Meet the cream of the crop

It was a joyous occasion when the KwaZulu-Natal Champions Season cavalcade got rolling at Greyville at the weekend.

- Mike Moon

It marked operator Gold Circle's first race meeting under the new ownership of Hollywood Sportsbook, the saviour of horse racing in the province.

Gold Circle boss Michel Nairac, wearing his horse owner hat, led in a feature winner in the shape of the redoubtable Gladatorian.

There were plenty of other positive aspects.

For example, Justin Snaith declared the present three-year-old crop the best he'd seen - minutes after two of his star sophomores, Sail The Seas and Eight On Eighteen, had completed the Exacta in the WSB Guineas (Grade 2) and sounded a warning that the champion trainer's raiding party from Cape Town would be formidable opponents over the next few months.