Athletic! Olympic Owen gets up to beat Jimmi Choo in an exciting finish to the Protea Stakes
The R200 000 Gr3 Protea Stakes run over 1100m at Turffontein on Saturday produced a first stakes winner for new local stallion Jay Peg. His Highlands bred son Olympic Owen flew late to collar the speedy Jimmi Choo on the line.
The winning trainer Corne Spies is quite unorthodox in his approach to programming his charges, and it seems ludicrous, but rather clever indeed, that Olympic Owen was trucked down to Kimberley in February to win his maiden.
Now a Gr3 winner, Olympic Owen won the Kimberley start by over ten lengths in a five horse field in the hands of Benny Dean. He was backed from a generous 4 to 1. Say no more!
In the build up to Saturday’s race he was quietly labelled a ‘banker’ by Spies, who didn’t seem concerned at the presence of the lightning fast Jimmi Choo, who had beaten Olympic Owen at their previous meeting in the Storm Bird Stakes.
Jimmi Choo was giving his opposition 2kgs but was quickly out and was beaten for early speed by the first timer Win A Million, who showed outstanding toe.
Going into the final 300m Jimmi Choo moved into the lead and looked to be going on to win, with Olympic Owen still some lengths off on the outside.
In the final 100m Jimmi Choo could find no more as Fanie Chambers produced Olympic Owen down the outside and he stormed through to wear Jimmi Choo down and catch him to win going away by 0,25 lengths in a time of 64,14 secs. The extra 100m of this race had made the difference.
The first timer Win A Million ran a cracker to finish a two length third, marginally ahead of Sean Tarry’s maiden, Willow Magic.
The other Tarry runner Arabian National disappointed when running downfield.
The winner was bred by Highlands Farms and is by Jay Peg out of the four time winning Kingmambo mare, Kelly’s Olympics.
Olympic Owen has now won 2 of 3 starts with one place and earnings of R181 875.
He appears to have a nice turn of foot, and will be closely watched by the Jay Peg Syndicate as he takes his next few steps, possibly in the SA Nursery in three weeks on Champions Day and then down to Durban.
Result:
Protea S. (SAf-G3) (3/30)
Turffontein, South Africa, March 30, R200.000, 1100m, turf, good, 1.04.14
OLYMPIC OWEN (SAF), 56.0, b g 2, Jay Peg (SAF) – Kelly’s Olympics (USA) by
Kingmambo (USA) . Owner FN Englezakis, RP Macnab; breeder Highlands; trainer
C Spies; jockey F Chambers (R125.000)
Jimmi Choo (SAF), 58.0, ch g 2, Bezrin (USA) – Ambleside (SAF) by
Northfields (USA)
Win A Million (SAF), 53.0, b g 2, Count Dubois (GB) – Warrior Maid (SAF) by
Complete Warrior (USA)
Margins: nk, 1¾, nk
