Maine Chance Farms stud manager John Slade was a speaker at the Summerhill Winter Workshop held in at the stud farm’s renowned School Of Excellence this week, a few days after the farm achieved an international rarity by breeding the one-two-three of the country’s premier race, the Vodacom Durban July.

Furthermore, all of Power King, Punta Arenas and Tellina were by Maine Chance Farms’ champion stallion Silvano.

Slade has sometimes been driven to distraction by trainers who have pushed progeny of Silvano too early and by others who have given up on them too soon. He emphasised that they needed time and the dividends would then be reaped. All of Power King (four-year-old), Punta Arenas (six-year-old) and Tellina (four-year-old) have proved his point.

Slade admitted that delving deep into pedigrees to discover such elements as genetic siblings was usually above his head and he preferred a less scientific approach. He takes note of obvious nicks but a lot of his mating selections were simply based on it “feeling right”.

He is unmistakably a fine horseman and quickly learns which types of mares suit a particular stallion.

However, even a farm as professional as Maine Chance can make mistakes and their most famous one was when a particularly meticulous breeder sent two mares to be covered by Victory Moon and Silvano respctively. Slade knew well that on conformation the “scrawny” mare would suit Victory Moon and the “big” mare would suit Silvano. This coincided with the breeder’s reams of notes explaining why Victory Moon and Silvano would be perfect matches for her respective mares.

However, just after the first mating was completed, Slade suddenly realised that they had somehow got the mares mixed up. The mare was soon shown to be in foal, so the error could not be rectified. For some two years the breeder was unable to forgive Slade. However, the Silvano foal turned out to be Vodacom Durban July winner Heavy Metal.

Slade, like many breeders, has his own ideas on conformation. He is not too bothered by “offset knees”. He explained a trip to a game park will show that all impala have a knock knee look, meaning the knee can support the bodyweight from underneath. In his opinion an offset knee is often achieving the same thing. However, he regarded back legs in a straight line to be of importance. He concluded this section by saying, although perhaps slightly tongue in cheek, that due to all the power a horse with perfectly conformed hindquarters generated, the front legs would be going so fast they hardly touched the ground.

Slade regarded Maine Chance’s racing manager Justin Vermaak as a valuable asset to the farm as he was very much in touch with the modern world and was a dynamic type of a person and also more of a people’s person than himself.

Slade will soon be retiring and will be replaced by Tim Bootsma, who is currently stud manager at Highlands Farm Stud.

By David Thiselton

Picture: Silvano

Power King has recovered from his Vodacom Durban July exertions much quicker than expected and Dean Kannemeyer is now considering the Champions Cup even though he concedes that it is odds-against the horse running.

Kannemeyer, who won the 2002 race with Free My Heart, said yesterday: “I am keeping the door open on the Champions Cup. I will discuss it with the owner and Jehan Malherbe.

“There is a big question mark as we would be meeting horses like Futura and Legislate at level weights so it might not be fair on him. He ran his heart out in the July but he has taken his run very well and I am happy with him.”

Stuart Randolph felt the gelding wobble when he remounted for the victory canter-past and promptly dismounted.

Kannemeyer said: “Power King was exhausted – he had put so much effort into winning the race – and he did a similar thing after the Betting World 1900.

“We gave him water and hosed him down. Straight after the dope-testing we dripped him to put the fluids back in and the next morning he was jumping out of his skin.”

But, whether he runs on July 25 or not, Power King will not return to Cape Town until September. Kannemeyer stressed that he is a firm believer in keeping his horses in the warmth of Durban until spring arrives and even then some of the Summerveld horses will stay put to campaign in KZN and raid Johannesburg.

By Michael Clower

Picture: Power King (Nkosi Hlophe)

Beaten Durban July favourite Legal Eagle and Tsogo Sun Sprint winner Captain Of All are now officially the best horses in the country following the handicappers’ decision to drop Futura for his fourth under top weight last Saturday.

Legal Eagle has been left unchanged on 120 despite finishing behind Futura when he ran off his old mark of 112. In effect he met the Queen’s Plate and Met winner on terms 4kg better than weight-for-age.

The handicappers caused some surprise, and attracted criticism, when raising Legal Eagle 4kg for his Jubilee Handicap win previously.

But Ken Nicol explained yesterday: “Legal Eagle stays on 120 as we can’t really judge him on his July run. He found some interference and it’s a short run-in. Futura ran to 119 in the Met and we gave him an extra half-kilo because of the ease of his victory. He ran a good race on Saturday but we have now taken that half-kilo back.”

Power King has been raised 1.5kg to 109 and runner-up Punta Arenas 1kg to 111. Third-placed Tellina has gone up 2kg to 112.

Majmu, winner of the Avontuur Cape Fillies Guineas and the Jaffee Empress Club, disappointed and has been left on 114. She could now be facing retirement.

Mike de Kock said on his website: “It is Sheikh Hamdan’s policy to retire all his fillies to stud at the end of their three-year-old careers and she is due to be exported to Shadwell in the UK. We will, however, be discussing her future with him. She has racing left in her.”

De Kock believes she may not have stayed the trip in the July – “She got into a challenging position and just didn’t kick on as strong as we expected. She had a good preparation, she pulled up physically fine after the race, there are no excuses. Perhaps she is simply at her best up to a mile.”

By Michael Clower

Picture: Legal Eagle (JC Photos)

The Duncan Howells-trained Same Jurisdiction was raised two points to 113 after her impressive win in the Gr 1 Jonsson Workwear Garden Province Stakes over 1600m at Greyville on Saturday and is now only one point lower than the highest rated filly of her age in the country, Majmu, who ran disappointingly in the Vodacom Durban July, albeit under a welter burden for a horse of her age and gender.

