Justin Snaith is now one short of equaling the legendary Syd Laird’s record of seven July wins when he saddled the first two past the post in the R10 Million Hollywoodbets Durban July at Hollywoodbets Greyville today.

In a thrilling finish before a capacity crowd, and in a one-two in joint owner Nancy Hossack’s colours, Note To Self got up to touch off the filly Wish List and deny 59-year-old Andrew Fortune in a race that he was hoping to bookend his career. Third was rank outsider King Pelles with Viva’s Liberte in the shallow end of the purse.

It was not to be for Fortune, although he would have had high hopes as Wish List burst out of the pack racing over the subway and he looked to have the race in the bag. However, Richard Fourie, who had been biding his time in the pack, produced a telling late run from Note To Self down the outside of the straight. The two fought out a tight finish with the gelding getting the better of the filly inside the last 100m.

Fortune was supremely confident before the race but in a gesture of sportsmanship, stretched out his hand to congratulate Fourie after crossing the line.

Surprisingly, top weight Legal Counsel made the pace but had done his job turning for home, leaving stable mate Wish List to take up the running. It looked to have been a well thought-out strategy for the filly before Note To Self arrived on the scene.

Fourie was circumspect when quizzed about his early move at the 800m mark and said, “I don’t know. I blacked out at the top of the straight.”

But added: “There’s no better feeling than winning it the first time but maybe second time with Do It Again, but it’s a great feeling. Just doing it in front of 50 thousand people at Greyville it’s such a feeling. The rush. I can’t explain the sound when everybody is shouting at you in the middle. It’s like being in a canyon. It was just a lovely race and was as sweet as it can be.”

Snaith heaped praise on his charge Note To Self. “I heard a couple of people say ‘what has he done up to now,’ and I knew he was going to come to the fore sort of at the right time but we were always wandering if it was one year early as he is a very immature horse.

“You saw him walking in the pre-race, he is unconscious, but this last week I said to everybody you can excuse the Daily News, he was not right and had a temperature for two days after that and I had to really nurse him and do a lot of work, just making him feel better and get his coat right. All of a sudden this week in the last three days he took off. He was just a different horse and I knew that everyone was in trouble. He just walks around, he’s just a leopard, he is the most unassuming stunning individual and I knew that if he came right he was the horse to beat in this field.”

Note To Self was bred by Varsfontein Stud and owned by Jonathan Bloch, Jonathan Snaith and Nancy Hossack, whose black and white colours where the first two past the post.