Unbelievable Chad powers clear under Stuart Randolph
South African swimming legend Chad Le Clos had a winner with the first horse he has ever owned, the Paul Lafferty-trained three-year-old Toreador colt Unbelievable Chad, who started odds-on favourite in the 1400m maiden at Scottsville on Sunday.
The colt looks a decent sort and won comfortably under July winning jockey Stuart Randolph.
Chad was on course with his equally famous father Bert, whose description of his son after his Olympic Gold saw the term “UN-believable” becoming a Le Clos-associated cliche.
Chad said after the race that to be involved with a racehorse had been an “unbelievable” experience and he had been “proud” of the colt after all three of his career runs to date.
Watch the race:
Operation A Success
Later on in the day, Dennis Drier-trained Seventh Rock gelding Guiness defied a nine month layoff to comfortably win a Graduation Plate over 1200m under Anton Marcus, thus showing his wind operation has been successful or at least so far.
It was the first leg of a double for Drier and Marcus and this was the same course and distance of the four-year-old Guiness’s Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion victory.
However, despite being merit-rated 111 he was still allowed to go off as Tote second favourite paying R2.60. The favourite, the Mike Miller-trained three-year-old Executive Power, who was having just his second start, ranged up dangerously but might have been put off by the winner shifting outward slightly and it was left to another decent sort, the Alistair Gordon-trained Bunker Bill to fill second place.
Avontuur
It is interesting that Avontuur Stud are also in the swim, as it were, when it comes to the Olympic swimming sensation.
They bred the Mike Azzie galloper Le Clos, who ran a terrific third at his second start at the Vaal last Tuesday, and is scheduled to turn out at the same venue this Tuesday.
Avontuur obtained special permission from the Le Clos family to use the famous name.
He is by Jay Peg, out of the Fort Wood mare Olympic Miss, and races in the familiar orange and black of the Van Vuuren family.
Reporting – SP Editorial staff and www.goldcircle.co.za
