CAPE MET DAY THRILLS!

Ambleway graduates performed brilliantly at the Cape Met Day. LOVE IS IN THE AIR won the Majorca Stakes Gr1 and GOLDEN PARACHUTE (pictured) was denied winning the J & B Reserves Stayers Race, a Gr2, by a nose! Mike Bass had an amazing day as, apart from being the conditioner of these two successful horses, he won the J & B Met with River Jetez. In this race Pocket Power, the Champion and favourite, had to let his little sister win the race and he ran a credible third, carrying top weight and having quite an inside draw which made him change his running tactics.

LOVE IS IN THE AIR had run previously in the Paddock Stakes Gr1, and was placed in a great company with River Jetez and Mother Russia ahead of her and was thus expected to perform here. She ran up closer with the pace and, after being wide most of the way over the 1600m journey, she finished terrifically to dead heat with another daughter of Jet Master, Gluwein! Tensions arose after the race as the hooter went for an objection against her. She survived this so did not lose the race and is now another daughter of Jet Master to win a Gr1. Well done to Pat and Henry Devine who had an amazing day as the stallion Jet Master went to the top of the stallion rankings after the day. Their last Gr1 daughter of Jet Master was SOFT LANDING, who had won the Garden Province Stake, a Gr1, as a three-year old - well done to you all!

Marsh Shirtliff and Mike Bass visited Ambleway a few years ago and spotted GOLDEN PARACHUTE. They really thought he would develop into a lovely stayer in time. He was purchased at the Sibaya Sale and this son of Montjeu certainly is starting to fulfil their hopes as he ran a cracking race for Marsh and his partners Des Scott and Rupert Plersch in this feature race. He threw his jockey going down to the start and still finished full of running over 2800m to just fail to catch the winner. Watch him in the future, especially when he comes to KwaZulu-Natal, as the Gold Cup looks ideal for him.

A week later the big races moved to Gauteng and the feature races there were re-scheduled due to terrible storms. This did not deter Gavin van Zyl from running some of Mrs Oppenheimer's horses in these races. It was great to see CASHEW NUT, a lovely daughter of Horse Chestnut come back to her best and run second in The Three Troikas Stakes, a Gr3, for fillies over 1400m. She had won her first two starts and was feature placed and then seemed to go off form and now she really has come back to her top form as a two-year old. Congratulations to all her connections!

Justin Snaith must have been delighted with the win of his filly COSMIC JET who won her third start over 1600m. This full sister to LOVE IS IN THE AIR had a very slow beginning because she had spent several months up at Beaufort West under the care of Charlie Koster before she came in to be schooled. She really has come right now and developed into a very strong muscular filly. She was placed in her first two career starts and this time was allowed to bowl along in the front using her long stride and she kept her head in front to win on the line over 1600m. Congratulations to all her connections, Benny Marais at Klip Drift, Charles Koster and, of course, Henry and Pat Devine who own and bred her.

Mrs Oppenheimer is enjoying a very good run at the moment with many of her horses competing in feature races and others are starting to come through in the lower divisions. Two horses that stand out here are the well-bred colt, ILLIAD and the filly, IRELAND. ILLIAD is a half-brother to Crimson Palace. He was a very expensive yearling at the sales a couple of years ago and has grown into a very big horse. He has taken time to come to hand under Robbie Sage but he won his second start in fine fashion by three-and-a-quarter lengths over 1200m. He has plenty to come as he was still very green in the race. Another very nicely bred filly is IRELAND. She was purchased in Brazil and is by the Irish stallion, Mark of Esteem. She broke her maiden easily by seven lengths. She found plenty of running at the end of the 1600m to win as she liked and to show she has a lot of scope to go over ground and might develop into a useful stayer. Gavin van Zyl can certainly have a lot of fun planning her future and she might be aimed at The Oaks!

Our first Ambleway graduate to run as a juvenile for Mrs Oppenheimer from her second draught to us was SNAPPY. This colt has always been forward and has shown plenty of pace to his trainer, Craig Eudey. He was a little green in racing, however ran on well to finish fourth. Next time he runs he will be a few kilograms lighter which I am sure will help him focus on his racing. Watch him then when he returns to the track after being gelded.

In KwaZulu-Natal we have had some exciting doubles at three meetings. NATIONAL EMPEROR and IRISH DARLING won at Scottsville. TROPICAL EMPIRE and NORSE SKY won at Greyville and then VILAYET and INDECENT OBSESSION won again later at Scottsville. NATIONAL EMPEROR looked a very impressive winner as he came back from a long lay-off over 200 days and won very well for his owners, Greg Blank, Darryl Yutar and Alan Gooderson. Dennis Drier certainly had this horse in top form on the day as he ran away from the field over a sprint. Later in the day Craig Eudey's filly IRISH DARLING got up over a staying trip of 2400m to win very well for her connections. This filly really has developed into a super strong mare and has now won five races for her connections and is becoming quite a useful stayer. Well done to you all!

