Queens Plate winner – The Day After

The Queen's Green! Piere Strydom drives Gimmethegreenlight through to win.

Justin Snaith produced the Group 1 gem of gems for owner Hassen Adams when the terrific Australian bred 3yo colt Gimme thegreenlight won the R1 million Gr1 l’Ormarins Queen’s Plate at Kenilworth over 1600m on 7 January.

The prestigious feature win was the result of some understated ‘tweaking’ by the Snaith team that included a change of jockey and a few other back-room adjustments. The win also includes a mind-boggling ‘free invite’ to the Breeders’ Cup – whatever that exciting carrot might entail.

The 151^st winner of South Africa’s most prestigious mile has been one of those hard-luck storytellers, but today he downed the Guineas winner and a bunch of talented elders in a memorable race. By Southern Halo, his sire More Than Ready is the only stallion to produce two consecutive Magic Millions/Golden Slipper winners and the world is his oyster – subject to our frustrating export protocols, on which front his owner alluded to some positive news to follow.

Dame Nicola Brewer, British High Commissioner to South Africa, handed the beautiful plate to a jubilant Hassen Adams who magnanimously summonsed Justin’s mum Sue to the crowded podium in a lovely sporting gesture. Adams credits Sue Snaith for having persuaded him to purchase the ‘beautiful mover’ in Australia

Wham! Adams & Son are flanked by Jono & Justin Snaith at the lead-in.

Anton Marcus may well be SA Champion Jockey and is an aggressive rider who loves to be close to the action. On the flipside, Piere Strydom has few peers when it comes to riding from off the pace and is a beautifully balanced horseman who only goes for the whip as a last resort. He was highly complimentary of the professional Snaith Racing Team, who he said had sent him a DVD of all the three year old’s races with his air-ticket. Strydom in fact had returned from his light duty two weeks early and a holiday with his family at the seaside in Port Elizabeth. The offer of the ride on the highly-rated Gimmethegreenlight was just two good to turn down. Strydom also jokingly quipped that his insurance was not as good as he had expected it to be and he needed to start earning money again.

Squeezed out after 200m and ‘struggling’ as the brilliant jockey put it, the pair tracked the shenanigans out front as, in vastly sharp contrast to the Paddock Stakes run two hours earlier, the breakneck pace had to count. Strydom applied the nerve-wracking slow poison in the home straight as he does so effectively and realised in the final 200m that his defiance of doctor’s orders was likely  to pay his medical aid premiums for the next decade! He swept past the brilliant Variety Club to win going away.

The favourite Variety Club gave it his all in second place after overcoming his wide draw, and his connections can be proud, albeit a tad disappointed. Ebony Flyer failed to repeat her good third placed effort of last year and fell away, while Mike De Kock had no luck with Link Man running a shocker and the pacy Gibraltar Blue being sacrificed as a pacemaker. There were few other surprises.

The ridiculous crawl of the early stages of the R1 million Gr1 TBA Paddock Stakes had many fingers wagging after the favourite Beach  Beauty found herself a reluctant leader with every jockey in the race hanging against the steel for dear life. It was not a pretty sight and looked more like the body language of a false start . The question begs though – how on earth did the contestants not see this coming in a race devoid of pace? The participating six jockeys have over a century of race-riding experience between them and surely contingency plans were discussed beforehand? Thunder Dance was ill-fated champion stallion Jet Master’s 8th Gr1 winner and she looks ready to walk in her diminutive but brilliant dam Shadow Dancing’s golden footsteps.

Phillipi trainer Brett Crawford wasn’t complaining about the pace afterwards though! He sent out his first Group win as a trainer on his own account in the Peninsula Handicap at the same venue just four days previously, and trained his very first Group 1 winner here.  Karis Teetan had the very fit Thunder Dance a few lengths off Beach Beauty and Emerald Cove in one of the slowest run Group 1 races seen for a long time in a centre renowned for doing things slowly. At the 300m marker Teetan put Alec Forbes and Beach Beauty under pressure and the Crawford filly showed great fight by changing legs and kicking away well. Beach Beauty ran an absolute cracker

Ace Of Pace!Thunder Dance grabs the Paddock Stakes under Karis Teetan.

The high-riding Crawford-Teetan combination was to the fore again in the R125 000 Listed Politician Stakes run over 1800m.This Derby Trial boasted a field of 12 three year olds who went to post to underline or dispel their classic claims for a berth in the Investec Derby on Met day.

Mushreq led for the first 200m until Richard Fourie took over on Pilot Mike and they carted the field along at a fair pace.The order remained unchanged as they turned homewards and the entire field was poised across the track at the 300m marker as the youngsters started staking their claims. Anthony Delpech had unleashed Mushreq on what looked like a winning burst down the inside but Jackson was storming home wide out and he skated away with ease to beat Solar Captain and Tribal Dance.

Jackson has won three of his four starts and is a R1 million purchase  racing in the victorious Longmore silks in partnership with old Cape owner Jack Mitchell. The Highlands-bred looks to be a huge Derby contender, even if Mike De Kock’s Mushreq doesn’t really represent the strongest up-country form lines.

Marcus Magic. Anton forces Mozart Memorial up in the final stride.

The minor races on the card were unspectacular but entertaining with Anton Marcus showing his value with two superb winning rides in the Jooste silks on Hill Fifty Four and Mozart Memorial. His judgement on the latter for Joey Ramsden in the MR72 Handicap  over 2500m was particularly impressive. His stablemate A Boy Named Sue looked a winner after making most of the running, but Marcus showed hairline judgement when getting the Requiem gelding up in the final stride. The favourite Luno plodded into third and looks hard-pressed to ever record his second career win.

Felix Coetzee enjoyed an armchair ride on the ‘natural athlete’ The Black Rose who was too good for her rivals in the second race, a Juvenile Sprint over 1200m. The daughter of Black Minnaloushe had won a juvenile scurry over 800m on debut with ease, and followed up like a very good horse here. In a memorable race for the Justin Snaith yard, her stablemate Coniston Gold ran a cracker to stay on for second and provide Piere Strydom with a great return ride from his recent jaw-break injury.

Altered Images! Morne Winnaar drives Pergamon Alter to a great win.

Morne Winnaar rode the race of the afternoon on Piet Steyn’s gallant Doowaley gelding Pergamon Alter in the Pick Six opener, an MR95 Handicap over 1600m. Coming into this race on a handy 53kgs after a formless spell, the six year old galloped along at the rear as his energetic stablemate Master Barry cut out the fractions upfront. At the 300m marker any one of the nine runners could win and Winnaar kept a cool head as he forced his way through a narrow gap to get the better of the game Hammie’s Boy. It was his sixth win from 45 starts for stalwart owners Chris Sandes and Jim Thomson. Jet Into The Wind ran a dismal race as favourite and his recent form to Tales Of Bravery, who ran a cracker in the Queen’s Plate, proved more of a puzzle.

Tomorrow read lots more about the emotions and people that make the Sport Of Kings. And what about those that went home empty-handed today? Disappointments and broken dreams outnumber the glory. But for now we salute the Snaiths, Hassen Adams, Gaynor Rupert, Brett Crawford, Karis Teetan, Piere Strydom and the rest of the supporting cast.

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