Johan Janse van Vuuren has two of the most exciting fillies in the country in True To Life and Lady Of Steel and they will both be nominated for the same race, the Grade 3 Umzimkhulu Stakes over 1400m at Greyville on April 5, an event which is often used as a springboard to the Grade 2 Daisy Fillies Guineas on the first night of the SA Champions Season.

Both fillies won good races over the weekend.

Lady Of Steel is unbeaten in four starts from 1200m to 1600m and looks full of class.

On Saturday she finished as strongly as usual to win the Grade 3 Acacia Handicap over 1600m at Turffontein Standside by 2,25 lengths under Chase Maujean.

She ran off a merit rating of 98 and carried only 52,5kg but she did have to overcome a tough draw of 13.

She will continue to be trained out of Turffontein and her participation in the Umzimkhulu might depend on the draw she lands.

Janse van Vuuren is also considering a tilt at the Grade 1 HSH Prince Charlene Empress Club Stakes over 1600m at Turffontein on April 18.

True To Life has exceptional natural speed and she displayed this again on Sunday when easily winning a 1400m Pinnacle Stakes event on the Greyville turf.

She sat in second behind a slow pace and had soon quickened away from them and beat some useful KZN-based females, including Grade 1 winner Camphoratus, by 3,50 lengths without coming off the bit.

True To Life’s only defeat in five races over sprint distances was in the SA Fillies Nursery when a four length third to the outstanding Basadi Faith.

However, she has failed in both of her attempts at a mile, although both were at Grade 1 level.

Therefore, Janse van Vuuren will run her in the Umzimkhulu and decide from there whether she has another attempt at a mile in a race like the Grade 2 Daisy Fillies Guineas or whether she comes back down in trip for races like the Grade 1 SA Fillies Sprint.

True To Life was bred by the outstanding breeder Robin Bruss and is looking to have a bit in common with the Bruss-bred Equus Champion Sprinter Will Pays, who defied his breeding as his sire Imperial Stride won a Group 2 over a-mile-and-two-furlongs and a Group 3 over a mile-and-a-half and his dam Rattlebag won a Grade 3 over a mile and finished third in the Grade 2 Natal Oaks over 2400m.

Bruss always breeds a horse with the Vodacom Durban July and the Sun Met in mind. He said thus there had to be a combination of stamina and speed, with the latter required in order for the horse to have the necessary acceleration.

He added, “But in thoroughbred breeding, being what it is, you can end up with the opposite to what you intended.”

True To Life’s sire Duke Of Marmalade was a European champion, whose five consecutive Group 1 wins as a four-year-old were from a-mile-and-two-furlongs to a-mile-and-a-half.

Her dam Mina Salaam won a Zimbabwean Grade 3 over 2000m and a Listed race in South Africa over a mile and she has plenty of stamina in her pedigree.

Bruss believes there are two reasons why True To Life is doing so well over shorter trips.

Firstly, Duke Of Marmalade is by Danehill, whose only Group 1 win was over six furlongs and as one of the all-time great thoroughbred stallions he became a particularly exceptional speed influence.

Bruss knows True To Life well as he bought her back at the sales when not realising a good enough price and owned her for her first couple of runs before she was bought out of the Roy Magner yard by Janse van Vuuren’s chief owner Laurence Wernars.

He reckoned the second reason for her doing well over shorter trips to date is she weighs in at 550kg and as with humans it is difficult to carry heavy muscle over long trips.

However, he said with age she might indeed be able to stay the mile.

Sunday’s run was encouraging from that point of view as she had failed in her only previous attempt at that 1400m course and distance in the Grade 2 Golden Slipper.

Whichever route these two fillies go they should make headlines in the SA Champions Season as they both possess true class.

By David Thiselton

One World, one of only two entire horses to win the Sun Met in the last 16 years, is to stand alongside the other one (Futura) at Drakenstein Stud. He will not race again.

No stud fee has yet been announced but John Freeman reports that the syndication is almost complete. The four-year-old, winner of ten of his 14 starts, is one of the last top sons of Captain Al trained by Vaughan Marshall who won the Cape Guineas with the subsequent champion sire in 2000 and with his sons William Longsword and Tap O’Noth.

One World, bred by Klawervlei and bought for R425 000 at the 2017 Cape Premier Yearling Sale, won over R5.6 million for owners Etienne Braun, Braam van Huyssteen, Ken and Jane Truter. His Met time was the fastest since Pocket Power won the great race for the first time in 2007.

He has the pedigree to make it as a stallion. His dam is by the Aidan O’Brien-trained Storm Cat European Horse of the Year Giant’s Causeway (known as The Iron Horse for his tough constitution and battling qualities) while One World’s grandam was placed in the Prix Vermeille and is a full sister to a French Oaks winner.

By Michael Clower

Horses are generally understood to be able to cope with extreme heat provided there is a breeze. The problem at Durbanville on Saturday was that there was hardly a breath of air to alleviate the sweltering temperatures.

