There are a number of questions that will be answered on Friday with it being the final meeting of the 2022/2023 season at Fairview and after a fascinating year we will finally know who will be installed as the East Cape Champion Trainer.
At this stage it is advantage Gavin Smith as he holds a two-winner lead over Alan Greeff.
For many racing fans, horseracing is all about running on turf and many meetings this season having been switched from turf to the Polytrack after rain, has left a bitter taste. So, hopefully this Friday we will have a complete turf meeting as there are some cracking races.
Another person who clearly trains his horses for the turf is Justin Snaith and he has recently been scratching all his runners when meetings were moved to the Polytrack.
He has a number of runners on Friday with leading claims so it will detract from the meeting were he to scratch them all again.
It will also help Gavin Smith if Snaith has the expected good day as it will make things even harder for Greeff to make up the two-winner deficit in the nine races.
The first of the feature races will be Race 6, the Listed Port Elizabeth Gold Cup over 3200m, where Snaith holds a very strong hand with his carded runners Silver Host and Top Quality.
Both are proven stayers, and in the case of Silver Host, he could well have competed on Sunday at Greyville in the Grade 3 Gold Cup instead of Fairview on Friday.
Greeff has his improving three-year-old Heathcliff (a former Snaith inmate) running and the further he has gone the better he has looked, so he has to be a threat.
The Champion Juvenile Cup (Listed) over 1400m, Race 7 is the other feature race and once again at the top of the bookmakers’ boards is likely to be the Snaith Racing-trained Underworld.
This juvenile has got better with each run and is hat-trick seeking after some good wins.
He steps up in distance and his jockey, Grant van Niekerk, will have to overcome a wide draw but he does look hard to beat.
If he fluffs his lines there is not much on form between the six Smith-trained runners and Greeff-trained Fairy Knight
Global Banker, Questor, The Winter Lake and Vision Of Wonder all hojld winning claims and Fair Knight will get better the further he goes, so he will be doing his best work at the finish once again.
If all is square going into the last race on the card then it may be worth lumping on Executor.
She did not have the clearest of runs last Friday and the step up to 1200m will suit her better.
Clive Robinson
