Shea Shea wins Gr1 Golden Horse Sprint

Shea Shea

Geoff Woodruff loves Scottsville, especially when J J The Jet Plane is not around.  The trainer saddled Earl Of Surrey to win the 2009 Golden Horse Casino Sprint in the absence of the globe-trotting J J (who won the race one year earlier and again one year later), and returned to Pietermaritzburg to land the big handicap again on Saturday.  This time it was Shea Shea who lifted the spoils, which neatly perhaps answers the question of why Earl Of Surrey was not in the line-up again.

What A Winter was all the rage on his return to 1200m, a distance over which he had not been beaten from three previous tries, and went off as the 13/20 favourite after running on well to finish second behind Val De Ra in the Gr 1 Computaform Sprint over 1000m.  He was supported from an ante-post call of 12/10 to start as a 13/20 favourite to defy 59.5 kgs.  Shea Shea was meeting What A Winter on 1.5 kgs better terms for a beating of 1.25 lengths in the Computaform Sprint, but went off as an easy-to-back 15/2 chance in a maximum field of 16.  It was the vaguely enigmatic Kavanagh who filled the role of 11/2 second favourite in his first try at this shorter trip since having blinkers fitted to his regular racing gear during the Gauteng Feature season, but an even bigger misfire than usual would be the end result.

Winking Jack has been a different horse this year and the former bread-and-butter handicapper showed plenty of early toe although racing pretty much alone towards a stands side of the course which looked all day to be somewhat inferior to the far side.  Polar Moon and Gaultier led the way over on the inner part of the track, with Two Tone and Kavanagh just behind them.  Shea Shea and What A Winter were both a few lengths behind the action, with August Rush also keeping an eye on the leaders.

Polar Moon on the far side and Winking Jack wide out were both still right in the firing line coming to the final 200m, where What A Winter was finding almost nothing by way of a response to his rider’s urgings.  August Rush had come through with a strong challenge as well, but Shea Shea was quickening better than all of them.  Sent to the front at just the right time by title-chasing Anthony Delpech, Woodruff’s three-year-old ran on very strongly all the way home to win by three-quarters of a length from August Rush, with Polar Moon and Winking Jack only a neck and a head further back in third and fourth respectively.  What A Winter simply never got going in his first appearance on the undulating Scottsville course and finished 2.85 lengths behind the winner in sixth place.  He must be better than this, even allowing for the fact that handicaps can floor tigers, and is well worth another chance in something like the Gr 1 Mercury Sprint at Clairwood in July.  Kavanagh finished up with only one behind him and probably has connections scratching their heads, but he may be getting perilously close to losing any chance of a future career as a stallion – if you know what I mean.

August Rush and Polar Moon ran blinders, with the latter more than confirming the return to form he had showed with first time blinkers when winning a Gr 2 handicap at Turffontein in his latest appearance.  Winking Jack also put up a splendid performance for a six-year-old whose merit rating has climbed from 86 to 103 since late January, but Shea Shea was just too good for them all on the day.   He was tried up to 1600m during the Gauteng season, but sprinting looks to be his forte and he is probably still getting better.  A son of National Emblem, Shea Shea is the third foal and first winner produced from Jallad mare Yankee Clipper, who won five races over 1200/1600m including a Listed event.  Bred at Klawervlei Stud, he was bought for R550 000 at the 2009 National Yearling Sale and has won six times from twelve starts, earning stakes of R879 500 for owners Brian Joffe and Myron Berzack.

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