Johan Janse Van Vuuren – nice early double
The Sail From Seattle mare Seattle Lady gave trainer Johan Janse van Vuuren a terrific double in advance of a superb Grand Heritage win at the Vaal on Saturday when she raised the fairer sex flag and gave the boys a galloping lesson to win the R150 000 Heritage 1200.
Drama had unfolded at acceptance time on Tuesday this week for the Heritage Day meeting when it transpired that an error had occurred in the programming small-print, leading to the girls’ race (won by Drifting Dusk earlier) having minimum weights of 52kgs, while the boys’ race had the bottomweight set at 50kgs.
Full marks though to trainer Johan Janse van Vuuren for latching on to the 2,5kg fillies and mares sex allowance on offer and trying his luck with the only lady in the seventeen horse field.
The tactic worked and JP van der Merwe set the 12-1 shot alight at the 350m as she streaked clear to have too much in reserve for the weak 9-2 favourite Duke Nukem who arrived too late to peg her back.
Seattle Lady won by 1,50 lengths in a time of 69,56 secs and reduced the Pick 6 tickets to just over 3900 with three legs to run in a pool of R2,676 million.
She had last won in February this year.
The KZN visitor Aldric showed no regard for the upset of spreading a shoe on the way to the start and he came on strongly for third, a further length in arrears.
Jockey Grant van Niekerk had the rail-drawn Kapitan sailing alone down the inside rail and the son of Captain Al fell in a hole after showing some pace.
JP van der Merwe drives Seattle Lady up for an easy win (Pic-JC Photos)
The Ascot Stud-bred Seattle Lady is a daughter of Sail From Seattle out of the one-time winning Fort Wood mare, Woodland Lady.
She has won 3 races with a solid 13 places from her 29 starts for stakes of R398 625.
She was signed for by Triple 8 Clothing for just R45 000 at the 2013 BSA National 2yo Sale.
