JET DARK LANDS L'ORMARINS QUEEN'S PLATE

As expected, trainer Justin Snaith dominated proceedings to Saturday’s G1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate (1600m) at Kenilworth.

However, it was the Snaith trained 3yo Jet Dark (12-1) who won, with stablemate and favourite Belgarion finishing third, and fellow Snaith runner, and 2019 Queen’s Plate winner, Do It Again, taking fourth to give the Snaith stable a 1-3-4 finish to South Africa’s most prestigious 1600m race.

The lightly raced Jet Dark, first 3yo to win the Queen’s Plate since Gimmethegreenlight back in 2012, automatically qualifies for the 2021 G1 FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile presented by PDJF with his win in Saturday’s Queen’s Plate.

The Snaith trained Hurricane Harry (80-1) went out to make the running, and led early from the likes of Cirillo (6-1) and Silver Operator (30-1), with the favoured Belgarion (9-10) racing towards the back of the eight horse field.

Turning for home, Rainbow Bridge (7-2) launched a powerful run down towards the outside, as jockey Grant Van Niekerk bought three-year-old Jet Dark with a strong run down towards the inside.

It got close between the two, but Jet Dark kept galloping resolutely to record a three-parts of a length win over triple G1 winner Rainbow Bridge, with the latter finishing a half length clear of Belgarion in turn.

Winner of last season’s G3 Beaumont Stud Langerman, and a fast finishing fourth in the recent G1 Cape Racing Presents The Cape Guineas, Jet Dark claimed his first G1 success on Saturday in a time of 98.38.

The colt has now won four of just seven starts, with Saturday’s G1 success all but ensuring him a likely future place at stud.

A R200 000 buy from the 2019 Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale, Jet Dark is one of 80 stakes winners sired by the Drakenstein Stud based End Sweep horse Trippi -South Africa’s Champion Sire of 2015-2016.

The colt is out of the winning Jet Master mare Night Jet -a full-sister to Darley Arabian winner and G1 Mercury Sprint runner up Night Trip and half-sister to Thukela Handicap winner Brown Penny.

Image: Chase Liebenberg Designs