and Syd Laird (seven).