TROPICAL EMPIRE came back to his favourite track - Greyville - and showed his devastating turn of foot to win over 1400m. He came from the rear of the field in a very fast time carrying top weight to catch the leader on the line. This was an amazing run for the seven-year old entire that still has plenty of interest left in racing. It looks like he may be racing a few more feature races under the care of Duncan Howells and then it looks like Alma and Chips Pennells may send him back to Australia to retire to stud. Later that evening, the son of Doowally, NORSE SKY, came back to his best over 1600m after a rest and won in very easy fashion. He also produced a late run down the rail to win his fourth career race for Messrs de Marigny, de le Blanche, de Charmoy, Sturlese and Gill Drier. Well done Dennis Drier who has nursed this horse through some of his problems to get the most out of him!

Racing returned to Scottsville a week later and this time the track was pretty dry as there had not been much rain. VILAYET had won for her new stable in her last start and was fancied to run another good race. She certainly did so and got up on the line to win again over 1600m for the Kotzen yard. Congratulations to Greg Blank and Marlon Aronstam from Anfield Stud. This filly was bought in Brazil and is now starting to fulfil the promise she showed in earlier races. The next win was with INDECENT OBSESSION who raced against our horse KANEVARO in a sprint and it looked like being a match race between the two of them. This in fact did occur as over the last few hundred metres the two of them drew clear and were head-up and head-down until the line. INDECENT OBSESSION in fact won the race on the line and he now notched up his third race in a row and is developing into a very useful sprinter. He has now won four races and he won this race in a very fast time of 56.96 seconds. Well done to Michael Roberts and Sydney Cassell, his owner - next time we shall see who is the victor as KANEVARO had been off for three months due to an injury and we were delighted to see that he put up so much cheek in the race to only be beaten by a neck!

Apart from horses like TROPICAL EMPIRE and VILAYET, several horses have done quite well with their new stables and obviously have enjoyed the change of scenery. SEVEN VEILS won again in Cape Town on Met Day, boasting a form line of win, second, and a win for trainer Vaughan Marshall and his Straight Bat racing team. SIYA VANA won in Port Elizabeth. BELOTTO FLASH won a sprint again in Gauteng and SEA RAIDER won in Kimberley. In KwaZulu-Natal the Lunns were again successful with a seven-year old horse, NATIONAL APPEAL who revelled in the wet going to win again over a sprint distance. Well done to you!

On the International scene LIZARD'S DESIRE has set the tracks alight. He was taken over at the end of the 2009 season by Mike de Kock and he has certainly shown his true merit in his two starts. He has won both his starts in easy fashion, the first being over 1900m where he beat a good field, including King of Rome by two lengths. This horse then franked his form by winning his next start. In his second race he started favourite in a 2000m race and he did win in facile fashion. Jockey Sermillon jumped him, eased him a bit and then worked his way through the field to hit the lead in the bend and draw away very easily from his opposition. He has now won six starts and his merit rating has gone up in Dubai to 115. He is now able to take part in the bigger races and I think deserves watching on Super Thursday and may be even run on World Cup Day if he continues to show the form he is showing at the present.

LUCKY FIND also found his best form in Dubai. He returned after a long time and ran a cracking second in his last race under the hands of Kevin Shea. Watch him as last year he did really well and let us hope he has come back to his best!

There have been lots of horses that have been placed over the last few weeks: IDLER, KEEP THE KEY, SILVER HALO, JO PIPER, TAKE OVER TARGET, TWO TONE, NATIONAL NIGHTMARE, FANTASTIC LADY, SILENT MIST, SAHARA, BOLD WONDER, BISMARCK, CRUELLA, DRAWBRIDGE, SYCO'S STAR, RUBY OF RANGOON, RISE AGAIN, ARGENTINA, KANEVARO, TOP CHOICE, WHITE WATER RAFTING, SPANISH ARMADA, SACRED SARUCEN and HER PREROGATIVE. The last filly was very exciting because she ran a cracking second and is one of the purchases by a new racing partnership called Moodley's Racing Team. Well done to you Strini and to Babs and to trainer, Garth Puller - it is very exciting to see that your purchases are coming out and starting to set the track alight!

Conformation has always been the key at the Cape Summer Sale - the first sale of yearlings in 2010. This was certainly true as the sales topper was a bomber-looking colt, Lot 91, who reached R700 000,00. He came out of a one-time winning mare and is by unproven stallion, Lundy's Liability. This sale has produced some top horses in the past so it was very successful hunting ground for trainers like Mike Bass and Sean Tarry, where they have purchased horses like Pocket Power, Buy and Sell and so on. This sale produced mixed feelings as it was quite difficult to sell and buy horses as there was stiff competition for the decent horses. There still seems to be some money around considering the recent international and local market problems, even though there was a slight drop in the overall prices. It will be interesting to see if the trend follows up in the Vintage Sales in mid-March. We were delighted to receive two super specimens from Dennis Drier who was one of the only KwaZulu-Natal purchasers: a Mogok filly out of the strong dam line of an Argentinian Southern Halo mare and a Tambourlane colt, who is very good-looking, out of the strong and speedy family of Marie Galante. We will watch these horses, and the others that arrived during the year, grow over the next few months.

We will not be at the Vintage Sale but if anyone does purchase a yearling and wants them grown out and later schooled, please contact me. Until then, enjoy your racing!

JANE TROTTER

News Update: Ambleway has five runners on Gauteng Guineas Day - BULSARA and DRAWBRIDGE (colts' guineas), CASHEW NUT (fillies' guineas), THANDOLWANI and JET TYCOON (Hawaii Stakes) - watch them!