J J THE JET PLANE : THE MERCURY SPRINT VIDEO AND RESULT

Click above to watch JJ The Jet Plane winning The Mercury Sprint 2010 (Gr1)
(Photo : Gold Circle - Footage : Tellytrack)

R600,000 THE MERCURY SPRINT (Grade 1)

Clairwood Racecourse
18 July 2010
Turf, 1200m
Win Time : 67.45

RACE RESULT :

#	LBH	Horse	Kg	MR	Dr	Jockey	Trainer
1	0.00	J J THE JET PLANE	60.0	120	13	P Strydom	Lucky Houdalakis
2	5.50	GAULTIER	60.0	107	15	S Randolph	Mike Bass
3	6.00	BUSH PIRATE	60.0	103	14	K Teetan	Joey Ramsden
4	6.75	CAPTAIN’S GAL	57.5	109	16	A Marcus	Sean Tarry
5	7.00	RUSHING WIND	60.0	104	4	*A Domeyer	Mike Bass
6	7.75	BLUE TIGER	60.0	115	1	B Fayd’Herbe	Mike Bass
7	9.00	CASEY COOL	60.0	110	8	K Shea	Darryl Hodgson
8	9.25	CLEARLY SILVER	59.5	103	10	A Forbes	Dennis Drier
9	9.30	THUNDER KEY	60.0	108	2	I Sturgeon	Glen Kotzen
10	9.35	IVORY TRAIL	60.0	108	12	A Fortune	Joey Ramsden
11	15.35	INTELLECTUAL	60.0	108	5	R Danielson	Herman Brown
12	16.35	EXTINCT	60.0	105	11	M Yeni	Colin Scott
13	17.35	EARL OF SURREY (ZIM)	60.0	118	9	J Geroudis	Geoff Woodruff
14	19.35	PRIVATE JET (ARG)	60.0	110	7	F Coetzee	Geoff Woodruff
15	20.60	MYTHICAL FLIGHT	60.0	106	3	A Delpech	Sean Tarry
16	23.10	GALANTHUS	59.5	100	6	*D Mansour	Tyrone Zackey

POCKET POWER GUNNING FOR L'ORMARINS NUMBER FOUR

Pocket Power
(Photo : Gold Circle)

L’ORMARINS QUEEN’S PLATE (GRADE 1) 1600m
KENILWORTH 9 JANUARY 2009

The Mother City’s social scene will awaken Saturday to South Africa’s most prestigious annual horseracing event, the 149th renewal of the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate, an event which is set to transform Kenilworth racecourse into a setting where haute couture fashion, vintage cars, fine wine and the country’s greatest thoroughbreds take centre stage.

The tongues are already wagging in anticipation of Pocket Power shattering the history books once again by scoring a fourth consecutive victory in the R1million showdown.

Nicci Garner writes for Tab Online that trainer Mike Bass believes without a doubt that Pocket Power is a Champion and that puts him in a different league to the other nine runners in the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate.

Mike Bass explains, “There’s a difference between really good horses, like Big City Life, and Champions. Pocket Power is in the Champions league.’’ He continues, “I don’t knock Big City Life. I respect him. He’s a very good horse and will mature. But in the July, without taking anything away from him, he beat the filly, Zirconeum (a 55-1 shot), and Forest Path (100-1) - and Pocket Power (who finished fifth) raced at the back of the field and was desperately unlucky.’’

Although Pocket Power has not had the same kind of preparation that saw him win the last three L’Ormarins Queen’s Plates, Mike Bass believes his supporters will not be disappointed with his star’s wellbeing.

Pocket Power has had just one run since getting beaten on the line by fast-finishing Ivory Trail in the Champions Challenge at the end of July. He was deep in the red for the 1500m Pinnacle Plate at Kenilworth last month and awed even his trainer in scoring in facile fashion by 0.75 lengths from Big City Life.

“I’m very happy with the progress he’s made. He’s done very well. Physically he looks great. He was quite fit in that 1500 preparatory run and has had one gallop since. I didn’t run him again because he was ahead of schedule and didn’t need another race. I gave him a good gallop instead and think he’s pretty much at his best. He’s come well and I’m happy that he’ll do his very best. No matter what happens on Saturday, there will be no excuses. Now it’s up to him. I’m quietly confident that Pocket Power is very hard to beat.’’

