Vaal-based trainer Lucky Houdalakis finds himself in sixth place on the national log after a halcyon month of August in which the yard had ten winners.
The Houdalakis team created a yard record in June, when they had nine winners, and bettering this mark just two months later suggests they are undoubtedly heading in the right direction.
The former Highveld-based jockey is assisted by his wife Natalie, father-in-law Trevor Lange, who was a good trainer in his own right, and Vic Moore and together they are a formidable team.
They yard look to have a few feature race prospects this season.
It is too early to get overly excited but the three-year-old Var filly Speedy Gonvarlez made a big impression when streaking to an eight length victory over 1000m on the Vaal sand on debut. The legendary J J The Jet Plane, who put the Houdalakis yard’s name on the map, also made his debut on the Vaal sand. Interestingly, Speedy Gonvarlez is out of a half-sister to J J.
Houdalakis took two horses down to Greyville for Super Saturday and the gallant Noble Star ran out a 9,25 length winner of a MR 78 Handicap over 2400m before the Right Approach gelding Nephrite ran a three length fifth in the Gr 1 Premier’s Champions Stakes over 1600m.
Interestingly Nephrite, who was born in December of his foaling year, is five months younger than the Champions Stakes winner Rabada, and that sort of age gap is significant among juvenile racehorses.
A week ago the yard’s Antonius Pius filly Firstimesacharm won comfortably on debut over 1200m on the Vaal turf.
Earlier, the three-year-old Tiger Ridge gelding Netflix, an immature sort who took six runs to win his maiden, was impressive over 1700m in first time blinkers, finding plenty in the straight despite over-racing early.
The yard’s four-year-old Count Dubois gelding Counterstroke is described as still being “a big baby”, so is another one to follow as he has won two of his last three starts and has never been out of the first three in seven career outings.
Their four-year-old Dynasty filly Drifting Dusk, who won her debut by 7,25 lengths, bounced back to form recently with a 3,25 length victory over 1160m at Turffontein in a Graduation Plate.
The yard have entered the four-year-old Slew The Red gelding Raise The Red in the R1 million Supreme Cup sponsored by SAP over 1450m on the Vaal sand on September 26. He is unbeaten in two starts over the Supreme Cup course and distance, including winning the last of them by a facile 4,75 lengths as a young three-year-old about a year ago.
Natalie said about some of the yard’s prospects, “Speedy Gonvarlez will run in the Non-Black Type Sophomore 1000 on Supreme Cup day and we will see how she goes. We have sent Nephrite to the farm for two months to allow him to grow and have high hopes for him. Firstimesacharm looks very nice, we don’t know what she was up against, but she is a lovely, big strong filly and won convincingly. Counterstroke is getting better with each run. We have always rated Drifting Dusk and backed off her when she went a bit off. She won convincingly first time back and continues to improve. Noble Star tries his heart out every time he runs and has now won six races (including three out of five starts over staying trips). He particularly enjoys KZN and has won his last two starts down there.”
The Houdalakis’ are full of praise for the Vaal as a training centre. Natalie reckons it has the best training tracks in the country and the string tends to relax in the horse-friendly environment. The results of trainers at The Vaal last season speaks volumes.
Lucky’s career as a jockey ended when a kick by a horse shattered his shin bone.
He was persuaded to take out his trainer’s license in 2006 by Natalie and a friend of his, Coenie Strydom.
Fittingly Coenie was a shareholder in the great J J The Jet Plane and the Houdalakis couple quickly proved what they could do with a top racehorse.
J J, who was bought for a mere R70,000, ended his three-year-old year by winning five Graded races on the trot, the Gr 2 Senor Santa Handicap, the Gr 3 Man O’War Sprint, The Gr 1 Computaform Sprint, the Gr 1 Golden Horse Casino Sprint (with topweight) and the Gr 1 Mercury Sprint (by five lengths in course record time). He then left the yard to campaign overseas where he had some initial success.
However, by the time he had made his way back to the Houdalakis yard he had appeared to have lost his way. He was a forgotten racehorse to the extent that he was allowed to start at odds of 13/2 in his comeback in the Gr 1 Golden Horse Casino Sprint. However, he became the first South African horse to return from an overseas campaign and win a Gr 1 and he did it comfortably. He then sauntered to a 5,5 length win in the Mercury Sprint. The connections were then considered unrealistically optimistic when sending him to run in the Gr 1 Hong Kong Sprint, because he faced a rigorous three-and-a-half month journey, through climates ranging from hot to freezing, and he would only land in Hong Kong eleven days before the race.
However, he famously beat a field studded with international stars under a brilliant ride by Piere Strydom, who rates him the best horse he has ever ridden. J J went on to win the Gr 2 Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai.
J J is still a celebrity at his retirement home Balmoral Stud in the KZN Midlands and is regularly visited by adoring fans. He shares a paddock with a Mary Slack-owned dressage and showing champion Dark Rider and the pair are inseparable.
By David Thiselton
Picture: Lucky Houdalakis (Nkosi Hlophe)
