The connections are now eyeing the Gr 1 Golden Horse Casino Sprint over 1 200m at Scottsville on May 24 for the Ascot-bred son of Lecture, who is now a dual Gr 1 winner.

Bremner ran a live sms conversation from the parade ring until after the finish on Saturday with her former stable jockey Karis Teetan, who was watching from his new base in Hong Kong, so he was the first to congratulate her.

However, in her own mind she has battled to elevate this prestigious win above any other.

She said, “A lot of people have asked me what it is like to have won my first Gr 1. I generally don’t show any emotion, although I was excited, but every win, even if it’s a maiden, is a very good feeling if you have put the work in and everything goes according to plan. For me the pressure was off in this race when Piere Strydom phoned and asked for the ride.”

Strydom had said during the phonecall that if the horse ran to his Johannesburg form he must have a chance, although he was not sure it was a winning chance.

Copper Parade had run at Turffontein twice before, winning the Listed Golden Loom Handicap over Saturday’s course and distance on November 2 last year by a comfortable two lengths, before being beaten 3,75 lengths by Here Comes Billy when carrying topweight in the Gr 2 Merchants over 1 160m.

Copper Parade was involved in an incident in the Gr 1 Cape Flying Championship earlier this year, when being loaded early and then breaking through the stalls, that had landed Muzi Yeni in hot water for cursing the starter.

“We have never had any luck in Cape Town,” said Bremner, who also referred to the problems Blaze of Fire had experienced at the start of the Gr 1 Cape Guineas in 2011.

However, Copper Parade returned to Port Elizabeth and won a Conditions Plate over 1 000m at Fairview in good style.

In his penultimate start in the Listed East Cape Sprint Cup over the same course and distance nothing went right, but he still finished a 1,25 length second to Vauclair.

Bremner said, “We had expected a good pace in that race with Cap Alright in the field, but it didn’t happen and Copper Parade ended up absolutely reefing behind them pulling Keagan Latham’s arms out. Even in a longer race if it’s a crawl and a sprint the horses that stay won’t catch the leaders and that’s what happened that day. It was a disaster.”

However, Bremner was confident that Copper Parade would run to his best against top class company, where the pace is likely to be truer. “He likes to be covered up and then when he is switched out he takes off. He loves it.”

Everything worked out perfectly on Saturday and, although the style of his run didn’t surprise her, just how well he did it might have. Strydom was certainly surprised, although he said that the horse had felt very good going down to the start.

Just two backhanders was all that Strydom required and the horse suddenly emerged like a jet propelled rocket on the outside to spoil the party for favourite backers.

Via Africa had to settle for the runner up spot for the second year running, but unlike last year, when slowly away, she ran a perfect race this time. She pinged the start, showed her usual high cruising speed and kicked at just the right time to repel the challenge of her nearest market rival Contador. Both jockey Kevin Shea and assistant trainer Alex Rymill admitted that she had done everything perfectly, but was just beaten by the better horse on the day.

Yvette recently took over the share in Copper Parade of her life partner Hedley McGrath, but clarified yesterday that it was still “our share”. The other share is held by Optima Trust, whose nominee is Val Fenix.

Copper Parade enjoyed a fine career with top Cape trainer Joey Ramsden before moving to Bremner’s Fairview yard at the beginning of last season. He won the Gr 1 Golden Horseshoe over 1 450m at Clairwood as a two-year-old, albeit after and objection against Kavanagh, and finished second in the Gr 1 Mercury Sprint as a three-year-old as well as fourth in the Gr 1 Golden Horse Casino Sprint as a four-year-old.

Bremner said Copper Parade always travelled well (he was transported up to Johannesburg last Wednesday), but revealed that he was going to stay up in Johannesburg until the Golden Horse Casino Sprint as he enjoyed the training tracks up there during his previous Johannesburg stint. Alec Laird will take care of him.

He is likely to be given a big merit rated raise for the win, but Bremner was not concerned as she felt he would have carried topweight, or close to it, in the Golden Horse anyway. Unlike Saturday’s weight for age event, the Golden Horse is a handicap.

The yard’s previous biggest away success had been when their five-year-old Victory Moon entire Blaze of Fire had finished third under Teetan in last year’s

Gr 1 Champions Cup over 1 800m at Greyville. He was subsequently named the Port Elizabeth Horse Of The Year. Bremner said the handsome bay had “loved Durban”, so she would consider another Champions Season campaign depending on how he did in his next start, which would be his third run since returning from injury.