Tarry and Snaith positioned for another close-run race to trainer title

It looks like we might see a replay of last season’s photo-finish in the national champion trainer title race – with reigning champ Justin Snaith and former champ Sean Tarry in a head-bobbing duel to the line in the 2023/24 term.

Tarry’s notable Tabgold Derby and Oaks double on Saturday switched racing fans’ attention – long fixed on Richard Fourie’s winning jockey record bid – back to the trainers’ battle.

As a new week dawned, Snaith headed the log with aggregate prize money of R18.31 million – about R1.64 million ahead of Tarry, who boosted his total with the victories of Future Pearl and Red Maple at Greyville racecourse.

Last season, Snaith emerged on top, less than R500,000 ahead, with the contest going down to the final race meeting of the year.

Fourie to play key role

Interestingly, both the contending conditioners played a big role in Fourie’s history-making campaign, providing the jockey with dozens of plum rides as he eclipsed Anthony Delpech’s long-standing record a good seven weeks before the 31 July end of season.

And guess who will now play a leading role in the Snaith-Tarry drama? Fourie guided Future Pearl to a facile win in the Derby, putting the handsome gelding slap-bang into Hollywoodbets Durban July picture just days after the selection panel left him out of their preferred top 25 for the big race. Those wise personages will surely rectify that blaps.

Immediately after the Final July Log was published, it was confirmed that Fourie had been booked to ride Snaith’s well-weighted gelding Future Swing in the July.

Did we sense a hint of regret in Fourie’s voice as he did his post-Derby interview? Maybe not, but he might well have mused on choosing his ‘Future’ a tad hastily (the sire of both horses, Futura, ran third in the July, and their grandfather Dynasty won it.)

Galloping room

Durban July Day carries race stakes of R9.38 million, while Gold Cup day on 28 July has a total purse of R7.4 million. In between those big race meetings are scores of lesser fixtures, valued at just above or just below R1 million in value, providing Snaith and Tarry with galloping room towards the coveted title.

Of course, other top trainers won’t be sitting on their hands. Mike de Kock sits in third place on the log, only R3 million off the pace, while Brett Crawford and Candice Bass-Robinson are less than R5 million back.

Snaith still has five live entries in the Durban July – Future Swing, Hluhluwe, Without Question, Double Superlative and Mucho Dinero – while Tarry has three – Future Pearl, Cousin Casey and Hotarubi.

They look likely to have three and two apiece lining up in Africa’s greatest race on 6 July.