Trainer Justin Snaith has admitted that “it’s probably easier raiding a horse overseas” than tackling the altitude of Johannesburg as he prepares to saddle up See It Again in Saturday’s (7 March) G1 H F Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes (1600m) at Turffontein in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Likely to start favourite after snaring the G1 Cape Town Met (2000m) last start, See It Again has only raced once at Turffontein for a fifth-placed finish and Snaith is well aware of the enormity of the task.

“He’s very fit and well, so we thought ‘well, why not just take the next step?’ But obviously going to Johannesburg is always a huge task,” he said.

One thing Snaith isn’t too concerned about is See It Again’s ability to handle the mile, with the six-year-old finishing a close third in the G1 King’s Plate (1600m) in early January and winning at the distance four times in his career.

“Both mile races (1600m this preparation), he’s been a little bit unlucky. He does seem to find a little bit of bad luck coming from a little bit far back,” said Snaith, who has only had See It Again for his past two starts after the galloper’s first 27 runs came for Michael Roberts.

“In this sort of field, I think he’ll be very competitive. At 2000m it would be game, set and match, to be honest, but back at a mile (1600m) he is a little bit vulnerable. At the same time, his form is very good over this distance.

“You’ve got to give him a lot of respect. He’s in a very good space at the moment but naturally travelling up to altitude is always a huge concern.”

The horse which won that running of the King’s Plate, The Real Prince, also shapes as See It Again’s biggest danger this weekend and Snaith believes the contest could unfold into something of a match race.

“I think it’s just the two horses, to be honest. They are of very high standard. These two horses in a mile race anywhere in the country are the ones to beat, make no mistake. They are very good,” said Snaith while admitting gate eight of 10 was suboptimal for See It Again.

“It’s not ideal to be drawn wide at Turffontein but there is a long straight there, he’s in good form and he’s a little superstar. We’re really just hoping he handles the altitude.”

While The Real Prince, who has never before raced at Turffontein, shapes as See It Again’s only true market rival, others that look capable of troubling the placings include Main Defender, Atticus Finch and Fire Attack, while Cosmic Speed will be chasing back-to-back successes after a cosy enough victory in this race 12 months ago.

The H F Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes is not the only G1 contest on Saturday’s bumper card, with many of the country’s best three-year-olds stepping out in the G1 SA Fillies Classic (1800m) and the G1 HKJC World Pool SA Classic (1800m).

Three G1 races from South Africa’s H F Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes Day will be simulcast in Hong Kong on Saturday, 7 March. H F Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes is carded as S4-3 and will be run at 9.35pm (Hong Kong time); SA Fillies Classic is carded as S4-1 and will be run at 8.25pm (Hong Kong time); HKJC World Pool SA Classic is carded as S4-2 and will be run at 9.00pm (Hong Kong time).