THE SILLY SEASON

We have a month to go and its Xmas again! The start of the silly season is upon us. For racegoers it is the middle of the Gauteng features and then the Sizzling Cape Summer season starts with all of their exciting racing. (Pictured: Agapo)

We have had runners in some of the major races in Gauteng: KALAAM showed plenty of ability running third in the Gardenia Handicap, a listed race for fillies over the minimum trip. Well done to Roland Bouwer and her conditioner Stan Ferreira and to her breeders Kjell Foundation. TWO TONE has appeared prominently in both of his races to date running 3rd in the Grade 3 Spring Challenge and the Grade 1 Emperors Palace Charity Mile. Well done to Mrs Bridget Oppenheimer who owns and bred him and to new conditioner Michael Azzie. The Queen of racing was again lucky with two of her sons of Fort Wood-DRAWBRIDGE and ON GOLDEN POND

The day after the Emperors Palace Mile race and The Ready To Run Cup, we sold 13 horses for Highlands Stud at the Ready To Run Sale. Overall the prices were up on last year's sale with interest in International sires being foremost. The top price was paid for a son of Royal Academy of R1 500,000.00 and we were thrilled with our top price which was an Alphabet Soup colt who was purchased by Fred Crabbia for R400 000.00. The interest among buyers was also for new or proven sires-our Black Minnalouche colt being bought by Gavin van Zyl owner for R200 000.00. There was also interest in horses selected by the panel as being good movers, as our colt by Daylami was seen by many and bought for by Wayo Mawing for R150 000.00 to race in JHB. The horses we sold that were by Windrush and Spectrum sold for between R40 000.00 and R85 000.00 just below the sale average. Overall the sale was pretty strong for fancied horses and it has shown again that it is a good sale to participate in.

Ambleway has slowed down over the past few weeks with many horses going into trainers, some going to quarantine, and the Ready To Run draft having left. We are working a lot less horses and are able to spend time doing maintenance work and having a breather!

On the track many of our graduates have featured successfully around the country. In Gauteng St John Gray has had 7 winners with horses that were schooled here! MOTHER SUPERIOR, STAR BRITE, HEN PARTY, TURKISH DELIGHT, PERRIER JOUET, DIVIDE AND RULE and COME WITH ME have all been into the winner's enclosure recently for their owner\breeder! Most of these horses have been successful over sprint and mile distances with TURKISH DELIGHT showing she is a useful stayer having won two in a row over more ground. Many of St John Gray babies have run places and should win again soon including HOWYA, FOXI LADY, EGYPTIAN, RIVER BLYTHE and ROYAL OVERTURE. The debuts of PAVLOVA and DANCE ALLEY both being by his new sire Jam Alley, were very encouraging, and need to be followed. Most of his older runners are by the full brothers ANNOUNCE and Sarge.

It was great to see the EQUUS Champion Two Year old from 2010 coming back to his best. LINK MAN had been rested since his run in the KZN Guineas and he bounced back to his best over 1160 metres. He was ridden patiently, which appears to be the way he runs his best races and came from the back of the field in fine style to win easily for Messrs Larry Nestadt, Greg Blank and Gerald Burg. That same evening we saw REIGNING RUBY and COME WITH ME winning to give Ambleway graduates a treble at the same meeting at Turffontein. REIGNING RUBY looks a promising daughter of Mogok as she has now won 2 from her 3 starts for trainer Stan Ferreira and owners Ian Longmore and Dean Haymen. She was also bred at Hadlow Stud where St John breeds and raises all of his youngsters! Well done to Cathy and Jonathan Martin who own the stud!

Alec Laird trained 2 of our graduates OUR BUDDY and DIVINE RIGHT to win for the same team of owners Messrs Wernars, Wilson and Stephen. These two horses have really become very useful over sprints and a mile respectively and deserve to be followed in their next starts. The former, a son of Western Winter, seems to love the sand and could well feature there in the future. Congratulations to Vaughan Koster who bred and sold them both!

