Mellow Yellow! Jade Bay (obscured) hangs on under Richard Fourie to win the Listed Umngeni Handicap
Trainer Dominic Zaki and jockey Richard Fourie turned their respective Super Saturday fortunes around in the space of under a minute, as Jade Bay got the better of a gallant Sharp Design to win the R150 000 Listed Umngeni Handicap under the Greyville lights.
The 3yo Jade Bay is something of a quietly rising star of the sprinting ranks and is lightning fast. He was full value for a meritorious win.
His replacement rider Richard Fourie had him on a soft lead as Sharp Design snapped at his heels the whole way around in the 1000m event.
Inside the final 300m the young Fourie showed the advantage of his experience and time in Hong Kong as he kept the gelding well balanced under a left handed ride, as Weichong Marwing threw everything he knew at Sharp Design.
Jade Bay rallied and hung on gamely to win by a head at 9 to 1 in a time of 56,68 secs.
And what a great Highlands family he hails from!
He is by Jallad, who also sired the winner of the 3200m Gold Cup three hours earlier, and is a half brother to the Champions Cup winner Jackson.
Bay City Rollers! The victorious Jade Bay partnership lead their star in
A visibly relieved trainer Dominic Zaki paid due credit to his jockey Richard Fourie, whom he said had ridden a copybook race.
The vastly matured Richard Fourie said that he had a nice soft lead but that in the final 100m his mount had obviously had enough.
Fourie confirmed that he would make a bid for the SA Jockey title next season. He will be retained by Justin Snaith.
Jade Bay is owned by some staunch and enthusiastic Zaki supporters and it looked as if half of Johannesburg was on hand to lead the impressive winner in.
Jade Bay is by Jallad out of the one time winning US bred Cozzene mare, Moonlit Prairie
He was, as already mentioned, bred by Highlands and cost R140 000 on the National Yearling Sale.
Jade Bay was registering a fifth win with 4 places from 16 starts and took his stake earnings to R344 075.
The race brought the curtain down on a rather forgettable Super Saturday for champion trainer Mike De Kock, who could not win a solitary race on the day.
Anthony Delpech had ridden the favourite, Welwitschia in this event for De Kock ,but the daughter of Oasis Dream was always outpaced and just never in the hunt.
In the previous race Delpech had lodged what appeared to be a marginal objection after his mount Bluroute had been outrun by a nostril by Glen Hatt on Reflective Image for Brett Crawford. The Stipes did not take long to overrule the appeal.
