COUNTDOWN TO THE CLASSICS

Gimmethegreenlight enjoying training on a Cape Town beach before departing for Gauteng
(Photo : Raheen Stud / Justin Snaith)

SA CLASSIC AND SA FILLIES CLASSIC
Turffontein, 31 March 2012

While the world’s attention is largely focussed on the Dubai World Cup and its associated events in Dubai this coming weekend, that meeting has a happy coincidence every year in Gauteng’s SA Classic (Gr.1) and SA Fillies Classic (Gr.1) (both at 1800m for three-year-olds), which share the billing with the H.F. Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes (Gr.1), a weight-for-age contest at 1600m.

The three-year-old colts have a “deep” look to them this year, with L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate ace Gimmethegreenlight and Investec Cape Derby hero, Jackson, rated among the best horses in the land. You can always rely on Hassan Adams for enterprise, and the R2 million prize for the Classic obviously had particular appeal in the knowledge that Jackson would not be making the journey to Johannesburg. For those readers who don’t know it, Cape trainers have generally had something of a complex about sending horses to Johannesburg, though it’s not for any lack of success among those who’ve attempted it on the odd occasion, even at the highest level.

KZN horses regularly raid the old Transvaal, and while altitude always has to be seen as a factor in these events, no less so in racing than rugby, all of these things are eminently “do-able”. Just a fortnight ago, the Blues upset the Bulls at their Loftus Versveld stronghold, and Gimmethegreenlight gave notice of his wellbeing in his first outing on the Rand, when he pummelled his field into submission almost three furlongs out. He’s not well drawn, and he faces some formidable opponents, but somehow he stands out like a sore thumb, and it’ll take a real horse to beat him. As a son of the Vinery “shuttler” More Than Ready, he shares his sire with the current favourite for Australia’s Golden Slipper (two Saturdays hence,) the world’s richest race for two-year-olds. The unbeaten filly is called Samaready, who trotted up by two Saturday in Randwick’s Riesling Stakes (Gr.2).

There’ll be more on these events and obviously, there’ll be plenty of coverage on the World Cup meeting in Dubai as the week advances, but for the time being, here are the Group One fields for the day. The World Cup dovetails neatly with the Classic programme, and bettors with an interest in both, have a day to remember.

SA CLASSIC (Grade 1)
Turffontein, Turf, 1800m
31 March 2012

FINAL FIELD

#	Horse	Kg	MR	Dr	Jockey	Trainer
1	GIMMETHEGREENLIGHT (AUS)	58.0	117	16	P Strydom	Justin Snaith
2	SILVER FLYER	58.0	110	17	G Hatt	Mike de Kock
3	POTALA PALACE	58.0	105	9	G Lerena	Mike Azzie
4	WHITELINE FEVER	58.0	105	15	A Marcus	Sean Tarry
5	MUSHREQ (AUS)	58.0	103	8	R Fradd	Mike de Kock
6	GOLDEN CHATEU (AUS)	58.0	102	10	D David	Mike de Kock
7	POMODORO	58.0	102	5	W Marwing	Sean Tarry
8	BROOKS-CLUB	58.0	101	14	R Simons	Gavin van Zyl
9	SLUMDOGMILLIONAIRE	58.0	100	13	M Mienie	Gavin van Zyl
10	HEAVY METAL	58.0	95	3	R Fourie	Sean Tarry
11	ROYAL RIDGE	58.0	95	2	A Delpech	Mike de Kock
12	WINTER MISCHIEF	58.0	95	4	K Latham	Herman Brown / Frank Robinson
13	BARACH	58.0	93	6	S Brown	Sean Tarry
14	E-JET	58.0	93	1	S Cormack	Sean Tarry
15	GOVERNOR GENERAL	58.0	92	18	T Appie	Mike de Kock
16	INDIAN HAWK	58.0	91	7	S Randolph	Ivan Moore
	Reserve Runners
17	ZAMBUCCA	58.0	90	12	Reserve 1	Saeed Mohideen
18	CARNABY STREET	58.0	89	11	Reserve 2	Spike Lerena

SA FILLIES CLASSIC (Grade 1)
Turffontein, Turf, 1800m
31 March 2012

FINAL FIELD

#	Horse	Kg	MR	Dr	Jockey	Trainer
1	AMANEE (AUS)	58.0	101	14	G Hatt	Mike de Kock
2	CONTROL FREAK	58.0	101	4	G Lerena	Lisa Harris
3	FELIX THE CAT	58.0	101	3	W Marwing	Duncan Howells
4	KATY’S LANE	58.0	99	6	P Strydom	Tyrone Zackey
5	GO INDIGO	58.0	98	7	S Brown	Leon Erasmus
6	ILHA BELA	58.0	97	11	A Marcus	Mike de Kock
7	BLUROUTE (AUS)	58.0	94	13	D David	Mike de Kock
8	TRESCO	58.0	91	1	S Cormack	Sean Tarry
9	AWESOME BEAUTY	58.0	90	5	R Simons	Kumaran Naidoo
10	AVENUE OF GOLD	58.0	89	10	R Fradd	Weiho Marwing
11	KALAMI	58.0	89	9	G Wrogemann	Robbie Sage
12	WINGED FOOT	58.0	85	8	A Delpech	Mike de Kock
13	BAMBINA STRIPES (ARG)	58.0	83	12	A Forbes	Dennis Drier
14	CLASSIC ILLUSION	58.0	80	2	R Fourie	Gary Alexander