“We were concerned,” admitted senior stipe Ernie Rodrigues. “We decided we had to put the welfare of the horses first and so we had a meeting with the trainers and the vets (John Batt and Kate Meiring) before racing.”

The upshot was that horses were taken straight off to be hosed down when they returned to unsaddle – they didn’t have to wait to be inspected first – and extra pipes were laid on. Batt led by example, hosing down horses himself.

Justin Snaith was among those impressed – “We thought it could be bad today and we were worried but priority was given to the horses’ wellbeing.”

Some idea of the temperature can be gauged from the fact that at 4.00pm, when the heat should have abated, it was still 35 in the shade. By that stage punters were also hot under the collar – all eight favourites were beaten.

But it was an appropriate day for Meraki to strut his stuff because few horses have survived as much hardship as he has. “We bought him in Australia and he got travel sickness going from the sales to Blue Gum Farm,” related part-owner James Drew. “He then got laminitis and he got it again here. The other horses we’ve had with laminitis haven’t survived.”

The five-year-old was one of four winners to set new class records and his 1 min 22.38 sec in the Tabonline Handicap was only a tenth of a second outside the 1 400m course record set by One World in the Matchem last October. What is more he did it without Greg Cheyne even picking up his stick. “I didn’t need to and I didn’t pick it up last time I rode him either. He gives you all he’s got.”

Cheyne was also on the mark on the Hassen Adams hat-trick achieving Freedom Seeker in the TAB Telebet Handicap and, as Paddy Kruyer pointed out, Adams is part-owner of Got The Greenlight who won the SA Classic 20 minutes earlier.

Glen Kotzen’s instructions to Sandile Mbheli in the last were to ride Silver Tiara just as he had ridden Mercurana in the Kenilworth Cup. Fortunately he did not follow them with quite the same death-defying verve but he got both the message and the filly up to lead 50m out.

Mbhele was also on the mark in the first, making every metre on Blue Gangsta for Meraki’s trainer Candice Bass-Robinson who completed a treble with the well-backed Holy Warrior (Liam Tarentaal) in the 2 000m handicap.

First time blinkers appeared to transform Dark Mistress who comfortably landed the Racing Association Maiden under Anthony Andrews but Kotzen felt the weaker opposition played at least as big a part.

He said: “She is beautifully bred and cost a lot of money (R600 000) but her work has been a hell of a lot better than her form and I thought she would have won two races back.”

Greg Ennion paid tribute to his assistant Roderick Fredericks after On Captain’s Side led over a furlong out under Louis Mxothwa in the 1 250m handicap. “She is a nice filly but she is a bit of a head case and as mad as a hatter – and Roderick has worked all hours with her.”

Finally Snaith revealed what could be one of the secrets of his training skills after Peaceful Day answered Richard Fourie’s repeated calls to hold off Doppio Oro in the Betting World Handicap. “He has been a little bit disappointing – I thought he might have done something in one of the features,” said the former champion trainer. “But when they are disappointing like that I freshen them up and bring them back in distance.”

By Michael Clower

Blackball had plenty in his favour in the Intelligent Solutions Pinnacle Stakes at Hollywoodbets Greyville yesterday and he scored a bloodless victory, the eighth of his career, in spite of having to endure the tribulations of a false start.

Given that the field was almost a carbon copy of the recent UmThombothi Handicap at Hollywoodbets Scottsville and this being a set weights race, Blackball looked very much the live wire and Gavin van Zyl’s soldier did it in style.

Warren Kennedy, fresh from a successful ride on Summer Pudding in the Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks on Saturday and over a nasty bout of flu, rode the race as if he knew the result. Sitting off the pace, Kennedy threaded Blackball through a gap in the middle of the pack and drove past Silver Rose to win comfortably.

“The false start didn’t worry him,” said Kennedy. “He’s a placid horse but I think it upset our other runner. Marchingtontogether is a bit highly strung.”

“He’s really found his best form,” according to Gavin van Zyl who has a few racing during the season in mind.

True To Life, a touch disappointing in the Cape Fillies Guineas back in December where she finished mid-field behind Missisippi Burning, put the record straight with an easy win in the Conditions Plate.

Tracking the pace for much of the early exchanges, Calvin Habib released the handbrake at the top of the straight and she strode to a commanding victory with Camphoratus chasing in vain and still some four lengths adrift at the line.

With South Africa’s Champion Season on the horizon, the Gr 2 KZN Fillies Guineas and the Gr1 Woolavington 2000 must be on the cards for Johan Janse van Vuuren’s filly although assistant Pat Lunn feels that 1 400m is her game.

Time will tell!

Walls Of Dubrovnik, a son of first season sire Fencing Master, record his second straight win in the card opener. Mike Miller has not been afraid to send his juveniles early and Walls Of Dubrovnik was having his third start in a little more than two months but was delighted to see his charge win well. “I thought he was a bit out of his ground, but he just ate up the ground. He seems to be really a nice horse.” Eric Ngwane, who has been a little quiet since returning from a spell in Mauritius, scoring his first win back on the colt and hopefully this second win will see him get some better opportunities. He rode a confident race and the colt responded. “He jumped a little slow but he was comfortable where he was. I knew I had the race at the top of the straight. I didn’t panic and when I squeezed him, he took off.”