Several horses that were in training with Neil Bruss have now been sent to Justin Snaith in the Cape and Charles Laird locally. PSALTERY has now won two of her starts for Laird over a mile for Barry Irwin and Anant Singh. In the Cape they have been successful with the strong daughter of Count Du Bois - COMPTESSE DU BOIS. She has won both her sprints over 1000 meters in fine fashion for him showing her early promise when beaten by the very talented Trinity House. The colt by Go Deputy, CHANGING THE GUARD won his first start for the team and is now entered for the Guineas! A really super horse that looks like he will develop even more as he matures.

Dennis Drier has travelled to the Cape with a string of about 20 horses including star sprinter Val Da Ra, BEACH BEAUTY, NEVER FOREVER and PHANTOM FIGHTER who amongst others will be competing for the big prizes there. He opened up his account in the Cape by winning with his first runner KALINAGO in fine fashion. This son of Tambourlaine was slow away and came with a late burst to win his sprint over 1000 meters easily. This is a big colt owned by Messrs Nidd, Kay, De Marigny, Haramis and Gill Drier and he does look set to be useful having now won 2\3 starts! Meanwhile back in KZN Stuart Ferry brought home the filly RUBY QUEEN for the Drier yard over 1450m. This daughter of Mogok was bred at Scott Brothers in Mooi River by her owner Craig Massey and raced by himself, the Bullish Syndicate, Gill Drier and Bruce Campbell. The Drier yard were again in the winning enclosure in KZN when the Tiger Ridge filly -THIS IS IT won well for Alesh Naidoo and Naughty Govender over 1200 metres. Well done to all.

Lucky Houdelakis has won with two of our graduates JET DOT COM and FESTIVAL SPIRIT. Both of these horses are well bred - JET DOT COM being a full brother to JJ The Jet Plane and FESTIVAL SPIRIT being a half brother to Fearless. JET DOT COM seems to have come to hand now having won 5 races for his owner breeders Pat and Henry Devine and the latter won for the Sydney Cassel family over a sprint distance

Robin Bruss bred a very useful daughter of USA stallion Medaglio D'Oro….MINA SALAAM. She is out of his great racemare and now broodmare - Circle Of Life. She competed in Zimbabwe during her three year old career winning the features there and earning herself black type. She has now returned to her former conditioner Roy Magner in Gauteng. She won well for him in her return race in South Africa and should follow up from there.

In Kimberley we were delighted to see our graduate from this year's Graham Beck Reduction Sale - WIND AT YOUR BACK win again over 1400 meters for Messrs Rugg and Viljoen, his conditioner.

Also sold at this sale was the strong daughter of Dynasty - PINE SHADE. She was bought by Rob Pickering for David Makins family and she won her maiden in fine fashion for them and Diane Stenger.

We have a long list of horses that have run close up and need to be followed in their next starts:

PHANTOM FIGHTER, LUXURIUS JET, DANCE TO THE STARS, TYLERS TALENT, WEST VIRGINIA, SEXY SALSA, VLADIMIR, SHARK ATTACK, MALKIA, FORESTATION, MADAME ROONEY, SHIMMERING JET, MIKES CHOICE, THANDOLWNI, LAMORNA, UP AND RUNNING, CHILL, TAKE OVER TARGET, MAJESTIC EMBLEM, MR GIGILO, BARANOVA, KALAAM, FRENCH REEF, STREAKER, GRASP YOUR DESTINY, GRAMMATICA, LILY THE PINK, DRAWBRIDGE, ARTWISH, ISLE OF DOGS, PLATINUM FOX, BAY LEAF, TIRADE, WIELAND, ELEGANT MODEL, SOLO FLIGHT, SOUTH RANGER, IRISH MAID, SKY CAPERS, TRANSCENDENT, PROUD MOMENT, STORM THUNDER, HAIL THE DUKE, FINANCE MINISTER, BIG BOY WILD and JET INTO THE WIND.

Enjoy the festive season and your racing!

Jane Trotter

OBITUARY TO JET MASTER

It was very sad to hear about the passing of Jet Master. He was so well known to many of us and he was a champion on the track and at stud. He will always be remembered by particularly his champion progeny Pocket Power who captured the hearts of the racing public. His sister River Jetez and JJ The Jet Plane who were also champions here and abroad, and by many of his other champion progeny who made him South African Champion sire for 5 years!

A special thought goes to Pat and Henry Devine whose lives were so entwined with his, on the track and at stud, and to all who cared for him at Klipdrift Stud.

JET MASTER may you rest in peace…….