SA’s best horse Jet Dark could have Breeders Cup date in 2023

Will SA’s best horse, Jet Dark, fly the flag for the country in the 2023 Breeders Cup meeting at Santa Anita in California?

That has to be the intriguing question after the five-year-old easily notched the eighth win of his career in Saturday’s grade 3 Champion Mile at Kenilworth.

As the winner of the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate last January, Jet Dark got an immediate invitation into the 2022 Breeders Cup meeting this weekend where Flightline stamped himself as the best horse on the planet.

Justin Snaith pointed to the arduous journey the horse faced, and the invitation was turned down. If Jet Dark wins the now King’s Plate on January 7, as seems likely, surely owners Tommy Crowe and Nic Jonsson will be up to the challenge of a trip to the US. There is nothing more to prove here and, most importantly, there is a chance of a change in quarantine regulations in the next few months.

Quite amazing that no journalist brought up this topic on Saturday, but simply concentrated on the post-race comments of Snaith and winning jockey, Richard Fourie.

“He is turning into an imposing individual as you can see,” enthused Snaith after the race.

Fourie was even more upbeat, telling the Sporting Post: “He is only at 80% fitness. Just wait till we get to the summer course and its long straight. Then I can let him unwind.”

Jet Dark’s career record now stands at eight wins from 17 starts and the son of Trippi cost only R200,000 as a yearling.

Before Saturdays meeting, Snaith expressed the view that his stable wasn’t on song. He proceeded to win five of the nine races so he will have slept easily on Saturday night.

Fourie and Snaith took the Laisserfaire Stakes with Kwinta’s Delight with the daughter of Gimmethegreenlight — bred at Syrilla Stud — proving too speedy for Aussie import Stiptelik.

One race the Snaith stable didn’t win was the 2,400m Woolavington Stakes in which trainer Piet Botha's four-year-old, Baratheon, gained reward for a string of consistent efforts.

Baratheon is a son of Jackson who stands at Nigel Riley’s Heversham Park Farm stud in Gauteng.

• Starting the 2-5 favourite, Flightline lived up to his billing as the world's best flat racehorse with a facile win in the $6m Breeders Cup Classic in Keeneland.

The son of Tapit went into Saturday’s grade 1 contest unbeaten in five starts and had no difficulty in maintaining his unbeaten record.

Flightline was ridden by French jockey Flavien Prat, who said: “I felt I was in control the whole race. I thought it was a strong field, but he was an old pro. I was able to get in the clear, and was always travelling well.”

The future of racing’s new superstar is uncertain. Kosta Hronis, a co-owner of the horse, said: “This is a very special animal, he has brought something special to the industry.

“The partnership will get together in the next couple of days and discuss it [his future] and see how we move forward,” said Hronis.