Same Jurisdiction was one of two Gr 1 winners bred by Klawervlei Stud on the day, the other being the Dennis Drier-trained Seventh Plain, who won the Durban Golden Horseshoe over 1400m.

The fairytale story continues for original owners Larry Vermaak, Dr Ralph Katzwinkel, Maureen Powell and Howells himself.

Same Jurisdiction (Nkosi Hlophe)

The Mambo In Seattle filly was bought for R270,000 at the Suncoast KZN Yearling Sale, but one of Howell’s chief owners Ian Van Schalkwyk felt the price was too high so only took half. Dr Katzwinkel came in after being asked by Howells.

Maureen Powell takes up her side of the story, “My Dad’s always been an avid race fan and one of the things I have always wanted to do is buy a racehorse and name it Phillipe after him. I mentioned this to my husband who told me his partner Larry Vermaak was involved with horses. So when I popped in to the office one day Larry said why doesn’t he give Duncan a call and ask him what horses are available. He phoned and Same Jurisdiction was available and suggested I take a share. I said pleasure and she is the first horse I have ever been involved in.”

Vermaak took a share at the same time. Powell is savouring every moment of Same Jurisdiction’s career and has not bought into any other horses yet. However, she still has that dream and pondered over the possibility of naming Same Jurisdiction’s first foal Phillipe.

She spoke of the thrill of winning big races, “It’s overwhelming every time, it’s an amazing feeling.”

Van Schalkwyk sold his share in Same Jurisdiction to Drakenstein Stud after her first Gr 1 victory, the Thekwini Stakes over 1600m at the end of last season.

Saturday was her second Gr 1 win and she maintained her unbeaten record in three starts over the course and distance. Her phenomenal turn of foot makes her suited to the tight Greyville track.

She is likely to now be targeted at races like the Gr 1 Maine Chance Farms Paddock Stakes over 1800m and the Klawervlei Majorca Stakes over 1600m at Kenilworth in the Cape Summer Of Champions Season.

She is from the first crop of Mambo In Seattle and appears to be getting better and better.

Another improving horse from this first crop is the Howells-trained gelding Saratoga Dancer, who should be a big race contender next season. Mambo In Seattle certainly looks to have a bright future.

By David Thiselton

Silvano stole the show at Vodacom Durban July day but the feel good story might well have belonged to the lesser known stallion Seul Amour.

Silvano’s progeny, Power King, Punta Arenas and Tellina, finished first, second and third in the July and all of them were bred by Maine Chance Farms. A rare occurrence for a country’s premier race anywhere in the world.

Earlier Seul Amour’s progeny Just Ask Me and Heart Of A Lion, both trained by Gavin van Zyl, had won a MR 83 Handicap over 1400m on the poly track and the Gr 2 SABC Gold Vase over 3000m respectively. Seul Amour, a New Zealand-bred, has a superb pedigree being by Zabeel out of four-time Gr 1-winning mare Grand Archway (Archway). He was raced in Australasia by well known South African owner Larry Nestadt and won a Listed race.

He began his stud duties in Australia but was brought to South Africa by Brad van der Riet and Alf Dickerson in 2011 and stands at Van der Riet’s Vanree Stud. Dickerson, his nephew Dennis Fraser and breeder Terry Andrews, had earlier bought the Counter Action mare, Action Lady. They sent her to Lake Coniston and her first foal Dance Club won a race at Fairview, albeit in her 19th start.

Heart Of A Lion (Nkosi Hlophe)

However, her next visit was to Seul Amour.

The foal was born and the trio now had two Seul Amours and didn’t know which one to keep. They decided to sell Heart Of A Lion for a “give away” price. Nick van Veen bought 50% and another owner was supposed to take the other 50% but defaulted.

Dickerson and Fraser then took a share each and the Van Zyl yard agreed to take the remainding 25% and to train him.

Heart Of A Lion ran fifth in his first two starts on the Highveld over 1160m and 1400m respectively and then ran second over 1400m to the useful Judicial.

However, it was when he was stepped up to 1600m in the May of his two-year-old that he showed his potential, winning his maiden by eight lengths at Turffontein. It didn’t escape the notice of Seul Amour’s former owner Larry Nestadt who made an offer and bought half of Van der Veen’s share for an apparently sizeable sum. At the same time Edwin Foster’s Bold Moves 860 syndicate bought the Van Zyl yard’s share.

He won his next two races to record a hat trick and looked to have a bright future as a three-year-old when finishing a 3,15 length fifth in the Gr 1 Premier’s Champions Stakes over 1600m at Greyville in his final start as a juvenile.

However, it was only when stepped up to staying trips this season as a four-year-old that he has really begun to fulfil his potential.

He finished third in both the Gr 3 Caradoc Gold Cup over 2850m and the Gr 2 Gold Bowl over 3200m, both at Turffontein. Then in his penultimate start he caught many a pundit’s eye running on strongly in the Gr 3 Lonsdale Stirrup Cup over 2400m at Greyville.

His regular rider Muzi Yeni gave him a fine ride on Saturday, dropping him out from a wide draw, relaxing him beautifully and he then ran on strongly in the straight to just prevail over Wild Ash and Solid Speed.

The handicapper has only raised him one point to 96 and this augurs well for his chances in the Gr 1 eLan Property Group Gold Cup over 3200m at Greyville on the last Saturday of this month. Terry Andrews is the official breeder of both Heart Of A Lion and three-year-old gelding Just Ask Me so July day 2015 will always be a memorable one for him.

By David Thiselton