Every single drop of rain in Cape Town is literally washing away champion trainer Justin Snaith’s chances of retaining his title when the season draws to a close on 31 July.
According to local media reports, the Mother City experienced flash flooding on Thursday 18 July when the final fields for Monday 22 July’s planned race meeting were declared.
Thursday also saw the opening of parliament after the recent national and provincial elections in South Africa, and the ceremonial flypast by the South African Air Force was scuppered due to the SA Weather Service warning that up to 30mm more rain was expected.
With the ground already saturated, it does seem unlikely that the Monday meeting will go ahead.
This does not bode well for Snaith, who has saddled only 14 runners since the start of the month, producing just a solitary winner.
His nemesis, Sean Tarry, who is based on the winter-dry Highveld, has had 38 runners in the same period, with three times more success.
The champion trainer in South Africa is determined not by the number of winners, but the amount of stakes won during the season.
Since the start of the month, Tarry has seen his stakes kitty grow by R1,6-million, while Snaith has only earned a touch below R400,000. And with Tarry enjoying race meetings at Turffontein and the Vaal, one cannot help but wonder if Snaith’s tears are contributing to the floods in Cape Town.
That’s a joke.
Snaith is not one to cry. On the contrary, he is a fighter who will remain standing until the bell is rung at the end of the last round, so it comes as no surprise that he is throwing a strong herd into the fray on Monday.
In the headline event, a Class A Stakes race over 1800m, he saddles no less than five of the eight runners, including Pacaya, who boasts a Grade 2 and Grade 3-victory on his resume.
At times considered somewhat of an under-performer despite his six career wins, Snaith has always held him in the highest regard, and it does seem somewhat unfair that Grade 1 success has somehow evaded this son of Trippi.
While Snaith dominates numerically in Race 8, it is, however, the three runners from other stables who are best weighted.
Glen Kotzen’s Flower Of Saigon is best weighted. This daughter of Flower Alley recorded a sixth career win last time out and although that was against a slightly weaker field, she could build on that and follow up carrying just 52kg.
Next best weighted is Sugar Mountain who also scored last time out. Trained by Candice Bass-Robinson, he could defy a 5-point penalty and follow up off a career-high mark of 118.
Love Is A Rose from the yard of Greg Ennion also had obvious claims judged on form and the fact that she has won twice over the course and distance.
Ennion has also opted to engage Grant van Niekerk for the ride, despite the jockey being 1kg overweight for the assignment.
Expect a hot four-way tussle here.
Clive Robinson
