Justin Snaith rules on Met day

The 2025 World Sports Betting Cape Town Met meeting will forever be “Justin Snaith’s Day” after the champion trainer landed six winners on the 12-race card – including the Met itself.

Precocious Eight On Eighteen flew up the inside rail at Kenilworth to dazzle a huge crowd at the 163rd running of Cape Town’s biggest horse race – becoming only the second three-year-old in 25 years to win it.

As if the multiple garlands of the day weren’t enough, the Met triumph marked a sensational hat-trick in the Grade 1, R5-million showpiece for both Snaith and co-owner Nick Jonsson – following wins by Jet Dark in 2023 and Double Superlative in 2024.

Snaith had 39 horses carded on the day. Apart from the six wins, his patrons picked up cheques for four second places, four thirds and a fourth.

Upset in Race 2

It all started in the opener, with juvenile Wild Wild Green edging out stable companion Claire De Lune.

However, Race 2 was a serious hiccup for Snaith as his best fancy on the card, 7-10 hot favourite Double Grand Slam, was narrowly beaten into second by 5-1 shot Rascova.

The five-time national champ bounced back in Race 4 when his sometime hotshot Mucho Dinero found the best of earlier form over the 2800m of the Grade 3 Western Cape Stayers.

Then promising three-year-old Let It Be Said wrapped up the fifth, before 25-1 longshot I’m So Pritti blew the R12-million Pick 6 to smithereens in the sixth.

Eight On Eighteen got punters back in good humour but Rachel Venniker’s contribution to the Snaith swag, on 20-1 chance Legal Counsel in Race 10, put them on the backfoot again.

Outside of the Snaith domination, trainer Dean Kannemeyer got a significant look in – winning two races, including a Grade 1 with the fabulous sprinter Gimme A Prince.

The six-year-old thrashed a top-class field in the Grade 1 Hong Kong Jockey Club Cape Flying Championship and staked a claim for the most impressive performance on the Met card.

Best in the world?

Gimme A Prince started as a 9-2 second favourite and won easing up by nearly six lengths – a mighty margin in a 1000m race.

Gimme A Prince won this Grade 1 race two years ago but missed out through injury in 2024.

Jockey Craig Zackey summed up many experts’ view when he said in the winner’s circle: “He’s not just the best sprinter in the country, he could be one of the best in the world!”

Kannemeyer commented: “I’m super, super proud of this horse!”

The veteran conditioner pointed out that Gimme A Prince had gone close to winning the recent King’s Plate over a mile, finishing third, despite that trip being way too far for him. That King’s Plate effort surely paid dividends as the son of Gimmethegreenlight made his pacy rivals look slowcoaches from the 200m marker.