GIMMETHEGREENLIGHT WINS L'ORMARINS QUEEN'S PLATE

Click above to watch the 2012 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate (Grade 1)…
(Photo : Gold Circle - Footage : Tellytrack)

L’ORMARINS QUEEN’S PLATE (Grade 1)
Kenilworth, Turf, 1600m
7 January 2012

The Breeders’ Cup beckons for Gimmethegreenlight (AUS) (More Than Ready (USA) - Yes She Can Cancan (AUS)) who got up in the last 20 meters to beat home 5-2 favourite Variety Club (SAF) (Var (USA) - La Massine (SAF)) and a charging Tales Of Bravery (SAF) (Kahal (GB) - Emperor’s Warning (SAF)) giving trainer Justin Snaith his first L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate win.

This year’s Queen’s Plate carries an automatic free Breeders’ Cup entry for the winner and, although there is a current ban on South African horse exports - due to a percieved African Horse Sickness threat - this comes to an end on 3 May 2012. Opposition from other countries is expected, but owner Hassan Adams has received assurances from the South African government that it will push hard to open the markets.

Snaith said: “Our priority is now to be able to accept that Breeders’ Cup invitation. It’s fantastic to think that the Americans want to see our horses race over there. Gimmethegreenlight has always had the class to win a Grade 1 but he was repeatedly slow out of the gates. That normally means a back problem so we worked on it and that made the difference.”

Jockey Piere Strydom, who returned from a broken jaw two weeks early to take the ride on the 13-1 chance, said: “There was a mad scramble for position early and I got squeezed out. But just under two furlongs out they were coming back to me and I thought I would get close. My worry was that I would get to Variety Club but not pass him but close to home he had no more.”

Extract from Racing Post

RACE RESULTS

#	LBH	Horse	Kg	MR	Dr	Jockey	Trainer
1	0.00	GIMMETHEGREENLIGHT (AUS)	55.0	108	6	P Strydom	Justin Snaith
2	0.40	VARIETY CLUB	55.0	118	10	A Marcus	Joey Ramsden
3	1.40	TALES OF BRAVERY	60.0	112	7	M Byleveld	Vaughan Marshall
4	1.80	BRAVURA	60.0	113	11	G Hatt	Joey Ramsden
5	5.80	CHESALON	60.0	110	1	K Neisius	Mike Bass
6	5.90	EBONY FLYER	57.5	107	9	F Coetzee	Justin Snaith
7	6.20	KISS AGAIN	60.0	108	5	A Domeyer	Mike Bass
8	8.45	GIBRALTAR BLUE (IRE)	57.5	109	3	A Delpech	Mike de Kock
9	10.45	LION IN WINTER	60.0	110	4	B Fayd’Herbe	Joey Ramsden
10	12.95	FABIANI	60.0	107	8	S Cormack	Glen Kotzen
11	16.45	LINK MAN	60.0	111	2	W Marwing	Mike de Kock

www.lqp.co.za

TBA SALES COMPLEX, GOSFORTH PARK, THIS WEEKEND.

TBA Sales Complex, Gosforth Park, South Africa
(Photo : Heather Morkel)

EMPERORS PALACE NATIONAL YEARLING SALE
15 - 17 April 2011

Mike Moon
The TimesIf you want to see very rich people splurging shedloads of money on luxury goods, head east of Joburg this weekend.

We’re not talking about the East Rand Mall on Saturday arvie, but something rather more rarefied.

Wallet-enhanced individuals will gather to raise their hands in willing and sacramental forfeiture of millions and millions of bucks. In return, they get a smelly horse or two. More important, they get a dream.

It’s a dream of glory, a dream of these horses carrying colours to victory, with the adulation and envy of multitudes raining like manna upon the clever clogs what bought ‘em. There by Germiston.

That’s where the Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale starts this afternoon.

No one knows how market winds will blow at the country’s premier thoroughbred sale.

Racehorse sales in South Africa have done comparatively well in the teeth of the recession gale of recent years. This is partly due to overseas interest in South African-bred horses because of their international successes. And there’s been the strong rand, and other factors.

But it’s feared that this year’s sale will be down.

One concern is that the new Cape Yearling Sale earlier in the year drew considerable fire from the local racing industry’s buying arsenal.

The Cape sale averaged R404,000 a horse, whereas last year’s Germiston sale had a R324,500 mean.

Of course, a drop in prices is good for buyers - aka racehorse owners. And I hear it being said that vendors - aka thoroughbred breeders - have been in clover for years and must now just grin and bear it.

