Justin Snaith 1-2 in Durban July

DURBAN – Trainer Justin Snaith is now one short of equalling the legendary South African Hall of Fame trainer Syd Laird’s record of seven Durban July wins when he saddled the first two past the post in the 10 million rand (S$795,000) Grade 1 Hollywoodbets Durban July (2,200m) at Greyville on July 4.

In a thrilling finish before a capacity crowd, Note To Self got up to touch off stablemate and filly Wish List, completing a 1-2 in joint owner Nancy Hossack’s black and white silk colours and denying 59-year-old veteran jockey Andrew Fortune in a race he had hoped would bookend his riding career.

Finishing third was rank outsider King Pelles (Chad Schofield) with Viva’s Liberte (Craig Zackey) in the shallow end of the purse.

It was not to be for Fortune, although he could have had high hopes as the three-year-old daughter of Legislate burst out of the pack racing over the subway and looked to have the race in the bag at the 300m.

However, Richard Fourie – who had been biding his time in the pack – produced Note To Self ($17) with a telling late run down the outside of the straight.

The pair fought out a tight finish, with the Futura gelding posting his first Grade 1 victory after getting the better of the filly by ¼ length inside the last 100m.

Fortune was supremely confident before the race, but in a gesture of sportsmanship, he stretched out his hand to congratulate Fourie after crossing the line.

Surprisingly, top weight Legal Counsel (Callan Murray) made the pace but had his job done turning for home, leaving stablemate Wish List to take up the cuddles.

It looked to have been a well thought-out strategy for the filly before Note To Self arrived on the scene.

Fourie was circumspect when quizzed about his early move at the 800m mark.

“I don’t know. I blacked out at the top of the straight,” said Fourie, who also scored atop Snaith’s Ahead Of The Facts ($11) in the Grade 3 Gold Vase (3,000m) three races earlier.

“There’s no better feeling than winning it the first time (on board Legislate in 2014), but maybe for me it was a good one the second time when Do It Again won (in 2019). It’s a great feeling.

“Just doing it in front of 50,000 people at Greyville, it’s such a feeling, the rush.

“I can’t explain the sound when everybody is shouting at you in the middle. It’s like being in a canyon. It was just a lovely race and was as sweet as it can be.”

Snaith – who has claimed the Durban July five times previously with Dancer’s Daughter (2008), Legislate (2014), Do It Again (2018 and 2019) and Belgarion (2020) – heaped praise on Note To Self.

“I heard a couple of people say ‘what has he done up to now,’ and I knew he was going to come to the fore sort of at the right time, but we were always wandering if it was one year early as he is a very immature horse,” said the South African champion trainer.

“You saw him walking in the pre-race, he is unconscious, but this last week I said to everybody you can excuse the (Grade 1) Daily News (2,000m) he was not right and had a temperature for two days after that.

“I had to really nurse him and do a lot of work and just making him feel better and get his coat right. And all of a sudden this week in the last three days, he took off.

“He was just a different horse and I knew that everyone was in trouble. He just walks around, he’s just a leopard, he is the most unassuming stunning individual and I knew that if he came right, he was the horse to beat in this field.”

Not To Self was bred by Varsfontein Stud and owned by Jonathan Bloch, Jonathan Snaith and Hossack. He has won thrice and placed six times in nine starts.

Snaith, who pulled off a four-timer at the 10-race meeting, had Sydney-based hoop Zac Lloyd to thank for after he booted home Magic Verse ($40) in the Grade 3 Magical Zulu Kingdom (2,200m) in Race 3.

The 22-year-old South African-born jockey, fresh from his success at Royal Ascot last month aboard the George Boughey-trained Moonfall in the Britannia Stakes, was on the winner’s podium at just his second ride in South Africa.

Just one race earlier, Lloyd finished third on board World Of Our Own in the Tote B Stakes (1,600m) won by Snaith’s Please Be True ($13).

In a race run at no great pace, Lloyd had Magic Verse well-placed behind a pedestrian gallop and pressed for home early.

The Vercingetorix five-year-old gelding responded willingly under minimum effort and soon had the better of a game Johnny The Thief (Marco van Rensburg), who stayed on ahead of Otto Luyken (Fourie) for the minor money.

Lloyd, son of former South African champion jockey Jeff, was elated with his first win back home.

“Very nice to get one in early. I was trying to look for my dad but I can’t find him. He’s probably stuck in the crowd,” said Lloyd, who rode once at Kranji in 2024 with two seconds as his best result.

“Justin was very confident. He said the horse has been galloping very well. I had a very good barrier so it was pretty simple.

“The horse travelled comfortably throughout and actually never really felt like getting beat, so it was a pretty crazy one for me.”

Trainer Tienie Prinsloo was not always confident that Quickstepgal ($26) would be at her best over 1,600m at the top level, but she proved him wrong by making short work of a high-class field in the Grade 1 Ridgemont Garden Province Stakes.

Ridden by Keagan de Melo, the Vercingetorix filly was always up with the pace and quickened smartly crossing the subway and was not for the catching.

Mon Petit Cherie (Fourie) and Double Grand Slam (Fortune) fought it out for the minor money and finished in second and third respectively. GOLD CIRCLE