Drier

Dennis Drier is back on his shooting stick at Summerveld after an extended stay in the Western Cape and Master Of Destiny gave him a welcoming return. Master Of Destiny had let the side down on a couple of occasions but the addition of cheek piece to yesterday’s bridle did wonders.

Always up with the pace, Sean Veale sent him about his business at the top of the straight and at first he appeared to be struggling to shed his challengers. However, they soon began treading water and Master Of Destiny strode away to win as he liked with the long-time maiden Master George in vain pursuit.

By Andrew Harrison

Joey Soma is favouring the Vodacom Durban July as the chief target for Saturday’s Grade 1 SA Classic winner Got The Greenlight with the Grade 1 Daily News 2000 as the springboard, although he has not given the future of the now twice Grade 1-winning colt much thought yet and said there were many options.

He said Bernard Fayd’Herbe had got off on Saturday and said he was a top horse who had given him a really good feel and would definitely get the ground of the July.

Soma had stated last year, after Got The Greenlight had stormed home from off the pace to win the Grade 1 Premier’s Champion Stakes over 1600m at Hollywoodbets Greyville, that he felt he could be a July horse.

The Gimmethegreenlight colt was subsequently named Equus Champion two-year-old male.  In the excitement of landing the SA Classic for the second time in three years, Soma is yet to watch the replays and analyse the race.

However, he does already have a few questions in mind for Fayd’Herbe. Got The Greenlight had not given Soma any reason to fit a first-time tongue tie and a first-time sheepskin noseband for Saturday’s race, as he has no breathing issues and has a lovely action, but he did go in with those two new pieces of equipment.

Soma said, “He had never really settled in either of his two previous races as a three-year-old so I thought I would put the tongue tie and the sheepskin noseband on. I believe in tongue ties, 99% of my horses wear them. The sheepskin noseband helps them keep their head dropped and balanced and as horses like to see their hooves it can help them extend their stride too. But he did still throw his head around a bit. They seemed to go quickly initially and it was then slowed down. I thought it was a very good ride from Marco van Rensburg in the front on Green Laser. So before I start panicking about him getting the July trip I will be asking Bernard whether he threw his head around because the pace had slowed or was he fighting.”

Durban-born Dayalan Chinsammy is a shareholder in Got The Greenlight and would likely want to see his horse in the July.

Soma added, “Dayalan is passionate about racing, he just loves the game and makes it fun, He has bought a lot of friends and family into horseracing too, which is what the game needs. He has put a lot of money in so deserves his success but at the same time he really loves every one of his horses from the maidens to the Group 1 winners, he is a very good man.”

Chinsammy is no stranger to big race success having also owned the like of Grade 1 SA Oaks winner Ash Cloud and Grade 2 Post Merchants winner Daring Dave.

The other two partners are Soma himself and the prolific Grade 1-winning owner Hassan Adams.

Soma pulled off a fine training feat as he had just four weeks to get his star colt ready after the latter had endured a difficult preparation for the CTS 1600 at Kenilworth.

Soma said, “He had a tough two-year-old campaign and had needed to fill out, so I always had it in mind not to go hard with him as an early three-year-old. He duly didn’t look like a whole horse throughout the second half of last year, but the carrot of the R5 million CTS 1600 was dangled in front of us. He gave Ikigai 7kg and was returning from a seven month rest when beaten 6,25 lengths in the Tony Ruffel. He then had to endure 14 to 16 days of vector protected quarantine where he was only allowed out at 10 a.m. to go and work, and then after a walk in the afternoon he had to be back in his stable by 3 p.m. He hated it. After the journey to Cape Town he still looked a bit ribby, but he still stayed on well in the CTS 1600 for sixth. So those were his first two runs as a three-year-old. After the journey back we gave him a week’s break and back in his own stable he began to thrive. He responded to whatever we gave him and his work was sparkling. In the parade ring on Saturday a number of people commented on how well he looked and said they couldn’t believe how much he had matured and filled out.”

Got The Greenlight stayed on resolutely from a covered up position just ahead of midfield to beat Green Laser by three-quarters of a length with Youcanthurrylove a head further back.

The first three past the post are all by Gimmethegreenlight.

Got The Greenlight’s classiest opposition on the day had stamina and fitness question marks hanging over their heads beforehand, so it would be easy for detractors to punch holes in the form, but in fact his time for the tough 1800m contest was quicker than the winning time of Summer Pudding in the SA Fillies Classic and she is being hailed a superstar.

The HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes and Premier’s Champions Challenge are two other options open to Got The Greenlight, but if he does go the Daisy Guineas, Daily News, VDJ route Soma might stable him at Summerveld.

Soma concluded, “My concern is he is at his happiest when in his own stable but on the other hand if he is at Summerveld for three months he might start thinking of it as home.”

By David Thiselton