Impeccably bred three-year-old Street Cry filly stole stablemate Snowdance and Usain Bolt’s thunder with a quite sensational victory in the Sun Met on Saturday.
January 27, 2018
Always travelling well just off the speed she surged past Legal Eagle about 100m out, and it was all over as a contest, although her backers would have been alarmed to see jockey Grant van Niekerk saluting well before the line, allowing a low flying Last Winter to get within 0.50 lengths at the death.
Legal Eagle had surged into the lead 250m out and briefly looked a winner, but became rather one paced late, and it must surely now be conceded that he is not at his very best over this trip.
The Met had eluded both Justin Snaith and his father Chris in decades of training, so it was an emotional moment, especially as rising star Van Niekerk was also scoring his first win in the great race.
Van Niekerk commented that “it was a rough race, and she took time to unwind, but I knew I’d get there – I’ve got goosebumps’’.
Justin Snaith said: “It hasn’t sunk in yet, but Usain Bolt is one of my all-time heroes, so I’m really glad it came this year.’’
To put her achievement into perspective, the last three-year-old filly to win the Met was Black Bess in 1905!
The win capped another amazing day for the Snaith boys, as they won three of the four Grade 1 races on offer, and were runners up in the other. In all they took home five winning stake cheques from the 13-race meeting.
An hour earlier boom filly Snowdance had kept punters happy as the “people’s banker” scored an easy victory in the Grade 1 Majorca Stakes. Never far away from the action she asserted readily in the straight to easily see off stable companion Star Express and fellow youngster Rose In Bloom.
