The Charles Laird-trained Var colt Varallo showed his class at Scottsville on Sunday and is one of a few promising youngsters who run in the colours of prolific KZN owner Alesh Naidoo.

Naidoo believes his two-year-olds will give him a SA Champions Season to remember.

Alesh Naidoo (Supplied)

Varallo had to be pushed along by Anton Marcus for much of the Juvenile Plate event over 1200m in order to stay in touch with the Crusade colt Caladdi, who has plenty of natural speed. Varallo ducked away from the whip when Marcus hit him with his right hand at the business end and this initially looked likely to cost him the race. However, Marcus gathered the horse and in the end the latter just required a couple of reminders to surge forward effortlessly and beat a tiring Caladdi by 2,75 lengths. Varallo is out of the brilliant sprint-miler Covenant, who won a Gr 1 over 1600m as well as three Gr 2s from 1000-1200m. Varallo’s grandam is the outstanding broodmare Secret Pact, who is an own sister to Horse of The Year London News. Other notables in this family are Secret Heart, Promisefrommyheart, Pluck, Three Hearts and Masterofmyfate. Naidoo spotted Varallo at the National Yearling Sales, waited patiently for him to come into the ring and then went to R2 million to land him. Laird described the horse on Sunday as “special” and added “when he realises what racing is all about …”. On the combination of pedigree and style of racing Varallo should stay further than sprints. However, his first Champions Season target will likely be the Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion on May 27 at Scottsville.

Naidoo has a Gimmethegreenlight filly called Light On her Toes, who is out of the Gr 1 Allan Robertson winner On Her Toes. She is trained by Lezeanne Forbes and finished a flying third on debut over 1200m at Scottsville. Naidoo believes she can follow in her mother’s footsteps. Forbes purchased her for just R70,000 at the National Yearling Sales before selling her on to Naidoo.

Gimmethegreenlight (Nkosi Hlophe)

Naidoo has hopes for his Alyson Wright-trained Go Deputy filly Flichity By Farr, who is a three-parts sister to Triple Crown hero Abashiri. She was slow away on debut and stayed on nicely for sixth in a Maiden Juvenile Plate over 1200m at Scottsville.

He also has a promising unraced two-year-old filly with Wright.

Naidoo has both a Trippi and an Oratorio two-year-old with Dennis Bosch. The latter is a colt out of a full-sister to the Listed winning Var filly Schiffer and was originally purchased by the under investigation owner Adriaan van Vuuren for R3,2 million. Naidoo landed the colt for R500,000 at a Mixed Sale last November.

Naidoo also has a nice Querari filly with Duncan Howells, whom he said was unraced but “smart” and possibly Allan Robertson material.

Of his older horses he mentioned the Charles Laird-trained Palladium, winner of the Listed Gatecrasher Stakes over 1400m, as a horse who had improved with gelding. His last run as a colt was in January when finishing a 2,9 length third behind Winter Is Coming and the much vaunted Red Chesnut Road in a 1400m Progress Plate on the Greyville polytrack.

By David Thiselton