Snaith’s ‘problem child’ among first entries for Summer Cup

The Gatekeeper — the “problem child” in Justin Snaith’s powerful team — is one of four entries by the champion trainer for the R1m Gauteng Summer Cup on November 27.

As a full-brother to 2014 Durban July winner Legislate, The Gatekeeper was always going to fetch a big price as a yearling. Owner Nic Jonsson made the winning bid at R2.2m.

All was going according to plan when the Dynasty gelding ran third behind Linebacker in the Cape Derby. Bookmakers immediately trimmed his July odds and he was an 8-1 chance for some time.

Then — once in KwaZulu-Natal — the downhill slide began. An eight lengths defeat by Linebacker in the KZN Guineas was followed by a five length beating by the same horse in the Daily News 2000.

Consequently, The Gatekeeper did not make the final July field and lined up for the Consolation race in which he finished fifth behind Shango.

Snaith will be hoping Jonsson’s horse has a better four-year-old career and his other Cup entries are Hoedspruit (fourth in the Cape Derby), Native Tongue (a four-time winner) and Salvatori Mundi.

Other entries from other provinces include Majestic Mozart (Candice Bass-Robinson), Donald McDonald (Gavin van Zyl) and Origami (Duncan Howells).

Heading the hometown entries are Gotthegreenlight, Triple Crown victor Malmoos and Sean Tarry’s feature race winners Nebraas and Shango.  

The winner of five grade 1 races Got the Greenlight is the highest-rated runner of the 46 entries and heads the first log issued by Phumelela along with War Of Athena and Malmoos.

When bookmakers priced up on the race, many would have expected War Of Athena to be short in the market as many still feel the filly was unlucky not to be voted the 2020/2021 horse of the year. However, the Triple Tiara heroine is quoted at a generous 15-2 in early betting.

It will be interesting to see Lance Michael rates Candice Dawson’s four-year-old Eliud as a 22-1 chance in early betting. The son of Futura was most impressive when romping home well clear of his rivals in his latest outing at the Vaal.

Next Sunday the eyes of the racing world will be on the Qatar Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe in Paris with the cream of the European horses bidding for top honours in the €5m event.

After her shock defeat in the Prix Vermeille, bookmakers have pushed Snowfall out to 5-1 in ante-post betting but trainer Aidan O’Brien has told reporters that the race was really “only a trial” for the big day.

“She came out of the Vermeille very well, we’re very happy with her. It was lovely to see her go around the track and we saw the way she coped with it,” said O’Brien.

“The ground was quick and we know that she’s very comfortable on soft ground. She’s a filly who gets a mile and a half well, the Vermeille was more of a trial. Frankie [Dettori] was very happy with her, at the end she was really quickening and going forward,”  he said.

ARC DE TRIOMPHE BETTING

(Supplied by bookmaker Lance Michael)

5-2 Tarnawa

33-10 Adayar

5-1 Snowfall

6-1 Hurricane Lane

10-1 Chrono Genesis

20-1 Deep Bond, Raabihah

25-1 Hukum, Love, Sealiway, St Mark’s Basilica

33-1 Others

GAUTENG SUMMER CUP

7-2 Got The Greenlight

6-1 Puerto Manzano

13-2 Malmoos

15-2 War Of Athena

12-1 Second Base

20-1 Netta

22-1 Eliud, Express From the US, Pamushana’s Pride

25-1 Shango

28-1 Others