CHAMPION SEASON NOW HITS KZN

We have been represented at the end of their season in the Gauteng by MINA SALAAAM where she won the Queen Of The Sand (a listed race) over a mile at the Vaal. This filly got going in the straight and beat another of our graduates FORMATION who came from the back of the field to run 3rd. This filly is owned and bred by Robin Bruss and she has now won 7 races for him and her conditioner Roy Magner. She is by the top US sire Medaglio D'Oro out of the top race mare Circle Of Life.

In the Camellia Stakes Grade 2 over a mile the filly KALAAM ran on strongly to finish 2nd on Champions Day at Turfontein at the end of April. She was bred by Kjell Foundation and is raced by Roland Bouwer. Her conditioner Stan Ferreira really rates her highly. Well done as it was a strong field competing in the race!

In Kwa Zulu Natal the visitors are starting to arrive for the Champions Season here, with plenty of exciting racing over the next few months. We have already seen the likes of Variety Club and Jackson run in the Guineas and next week is the big sprint day at Scottsville! We have five graduates competing in the big sprints including LINK MAN, TWO TONE, BLIZZARD OF OZ, LOVE STRUCK, POTENT POWER and COMTESSE DU BOIS

Graduates from Ambleway have featured well in two of the big races to date… in The Poinsettia Stakes BEACH BEAUTY (pictured) ran 2nd and BULSARA ran third in the Drill Hall Stakes!

BEACH BEAUTY was having her first run back in KZN, after her successful but frustrating trip to the Cape, and she certainly sent out the message that she loves KZN, and is very well! She came flying from the back of the field to chase the top filly Princess Victoria home and in doing so beat a good field of sprinters! She goes for the Betting World 1900 then after that the July also at Greyville, so follow her back in KZN! Well done to conditioner Dennis Drier and the Shanks Syndicate who race her. BULSARA ran on for 3rd in the Drill Hall behind Roy Ecksteins horse, Tales Of Bravery. It was a great win as it is very sad for all close to him at this time. BULSARA is a son of the useful stallion Silvano and is owned and bred by Mrs Bridget Oppenheimer. Gavin Van Zyl his trainer also runs him in the Betting World 1900 and has also nominated him for the July!

We attended the National Sales at Germiston at the end of last month and were impressed how realistic the prices at the sale were. The top price reached was for a Jet Master yearling colt for R1,700.000,00 which is much lower than last years top price of R3 million! We have his full sister here at Ambleway who is going into training with Mike Bass and one of our clients was an under bidder for him so it was very exciting to be involved when he was in the ring! Generally the median prices stayed the same and were as consistent as last year's sale. It was only the average price that was affected as the top prices were lower. It was also interesting to see that colts generally were in more demand than fillies.

We were delighted to be sent yearlings to grow out and school for training by current top stallions……Jet Master, Black Minnalouche(2), Silvano, Var, Fort Wood and by newer ones Toreodor(2), Greys Inn and Judpot. One of my favourites is the now retired stallion National Assembly, and we have one of his last daughters! What was very special for us at the farm is we have two big priced babies to care for……sons of Var and Black Minnalouche who have both recently been setting the tracks alight! Thank you to all of our supporters who have sent us these babies to work with.

Talking of top prices at last years sale, we were very thrilled to have a bunch of horses sent to us to look after from JHB, including one of the two top priced yearlings from last years sale… the son of Jet Master who fetched R3 million and another expensive 2 year old by Street Sense (son of US stallion Street Cry) from last years Ready To Run sale that cost over R 800,000. These horses that were purchased by Andrew Papageorgio and were sent along with 2 other horses by Royal Academy and Victory Moon en route to a KZN conditioner.

Apart from these well bred individuals we also were sent a super racy two year old from Craig Eudey to school by Joshua Dancer, and a gelding to prepare for the Mike Holmes sale next month. More about him and other sale entries next month!

On the track we have been represented by juveniles from the Drier yard that have won including BLIZZARD OF OZ and POTENT POWER. The former won his second start in great style and this son of Victory Moon looks very useful winning for Messes Abery, Keating, Dippenaar, Vickers and Gill Drier over a sprint distance. He is the half brother to the useful Miss Zummermud already in the yard and bred at Bruce Le Roux Spring Valley Stud. POTENT POWER won his second race for his team of owners beating home a hot favourite over 1200 meters. This speedy son of National Emblem won for his enthusiastic owners Messrs Buhr, Dally, Pitman and Currie. These two juveniles now compete in the Gold Medallion.

