Simply the best

Trainer Stuart Pettigrew must have heaved a sigh of relief as he watched Surcharge storm to victory in the Grade 1 Daily News 2000 at Greyville on Saturday.

For months Pettigrew has been telling the racing world how highly he rates this son of Gimmethegreenlight but after three successive seconds in the SA Triple Crown races, some people started to have their doubts. At Greyville over 2000m the Jobur based trainer silenced the critics as his charge came on strongly from well off the pace to mow down the opposition and then comfortably hold off a fast-finishing Majestic Mambo by 0.75 lengths.

Cape Guineas winner Tap O’ Noth stayed on for third ahead of favourite and Daisy Guineas winner Do It Again. “People do not believe me when I keep telling them how good he is,” said Pettigrew. “This is the best I’ve ever trained, by a long way.”

He also confirmed that Surcharge would definitely not run in the Vodacom Durban July next month. “He will be given a rest now and will come out again next summer. He will be even better as afour-year-old.”

Justin Snaith had to sit through a tough two minutes as he watched the Sun Met winner battle for her victory in the Woolavington 2000. But while some may criticise the quality of her win she showed a lot of guts to get the better of Daisy Fillies Guineas winner Fiorella.

It is not easy to win a 2000m Grade 1 race when coming back from a layoff and that is what she did, despite giving Grant van Niekerk a torrid time as she pulled hard in the early stages. Snaith has not said whether she will run in the Durban July.