While a stakes success has puzzlingly eluded him so far, Justin Snaith’s classy Dynasty gelding Nexus took the top honours in Saturday’s non black-type R80 000 Cape Mile at Kenilworth in his stride, despite being in need of the run.
Nexus storms clear under Grant van Niekerk to win the non black-type feature (Pic -Chase Liebenberg)
Returning from a break of ten weeks following his KZN SA Champions Season campaign where he flew late to go down a length behind Capoeira in the Gr3 Cup Trial at Hollywoodbets Scottsville, his trainer said that Nexus would need this outing but was ‘too classy’ to leave out of calculations.
And so it transpired, with Grant van Niekerk producing the gelding out of the pack at the 250m after pacemaking Super Silvano had cried enough.
The 5-2 favourite, Nexus strode clear under the hands to beat the late finishing Sovereign Spirit (9-2) by 2 lengths in a time of 100,85 secs.
The runner-up’s year younger stablemate Snow Report (7-1) ran a fair enough race, a length further back in third.
Something may well have gone amiss with the winner’s consistent stablemate Hurricane Harry who faded badly to run last and some 14,50 lengths away.
Nexus, a R1,7 million National Yearling Sale graduate, was bred by Rathmor Stud and hails from a Gr1 family. He is a son of the perennial powerhouse Dynasty (Fort Wood) out of the top-class five-time winning Jet Master mare, Mystery Dame.
He has won 6 races with 8 places from 17 starts for stakes of R531 400.
Nexus may well be worth following in a handicap in the Cape summer season as he doesn’t seem the kind of horse who should retire without picking up something of note.
