Gimmethegreenlight - to stand first season at Varsfontein
How to describe this Aussie phenomenon? The words that most readily spring to mind are those wonderful exclamations by F1 commentator Murray Walker at the start of a Grand Prix – and it’s GO GO GO!
The story so far
The big black colt positively exploded onto the South African racing scene and it has been a real privilege to follow his career. I was lucky enough to be on course for a number of his wins, most memorably his debut in a juvenile plate on 2011 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate day under a polished ride from Richard Fourie. Anyone who has seen him race in the flesh will know that it’s a memorable experience. He is a beautiful specimen and Sue Snaith is more than a little proud of her role in talking Hassen Adams into buying him.
I remember chatting to Jonathan Snaith about the colt shortly after his first outing. I have a bit of a soft spot for their Oratoria charge, Soweto Slew and was a bit put out that my favourite had been downed by his stable mate. When I enquired after Soweto Slew, Jono said he was a nice horse, but that he held the young Gimmethegreenlight in particularly high regard…. Prophetic words indeed !!
After winning everything he was pointed at in Cape Town, Gimmethegreenlight trod the familiar path up the N2 to Durban. He notched up a victory over a 1300m juvenile plate, but the gods of the Zulu kingdom seemed to side against him and the draws and luck in running seemed to fall elsewhere. Still, a 4th in the rainy Gr1 Golden Horseshoe and a 3rd in the Gr1 Premier’s Champion Stakes are not exactly to be sneezed at.
After a bit of a break, the colt was back in his home town for his onslaught on the Cape Summer Season and made his intentions clear by finishing 2nd in the Gr3 Cape Classic. A month later he was second to Variety Club in the Selangor, which sparked an exciting turf rivalry between the two colts.
The run of luck in the draws continued to dog him and a no 10 berth in the Gr1 Cape Guineas and traffic problems compounded matters. Variety Club returned to haunt him, with Silver Flyer and Princess Victoria filling the 2nd and 3rd spots, but the big black Australian colt still managed a valiant 4th.
Gr1 Success
And then, greatness beckoned. South Africa’s premier weight-for age contest – the 2012 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate. The scene of the crime for his first victory. Could he step up to the plate?
Jono Snaith helped broker an arrangement with the organisers of the Breeder’s Cup that saw the 2012 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate form the first leg of the Breeder’s Cup ‘Win and You’re In’ Challenge – an international competition to seek out and invite the best of the world’s racing talent to compete in the 2012 Breeder’s Cup World Championships this November. The back issue that had caused him to be a little slow out of the pens had been addressed. Piere Strydom cut short his convalescence from a broken jaw to take the ride and the engagement would prove a masterstroke. The stage was set.
I had hitched a ride to the track with Pocket Power, so was in the stabling area just before the race and got a bit of a behind the scenes glimpse into the Queen’s Plate runners. The stabling area is usually a hive of activity and high energy before a big race, but Gimmethegreenlight displayed his incredible big match temperament by taking it all in his stride.
Perfectly placed throughout, Gimmethegreenlight and Piere Strydom swept past the field – including rival Variety Club – in the final 200m to win with a flourish. The Queen’s Plate is always a memorable race, and this year proved no exception. It was Justin Snaith’s first Queen’s Plate victory and the win was particularly special because of the close and long-standing relationship with Hassen Adams, who was on course with his family to enjoy the moment.
Next was a tilt at the J&B Met. It was a heck of a field – Igugu, Ilsanpietro, Smanjemanje, The Apache and Beach Beauty travelled from the four corners of the country to take their places alongside the best from the Cape arsenal. Again, I managed to slip backstage to see the horses. There had been so much speculation surrounding Igugu – would she, wouldn’t she (more importantly, could she?). As the Snaith draft made their way to the saddling area, it was hard not to be struck by the high energy and flash that is Run For It. Gimmethegreenlight followed behind, entirely unflustered by the big occasion and simply strode into the ring as though he owned it.