One thing is certain: mega money will still be spent. These are theoretically the best 600 yearlings in the country - hand-picked for looks and pedigree.

Will the sale record of R4million for a yearling be broken? Will we match the 22 lots of R1million-plus achieved in 2010?

South Africa’s big spenders - such as Markus Jooste, Hassan Adams and Marsh Shirtliff - will rub shoulders with Barry Irwin, of America’s Team Valor, and advisors to the Arab sheiks. None of them come for East Rand scenery.

But the real stars of the show won’t be there at all.

Stallions and broodmares, on whose reputations fortunes are spent, stay in a rural idyll far from the machine-gun patter of auctioneers and the cauldron of excited bidding.

Topping the bill is champion sire Jet Master, with 44 foals catalogued.

But his supremacy is challenged by the likes of Trippi, reckoned to be the most valuable stallion in South Africa now because of recent stellar performances of his progeny in the US, where he stood as a sire before being snapped up by the Western Cape’s Drakenstein Stud.

The sale is at the TBA sales complex at Gosforth Park. Today, 250 lots will be sold from 1pm. Tomorrow’s shorter session starts at 5pm, and Sunday’s extended one at 10am.

Extract from The Times

For more information visit
www.tba.co.za

THE NEW MASTER

Owner Hassan Adams (right) with J&B Met winner Past Master
(Photo : Gold Circle)

THE J&B MET 2011

I’m not a betting man, but every now and then, one hits you bang in the eye, and the temptation is irresistible. When I saw the running of the Diadem Stakes (1200 metres at Kenilworth,) I swore I’d seen the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate winner. For a horse who’d previously won acclaim over further (the Selangor Cup (Grade 2) 1400 metres, as an early three year old,) for his victory over Noordhoek Flyer (a “cracker,” in my esteem) the Diadem performance was staggering.

My plunge in the Queen’s Plate was entrusted to the eminent Irish Breeder, Diane Nagle, as I confidently parted with my R500 for Past Master. Inexplicably, he ran no kind of race, and whatever the reason for his “no show”, it’s likely he signalled a false dawn by flattering the outcome.

The result was the fans made Mother Russia the “good thing” she wasn’t for the J&B Met, and while she went to the start a deserving favourite on form, it was the default of Past Master that made it that way.

We all know the outcome. Hassan Adams became the first man of colour to decorate the Number One box; Darryl Hodgson, rescued from obscurity by a man from the previously disadvantaged community, becomes a “Met” trainer; and Hymie Maisel, one-time chair of the TBA of South Africa, and sickened by a stroke, breeds a Met winner in the sands of Philippi.

And I get to back the winner in the wrong race!

The record tells us history has been made, for a whole lot of reasons. But let me share an anecdote. I’ve know Hassan since his activist youth. He’s always been a racing nut, to the degree of owning a stud farm when he could ill afford one.

I remember him having a runner in a Gold Cup at Greyville when, because of his colour, he had to watch from the silver ring. I remember giving him a service to sell to the Champion Sire, Northern Guest, for the charitable use of the Hout Bay branch of the ANC, long before that organisation was unbanned.

And I remember the hell I got for doing so.

ROYAL BOUNTY : TOP SPRINTER IN THE MAKING

Click above to watch Royal Bounty winning the Betting World MR 103 Handicap
(Image and Footage : Tellytrack)

R96,000 BETTING WORLD MR 103 HANDICAP
Kenilworth 1100m TURF
10 April 2010

ROYAL BOUNTY (Muhtafal (USA) x Queens Close by Sunny North (USA))
3 Year Old Chestnut Gelding
Owner : Hassan Adams
Trainer : Justin Snaith
Jockey : Morne Winnaar
Breeder : Barton Hall Stud
Win Time : 65.82
Career Record : 4 Wins, 2 Places, 9 Starts
Career Earnings : R144,880

RACE RESULT

#	LBH	Horse	Kg	MR	Dr	Jockey	Trainer
1	0.00	ROYAL BOUNTY	54.5	96	3	M Winnaar	Justin Snaith
2	0.25	MOONLIGHT GAMBLER	52.0	85	6	R Khathi	Bill Prestage
3	0.35	HEMINGWAY (BRZ)	53.0	89	9	G Schlechter	Dean Kannemeyer
4	1.35	FOREST PATH	60.5	104	4	K Teetan	Stephen Page
5	1.45	WETHREEKINGS	55.5	94	7	M Latorre	Vaughan Marshall
6	5.70	VILLANDRY	59.0	105	11	M Byleveld	Vaughan Marshall
7	5.80	LOS COLMOS	56.0	95	8	K Neisius	Mike Bass
8	7.05	SOMETHING ELSE	59.0	101	5	R Danielson	Joey Ramsden
9	7.30	RELINYANE	58.5	100	10	*N Quale	Justin Snaith
10	7.55	KISS AGAIN	58.0	103	1	B Fayd’Herbe	Mike Bass
11	11.05	JOSHUA’S MISTRESS	52.5	88	2	*G van Niekerk	Piet Steyn

For more information please visit :
www.summerhill.co.za