The Drier yard has also been knocking on the door with other juveniles COPY CAT, GOLDEN SLIPPER and TORNADO MAN and Dean Kannemeyer trains NAVAL VICTORY who also should win soon in the Cape. All of these horses have run close up and should feature in the winners box soon.

At the races we have scored success with several doubles…VLADIMIR and LAMORNA won for Michael Roberts, COSMOGENIC and JET DOT COM won at the Vaal for their respective connections and CHRYSTAL BAY and SOUL MATE won at the same meeting at Greyville!

Michael Roberts must have been thrilled when his homebred son of Kabool - VLADIMER broke his maiden and then later in the day he won with The Cassel family Var filly LAMORNA! It had taken VLADIMER 18 starts to break his maiden then he won his next start for Michael and Verna! Congratulations to you all.

COSMOGENIC got up on the line to beat stable companion EASTERN GREETINGS who is also owned by Roland Bouwer. This daughter of Miesque Approval has now won 2 races for him and she just beat the very useful sister to KALAAM over 1200 meters. It was a very special day for both Stan Ferreira and Roland Bouwer having both first and second placed horses in the same race!

Later at the meeting JET DOT COM notched up a win over a mile for his owner breeders Pat and Henry Devine. He is a full brother to the retired star JJ The Jet Plane and boasts an improving record of 7 wins for them and the Lucky Houdelakis yard! Well done!

At Greyville we were delighted to see Craig Eudey lead in CHRYSTAL BAY to the winners box for Rob Crankshaw, Joe Jackson and Mr McCarthy. This daughter of Western Winter has been knocking on the door and won on the line for the happy connections! SOUL MATE was highly fancied to win his second start for his owners Messrs Greg Blank, Erich Buhr, Jimmy Burgess, Alan Gooderson and Mike Haramis. This he did in fine style winning the mile race by over 3 lengths. Well done to Dennis Drier who trains him and Mary Slack his successful breeder.

Dennis was again successful with BULL RING who led the whole race to win well over 1000 meters. This son of Toreodor had come back from a lengthy lay off and run close up and this was his second attempt! Well done to his owners Messrs Blank, Appana, Dhanniram, Shill, Yutar and Gill Drier. Many of his owners raced his mother FUN LOVING and therefore also bred him!

St John Gray was successful with 3 of our inmates…….SPORTS HERO, DANCE ALLEY and TURKISH DELIGHT.

The first mentioned colt is out of Sports Cuddle and he won his second start easily over 1000 meters. The filly DANCE ALLEY is a half sister to his star Dancewiththedevil, and she won again over a mile for the yard. TURKISH DELIGHT was rewarded with a win over ground as she has been knocking on the door for a while. Second in her race was SEA PASSAGE another of our graduates. Well done to you St John the proud owner, breeder and trainer of these horses!

In Cape Town we were thrilled to see GRAND NATIONAL and KISS AND TELL win! GRAND NATIONAL is a smart daughter of National Assembly and she won her first start after a long break for Rhona Beck, in the late Graham Becks familiar brown and white silks. She was successfully trained by Eric Sands. KISS AND TELL has been a model of consistency, and she won for her owners Pat and Henry Devine over 1400 meters, who also bred her. Well done to you and Cape Town conditioner Mike Bass!

In Port Elizabeth we have won with two horses that have recently been relocated ….GOLDEN PARACHUTE and GRAMMATICA. GOLDEN PARACHUTE won again over a long trip 2700 meters for Des Scott, Marsh Shirtliff and Mrs McKenzie Well done to you all and new trainer Gavin Smith as he certainly is gaining confidence there and running well. GRAMMATICA was purchased by Lee Scribante and sent to the Alan Greef yard in PE. She ran over 2 sprints and then when tested over 1400 meters won in fine style. She followed up this win by running a useful second over a mile. It looks like your investment should pay off Lee! Well done to you all.

There is a long list of horses to follow that have been close up in their recent starts including……. ROMEO BRAVO, PLATINUM FOX, WEST VIRGINIA, HEADS UP, SPY GLASS, FRENCH REEF, PREDESTINATION, PENNY FARE, CUCUMBER ALLEY, SHIMMERING JET, TRANSCENDENT, CRUELLA, IN LIKE FLYNN, KRUGER RAND, NORDIC LASS, LUNATEX, MIKES CHOICE, JET EXPLORER and YER-MAAN.

Do watch these horses as they are currently running well and could well end up in the winners enclosure soon!

That is all the news for now. Enjoy your racing!

Jane Trotter