South African champion trainer Justin Snaith has made the decision to turn down invitations to the Nov. 4-5 Breeders' Cup World Championships at Keeneland for two of his grade 1 stars.
Jet Dark earned an automatic berth into the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile Presented by PDJF (G1T) as a result of his victory in last month's L'Omarins Queen's Plate (G1) at Kenilworth Racecourse.
The Snaith-trained Captain's Ransom also gained an invitation to Keeneland for the Maker's Mark Breeder's Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) after winning the Jan. 8 Cartier Paddock Stakes (G1), also run at Kenilworth.
Pundits—understandably excited at testing two South African-breds against top opposition—remain stunned that Snaith is not taking up the international challenge. Each horse receives a $40,000 travel allowance for competing in the Breeders' Cup.
Snaith countered the criticism by saying: "Unfortunately, with regard to the export protocol, instead of it becoming easier (to travel) it has actually become harder.
"In a dream world you only have about a 20% chance of getting it right. But there will inevitably be some hiccups so that will bring your chances down to 5%. Do you take that risk with a top horse? No."
Strict regulations that initially stemmed from concerns over spreading African Horse Sickness, an often fatal disease, have regularly caused a significant headache when attempting to move a horse from South Africa to Europe and the rest of the world.
Any horse entering the United States from South Africa must undertake a minimum 60-day quarantine and meet several other medical requirements.
