Turffontein trainer Joey Soma measures the success of any season by his yard’s ability to compete at the top level.
He says that 2020/21 has been a trying but successful term on that barometer – and he is out to double his Gr1 haul when he sends out a quartet of runners at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday.
While striving to find two Gr1 winners on the final major day is clearly tongue in cheek fighting talk from the charismatic racing man, history shows that he hasn’t done half badly in the past aiming for the stars – even with just 38 odd horses in his string stabled at Gauteng’s flagship racetrack.
Great competitor – Joey Soma
“We have to benchmark ourselves against the best and I’m happy to be in with four genuine fighting chances on what should be another great day of SA Champions Season competition,” Joey told the Sporting Post.
The Soma stable’s big horse Got The Greenlight will step out for only his fifth run of the season when he contests the HKJC World Pools Gr1 Champions Cup.
Joey tells that he took the Equus champion home after his great effort in the Vodacom Durban July, where he ran a gutsy third behind Kommetdieding. Got The Greenlight has been a better horse being trained out of his home base and there was a feeling that it makes no sense to tinker with a winning recipe.
“No excuses. But he had no luck in the big race and one always needs a bit of that. But we have gone easy with him and he is fresh and ready to end the season with a flourish. It is a pity that not all the big guns are there, but what the field lacks for in numbers, it makes up for in quality.”
Got The Greenlight – ready to make amends and win his third Gr1 this term (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
He says that Got The Greenlight will be ‘100% ready’, but that he has to have respect for a horse like Do It Again, who meets him on 2,5kgs better terms for just over a length beating in the Vodacom Durban July.
“I suppose it’s fair to say that they both had issues in running in the July, so it should be interesting!”
African Adventure carries top pudding in the Marshalls World Of Sport Gr3 Gold Cup.
A quartet carryover of R1 million will be introduced into the 1-2-3-4 prediction pool for this seventh race, with R4 million projected.
“The Gold Cup has always been African Adventure’s season goal and he is a very, very good stayer – as his record shows. Any horse who can win the Caradoc Gold Cup by over 7 lengths over the Turffontein 2850m must have some stamina ability!”
Muzi Yeni partners the son of Master Of My Fate from 1 draw. He won his prep run over 1800m on July day, a win that gave Joey much pleasure.
African Adventure stays all day! (Pic – JC Photos)
“It was tantamount to being well paid for a gallop! It was a lovely surprise and certainly confirmed his wellbeing. We were treated quite harshly by the handicappers, a fact that soured the celebration a bit. He is a solid consistent horse and his sole blot on his copybook was his Gold Bowl run – but he didn’t enjoy the ground at all.”
He points out that this will be the gelding’s first run away from home and Hollywoodbets Greyville probably wouldn’t ideally be his ‘first choice’ type of track.
“But we have the pole position draw. If I have to be wary, I’d have to say the weight and pace might be concerns.”
Joey has two runners in the Gr1 Premiers Champion Stakes – a race won in 2019 by stable star, Got The Greenlight.
“Both Anytime Champ and Happy And Glorious are runners and have earned their ticket for this race. Win, lose or draw, we will know where we stand with them in the scheme of things. If I could draw a boxing analogy between the pair, Anytime Champ is the classy Muhammad Ali, while Happy And Glorious is the streetfighter type – let’s say Joe Frazier.”
Anytime Champ won his debut over 1160m.
“He won really well and has show us unbelievable work. It’s not my style to push a young horse from a sprint to a mile at a strange track at just his second jump. But I believe he has classic potential and whatever happens after Saturday, we will rest him and bring him back in a few months as a stronger 3yo with potential.”
Joey points out that the R480 000 National Yearling Sale buy is the first horse bought at sale by the Dannhauser family.
“They are lovely people who are patient and love the game. He is a smashing horse.”
Happy And Glorious is the stable second stringer but more experienced and a fellow who earned his Durban trip when winning his fourth start with authority over 1400m at Turffontein.
Big match temperament! Smanga Khumalo (Pic- Candiese Lenferna)
“He has come along nicely since being gelded after his third start. He has improved smartly at track too. He deserves a chance, and while we are drawn at 11, Smanga Khumalo has all the experience and will know what to do,” concludes Joey.
A reminder that the final meeting of the season at Hollywoodbets Greyville on Saturday 31 July, known as the Marshalls World Of Sport Festival Of Racing, hosts the lucrative telephone numbers of the Hong Kong World Pools.
The Pick 6 on the day will be boosted by a R5 million carryover injection and is projected to reach R15 million.
- Tote betting opens on Friday 30 July.