It was to be another memorable Met, with Gimmethegreenlight absolutely flying at the finish to grab 3rd.
Injury
Hindsight is always 20/20 and Jono says that in retrospect the decision to raid Johannesburg was perhaps not the best.
Gimmethegreenlight stamped his presence on the Highveld with a victory over the likes of Welwitschia and Gibraltar Blue over 1400m, but the Gr1 SA Classic would prove his undoing. For the first time in his entire career, Gimmethegreenlight would finish out of the placings and on investigation, the cause was soon found to be a ligament strain.
Jono relates that in the history of Snaith racing 3 of their string have travelled to Joburg – Dancer’s Daughter, Gimmethegreenlight and Run For It. All three have come to grief, all with the same injury. “It’s a big ask to expect a Cape horse to compete up there. There’s the travel, the altitude and of course the difference in surface.”
Stud Prospects
While ligaments can be repaired, it would have taken a lot of time. Prohibitive current export regulations helped the decision to retire the colt to stud. As Hassen said ‘He has done more than enough’. The Aussie import has an incredibly exciting pedigree and the connections have been fending off offers from all over the world for some time now. However, it has been decided that he will stay firmly in South Africa where the More Than Ready colt will be a powerful round in our local bloodline chamber.
While Justin is ‘gutted’ to lose his star horse and tantalising international aspirations, Snaith Racing are very proud to have been associated with the horse. Jono says the colt was still improving and had the International opportunities come their way, feels that the colt would have achieved international Group 1 success without any doubt. “He has absolutely everything it takes to make a stallion – he’s got the ability, the looks and above all, the temperament. There was never a question that we might need to geld him – he has an exceptional temperament. He loves people and loves attention – he is a true professional, both at home and on the track”.
They are particularly pleased that John Freeman will be managing the stallion. John has been the Snaiths’ bloodstock agent for the last 3 years and Jono attributes a lot of their success to John’s shrewd advice. He jokes that John Freeman is ‘the best horse in the yard !”
John has been following the colt closely throughout his career and is over the moon to be managing him. ‘I get offered a lot of horses and obviously one can only handle so many, but Gimmethegreenlight… I have to pinch myself !’ he chuckles.
“Do you know, Rob Knuppe sent Hassen an email saying ‘Of all the thousands of deep pedigree searches I have undertaken in the past decade I have yet to see a more exciting pedigree make-up come close to that of Gimmethegreenlight. It is a foregone conclusion that he will be challenging South African’s top sires in just a few years from now.’ That’s quite a compliment !”
He continues: “There are a number of things a horse needs to make a stallion – a solid pedigree, they need to look like a stallion, but above all, they have to have racing class. And Gimmethegreenlight checks all those boxes. I don’t presume to tell people how to breed, but The Hail To Reason line has done exceptionally well in South Africa. We know how to use it and it works.
The arrangement to stand him at Sue Kalmanson’s Varsfontein Stud is another coup. Sue went out to Philippi to view the horse personally. He made such an impression that she went straight from there to Hassen’s office and not only persuaded him to let them stand the stallion, but bought a significant share herself.
John continues – ‘You need a good team to make a successful sire. He needs to be marketed correctly and he also needs to go where his pedigree is needed and will be used. Varsfontein has an excellent history and reputation, it is very well managed and they have a wonderful broodmare band. Hassen has over 40 mares of his own and we are being inundated with enquiries”. And little wonder – at R20k as his first season cover fee, the colt offers exceptional value.
He has passed the veterinary examination with flying colours and will make his way to his new home later this week to let down and prepare for the stud season ahead.
The beautiful colt will be a sad loss to our tracks, but with all the right support mechanisms in place, we look forward to the starter’s flag being waved on his stud career. To borrow another Walkerism, ‘Unless I’m very much mistaken’ it looks as though Gimme will certainly receive the green light at stud !
