Jack Milner
Jack Milner
Three-year-old Eight On Eighteen, perfectly handled by jockey Richard Fourie, came from well off the pace to win the Grade 1 World Sports Betting Cape Town Met over 2000m at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Saturday.
In doing, he denied Oriental Charm the opportunity of pulling off a Hollywoodbets Durban July and Cape Met double.
Eight On Eighteen, having only his seventh start, showed his inexperience, but Fourie managed to get him going down the inside and slip through a narrow gap to win by 0.50 lengths.
It was a great performance from Fourie who nursed his immature mount throughout the race and timed his run to perfection.
“He’s a young horse, he’s very immature and going into the race my only concern was the maturity,” said Fourie. “He’d run just five or six times and was going in as a two-time winner into a Group 1.
“He did run a good race to one of the great horses currently, One Stripe, and on that it was a realistic choice to ride.”
The victory gave both trainer Justin Snaith and owner Nic Jonsson their third successive win in this R5-million race over 2000m.
“He’s just an incredible horse,” exclaimed Snaith.
“There was a bit of a hoo-ha going on and a number of my horses were sweating and starting to fall apart.
“I actually thought Oriental Charm was falling apart and I thought, ‘well I’ve got that one beat’.
But Kudos to him, that was an incredible run off a below-par L’Ormarins King’s Plate run.
“But Eight On Eighteen was just standing there, not even fazed at all. I saddled him up and I said like ‘wake up, this is a big occasion’.
“But he just looked at me, he wasn’t worried about anything, so it just shows you what a stunning individual he is.”
Oriental Charm tried to make all the running and once in the straight JP van der Merwe went to the outside fence and looked to be travelling well enough to win, until Eight On Eighteen came bounding through along the inside rail.
After that they were all tightly bunched but third place went to Montien, who showed his second-placed run behind One Stripe in the L'Ormarins King's Plate was no fluke, and after a lengthy perusal of the photofinish picture, fourth place went to See It Again.
Interestingly, there was just 2.65 lengths separating the first nine horses past the post.
There was continuous betting support for Eight On Eighteen who went off at 18-10 while Oriental Charm started at 8-1.
It was a good meeting for Snaith Racing as they came away with six winners on the 12-race card although perhaps did not always win with their expected runners.
But their biggest disappointment was the defeat of 7-10 favourite Double Grand Slam in the Grade 1 Maine Chance Farms Majorca Stakes for fillies and mares over 1600m.
Cape Fillies Guineas winner Fatal Flaw set a sedate pace which did not suit the favourite and that forced Fourie to make an early move on her. She moved up with 200m to run but Rascova stayed with her and the pair fought out the finish to the line with Glen Kotzen-trained Rascova (5-1), ridden by Gavin Lerena, getting the nod by the proverbial whisker.
The Grade 1 HKJC World Pool Cape Flying Championship over 1000m, saw 2023 winner Gimme A Prince score a runaway victory under Criag Zackey for trainer Dean Kannemeyer.
Going off at 9-2, the five-year-old hit the front some 200m from home and raced away to beat Surjay by 5.75 lengths with Lucky Lad in third and defending champion Dyce in fourth.
HOW THEY FINISHED in the WSB Cape Town Met
1 10 EIGHT ON EIGHTEEN 3 C 9 54.0 0.00 123.68 115 A 505 7/2 18/10 Justin Snaith R Fourie
2 3 ORIENTAL CHARM 4 C 3 59.5 0.50 123.77 125 A 506 33/10 8/1 B/J Crawford JP v'd Merwe
3 15 MONTIEN 5 G 14 60.0 0.90 123.84 129 A 576 20/1 20/1 Piet Botha C Orffer
4 12 SEE IT AGAIN 5 G 11 60.0 1.10 123.88 131 A 476 5/1 17/2 Michael Roberts P Strydom
5 16 RASCALLION 7 G 15 60.0 1.20 123.89 122 A B 530 14/1 25/2 Vaughan Marshall S Veale
6 1 RED PALACE 4 F 1 57.0 1.25 123.90 119 A 490 25/2 8/1 Dean Kannemeyer G Lerena
7 8 PACAYA 6 G 8 60.0 1.75 123.99 116 A 524 66/1 40/1 Justin Snaith R A Venniker
8 4 FUTURE SWING 5 G 4 60.0 2.15 124.06 114 A 476 20/1 17/2 Justin Snaith G van Niekerk
9 14 MASTER REDOUTE 6 G 13 60.0 2.65 124.15 117 A B T 502 66/1 100/1 Andre Nel S Moodley
10 5 ATTICUS FINCH 5 G 5 60.0 3.15 124.24 121 A T 469 25/1 33/1 Alec Laird R Danielson
11 7 ROYAL AUSSIE 5 G 7 60.0 4.90 124.56 124 A 523 20/1 33/1 Justin Snaith K Matsunyane
12 17 ZAPATILLAS 6 G 16 60.0 5.90 124.73 119 A C 491 66/1 66/1 B/J Crawford L Mxothwa
13 13 BARATHEON 6 G 12 60.0 6.20 124.79 106 A 499 50/1 125/1 Piet Botha T Godden
14 11 MAGIC VERSE 4 G 10 59.5 6.30 124.81 114 A 475 20/1 25/2 Justin Snaith A Domeyer
15 6 LITIGATION 6 G 6 60.0 12.30 125.88 113 A C T 500 33/1 33/1 Sean Tarry M Yeni
16 2 AL MUTHANA (AUS) 7 G 2 60.0 12.50 125.91 116 A 479 75/1 125/1 Ricky Maingard G Wright
Scr 9 GREEN WITH ENVY 4 C 9 59.5 0.00 123.68 127 A 0 5/1 5/1 Dean Kannemeyer C Zackey