Snaith closes on Laird record with Durban July quinella
Justin Snaith moved to within one win of equaling legendary trainer Syd Laird’s record of seven Durban July victories after saddling the first two home in Saturday’s R10 million feature at Greyville Racecourse.
In a thrilling finish before a packed crowd, Note To Self stormed home under Richard Fourie to edge stablemate Wish List in the closing stages, handing Snaith a memorable quinella in South Africa’s biggest race.
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Note To Self, paying 4.50 with betting sites, beat home Wish List (4.50) and long shot King Pelles (31.00) in an impressive display that continued Snaith’s dominance of recent black type races.
Note To Self had been spelled for over a month following a third-place finish in the G1 Daily News, a performance many had labelled disappointing, but Snaith said the there were reasons for the loss to Star Major.
“You saw him walking in the pre-race, he is unconscious, but this last week I said to everybody you can excuse the Daily News, he was not right and had a temperature for two days after that and I had to really nurse him and do a lot of work, just making him feel better and get his coat right,” Snaith said.
“All of a sudden this week in the last three days he took off. He was just a different horse and I knew that everyone was in trouble. He just walks around, he’s just a leopard, he is the most unassuming stunning individual and I knew that if he came right he was the horse to beat in this field.”
Both Snaith runners carried the colours of owner Nancy Hossack, with rank outsider King Pelles finishing third and Viva’s Liberte collecting minor prize money.
The result was heartbreaking for veteran jockey Andrew Fortune, who had hoped to cap his career with a fairytale Durban July victory aboard Wish List. The 59-year-old looked set to deliver the perfect farewell when the filly burst through the field after the home turn and surged to the front.
However, Fourie had kept Note To Self tucked away before launching a powerful late challenge down the outside. The pair engaged in a fierce battle over the final 100 metres, with Note To Self digging deep to deny Wish List in a dramatic finish.
Fortune, despite the disappointment, showed immense sportsmanship by congratulating Fourie immediately after crossing the line.
Top weight Legal Counsel had set the early pace and played a key role in shaping the race before fading out of contention turning for home. The tactic appeared to set things up perfectly for Wish List, only for Note To Self to produce the decisive finishing burst.
Fourie admitted the emotion of the moment made the race difficult to process.
“I don’t know. I blacked out at the top of the straight,” he said.
“There’s no better feeling than winning it the first time, maybe second time with Do It Again, but it’s a great feeling. Doing it in front of 50,000 people at Greyville is such a feeling. The rush is unbelievable.”
Snaith said he had long believed Note To Self was capable of producing something special, despite some doubts over the colt’s profile heading into the race.
“I heard a couple of people say, ‘what has he done up to now?’” Snaith said.
“I knew he was going to come to the fore at the right time, but we were always wondering if it was one year too early because he is still a very immature horse.”
The victory further cements Snaith’s status as one of South African racing’s modern greats, with the Cape trainer now just one Durban July win away from matching Laird’s long-standing record.
