Gr3 Protea Stakes winner - War Horse
War Horse paid unbeaten Soft Falling Rain a huge compliment when he had to overcome a less-than-smooth passage to win the Protea Stakes for two-year-olds over 1100m, writes MATTHEW LIPS .
War Horse had finished three-quarters of a length second behind Soft Falling Rain while receiving 2kgs from the latter in a Listed event over 1000m four weeks earlier, and in the absence of Soft Falling Rain this time he started as a well backed 15/10 favourite from an ante-post price of 5/2. Istiqraar (5/2) and easy debut winner Valberg (28/10) were considered to be War Horse’s principal threats in a field of ten.
War Horse had some initial speed, but soon found himself outpaced and amongst the back-markers as Valberg set a brisk pace ahead of Istiqraar and Mogok’s Desire. Valberg faded tamely inside the last 300m and it was Mogok’s Desire who shot to the front around 200m out, but War Horse shifted in a few horse widths to get a clear run and salvaged the day for his backers in the nick of time. Supporters of the favourite must have had their hearts in their mouths as War Lord began to zoom in on Mogok’s Desire, but he managed to scramble past the latter in the final stages to win by a long neck under Fanie Chambers, who would no doubtless have come in for all sorts of stick from assorted grandstand jockeys if War Horse had been beaten.
Mogok’s Desire showed his runaway debut win on the Vaal sand sixteen days earlier to have been no fluke and finished 2.65 lengths clear of third placed Istiqraar, who looked to have every chance, but Valberg faded to nothing and trailed in last, 15 lengths behind the winner.
It nearly all went pear-shaped for War Horse, but the Corne Spies-trained colt has shown terrific promise in sprints for a horse who is bred to stay much further and looks to have a very bright future indeed. A member of deceased Victory Moon’s final crop, War Horse is out of the New Zealand-bred Deputy Governor mare Star Deputy, who won three races in South Africa including a Listed handicap over 2600m. She in turn is a half sister to Gr 2 1800m Skeaping Trophy winner Brutal Force, so throw Victory Moon’s influence into the mix and you’d imagine that War Horse will stay 1600m and more in time. He was acquired for R275 000 at the inaugural Cape Premier Yearling Sale in 2011 and it is a measure of the instant mark which that sale has made on our racing that every single Listed or Graded event for two-year-olds contested so far anywhere in South Africa this season has been won by one of its graduates. Franny, Soft Falling Rain, Agra and The Black Rose (all four of them undefeated to date) are the others. War Horse’s two wins from three starts have earned stakes of R198 875.
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