Jack Milner: Justin Snaith comes to Durbanville on Tuesday with an army of talent and one would expect him to come away from this meeting with an Alan Greeff-style fistful of winners.
The one concern for the yard is that many of his runners have landed wide draws on a course where low number barrier positions are a major advantage.
Of course, that does not mean horses can’t win. It just implies that stable jockeys Richard Fourie, Grant van Niekerk and others will have to be very astute.
One horse who has enjoyed the assistance of apprentices in the irons is Hurricane Harry, who has won his last two with 4kg claimer Joshwin Solomons up. Solomons is out of action this week so Snaith has given the ride to Xola Jacobs, who will again take that weight off the back of the four-year-old gelding.
It takes a lot for any horse to win four in a row but on form, Hurricane Hurry looks set to reach that mark when he lines up for Race 6, a Pinnacle Stakes over 1600m. Based on his last run, which was a Pinnacle Stakes over 1400m at Durbanville, he should be hard to beat. Even at the weight turnover, Hurricane Harry holds this field.
There is one runner who had an excuse last time and that is Captain Of Stealth. Vaughan Marshall’s charge looked an absolute star after two facile wins last year but then got injured and was out of action for 520 days. Marshall warned his charge would need his last run when beaten 6.50 lengths by Hurricane Harry.
If that run has brought him on enough, Captain Of Stealth could quite easily turn the tables.
Jack Milner’s selections
Race 1: 9 Shangaan, 1 The Corporal, 2 Star Captain, 4 Paper Trail
Race 2: 11 Perfect Trust, 2 Autumn Sky, 13 Walk Of Fame, 3 Variety Breeze
Race 3: 8 Katie To, 9 Regina Isabella, 1 Rosemary Meadow, 6 Do Angels Cry