Pocket Power is unbeaten beyond 1400m at Kenilworth and many believe, while he is a star anywhere else in the country, he reserves his very best efforts for Kenilworth. Mike Bass still disputes that view, saying that, if the KwaZulu-Natal season was switched to the summer, we’d all see a different Pocket Power in Durban. “He doesn’t winter that well. He benefits from the summer climate during the Cape season. You should see his coat now!’’

Bass does not even want to contemplate the fact that Pocket Power is bidding to win the Grade 1 race for the fourth year running. “Only when it’s all done can you think it’s possible to win a race - especially one of this stature - four times in a row. Dare we hope?’’

FINAL FIELD

#	Horse	Kg	MR	Dr	Jockey	Trainer
1	POCKET POWER	58	119	1	B Fayd’Herbe	Mike Bass
2	KAPIL	58	115	3	M Byleveld	Stan Elley
3	BIG CITY LIFE	58	111	10	K Teetan	Glen Kotzen
4	IVORY TRAIL	58	111	5	R Danielson	Joey Ramsden
5	BLUE TIGER	58	109	9	K Neisius	Mike Bass
6	FOREST PATH	58	107	7	G Schlechter	Stephen Page
7	GAULTIER	58	107	6	G Hatt	Mike Bass
8	STRATEGIC NEWS	58	107	8	P Cosgrave	Dylan Cunha
9	THUNDER KEY	58	106	4	S Cormack	Glen Kotzen
10	FABIANI	58	103	2	R Fourie	Glen Kotzen

REBEL KING cruises in Cape Flying Championship

Rebel King with Anton Marcus aboard
(Photo : Gold Circle)

A polished performance by Rebel King lead to his richly deserved victory in Saturday’s Gr1 Cape Flying Championship. For the Charles Laird stable, Rebel King’s win adds to the superb double by champion sprinter Nhlavini in 2005 and 2006.

Racing South Africa reports that as the gates opened, Port Elizabeth star Hear The Drums and KwaZulu Natal visitor Battlestar Express immediately engaged in a battle for the lead, with the Gauteng challenger, Rebel King, settling just a couple of lengths off the pacesetters. The chestnut quickened into the lead at the furlong mark and although strongly challenged by Blue Tiger on his inside, he maintained his advantage to the line to score a rather cosy neck victory. Blue Tiger held on to the runner-up spot from his fast-finishing stable companion Gaultier.

A dual Gr.2 winner prior to this victory, Rebel King had mixed it up with some of the finest sprinters in South Africa. He finished runner-up to champion Mythical Flight in the 2007 Computaform Sprint and chased home War Artist and JJ The Jet Plane respectively in the last two renewals of the Mercury Sprint. Rebel King entered the Cape Flying Championship off a tight runner-up effort in the Gr.2 Merchants Stakes at Turffontein and a fast-finishing third behind Blue Tiger in the Gr.2 Diadem Stakes. All credit to ‘caretaker’ trainer Joey Ramsden for supervising the winner’s preparation since that run and saddling Rebel King in the absence of Charles Laird, who is currently in New Zealand.

Joey Ramsden said : “It’s been tremendous fun having him, he’s very intelligent, a real thinker. Hats off to his devoted groom Joseph, who has done a wonderful job.”

Five-year-old Rebel King, a  R210,000 yearling purchase, has been a consistent moneyspinner for his connections, boasting an enviable record of seven wins and 13 places from 22 starts, with stakes earnings now in excess of R1.5million. Still an entire (a rarity among South African-bred older males), victory here has obviously boosted his prospects as a potential stallion and his pedigree certainly warrants him a place at stud in time to come.

Bred at Summerhill Stud, Rebel King is one of seven Gr.1 winners sired by champion and top sire National Emblem, out of Cousin Linda, a half-sister to stakes winners Lucy’s Lad and Cousin John, both sons of Jallad.

Grandam Cousin Lucy never raced, but earned her place at stud as a daughter of champion sire Foveros and Gr.3-placed Luciennes, the dam of Gr.1 Garden Province winner Lyrical Linda (also by Jallad), Gr.3 Peninsula Stakes hero Acacia Woodland (Fort Wood) and Gr.3-placed five-time winner Tolme (Model Man). She hails from one of Highlands Farms’ leading families, that of Elevation full brothers Duc Du Orleans (Gr.1 SA Nursery) and Gr.2 winner and multiple Gr.1-placed Count Du Barry, as well as Persian Wonder siblings Gay Mam’selle (Natalia Stakes) and Big Swinger, who finished second in three Gr.1 Guineas.