Juvenile’ s and Dubai Racing heat up……

It has been a very exciting time for racing with all the two year olds coming out and the racing in Dubai has reached its peak where S A horses have done so well…….
The juveniles from Ambleway of Duncan Howells, Dennis Drier, Corne Spies, Michael Azzie, and Roy Magner have certainly hit the track running and we were delighted with a number of our graduates…..
Trainer Duncan Howell’s LITTLEBLACKNUMBER(who has already won) appears to have found many admirers, and she has run well in the Kings Pact Stakes over 1000 meters where she came 2nd to a very useful and fit horse of Mike De Kocks, Pine Princess , that had won the week before beating another horse WHAT ABOUT ME, in her debut. This filly WHAT ABOUT ME then came out and won for her owners and breeders Betty and Basil Linnington over1200 meters. This daughter of Tiger Ridge out of ROCK CONCERT ,that we schooled for them years ago, is trained by Duncan Howells at Ashburton.
Duncan was also successful with the debut runs of EASY LOVER and JOLLY BE BOP who were placed in their debut’s, and the former ran onto a good second place and the latter ran two placed runs. In his next start EASY LOVER started at prohibitive odds and he won as expected-easily by over 5 lengths in the lucky colours of owner Ian Van Schalkwyk!

Dennis Drier must have been thrilled with the debut runs of BECKEDORF and BALKAN who both ran second. The former gelding was green and jumped away slowly and the latter went a little early and was beaten for experience! Both of these two horses deserve following in their next starts. BECKEDORF is owned and bred by well known KZN personality Erich Buhr and is by A P Answer the resident stallion at Clifton Stud. BALKAN is owned by several people and was bred by Avontuur Stud being a fast daughter of local star race horse now a stallion, Horse Chestnut.
MISS DECEMBER ran a cracking 3rd in her debut for owner\ breeder Robin Bruss and trainer Roy Magner. She is the full sister to two illustrious horses that have done well already August Rush and MISS OCTOBER that was spelled here before she went to Geoff Woodruff where she has continued to shine.
Michael Azzie has brought out the expensive son of Western Winter, CHILLI AFFAIR, who has run two places over 1200 meters. He was purchased at the Ready To Run Sale last year for well known racing enthusiast Andre Van Vuuren for R1.2 million and he was bred by the Roski Stud here in KZN. FIRST APPROACH ran a creditable place in his most recent run for Toby Spies and owners. He was leased by him and this son of Right Approach was bred in the Cape at Arc En Ciel Stud by Bruce Campbell. It is again a small world as Ambleway schooled his dam FIRST ACADEMY for the late Wally Britz
Dubai Racing has really been great with S A flying the flag right up to the World Cup night at the end of March. We have been following most of the our runners there and on the day were delighted to see Variety Club winning the Godolphin Mile a Grade 2 with Soft Falling Rain (which he won last year)running 2nd, Vercingetorix got beat in the Grade 1 Dubai Duty Free, but what a run from this son of Silvano to be beaten at the finish by the best Japanese horse Just A Way(to lose his unbeaten record of 6 wins was a shame)and Ashawees loved it there in Dubai ,although he did not finish in the money in the World Cup which African Story won(we had seen him in flesh 2 years ago when he won the mile and what a horse he has turned out to be).Shea Shea was only just beaten into 3rd spot in the Al Quoz Sprint Grade 1 which he had won the year before! For us at Ambleway we have a special place for STAR EMPIRE who ran 3rd in the Gold Cup! He has certainly been rewarded for his consistency and this warrior has proved to be such a useful stayer there. He was schooled here years back for Dennis Drier and this son of Second Empire has done so well there with Mike De Kock who has been flying the flag very strongly for S.A ….well done to all of the horses that made racing such fun to follow over there during the past few months
We have had a few runners that have been placed in the Feature racing in Gauteng including ALONG CAME POLLY who was 4th in the Wilgebosdrift Guineas Grade 2. She travelled to the race, having run in the Cape Town Guineas, and ran a great race for Gavin Van Zyl and ‘Buffalo Bill’ -her connections. She then nearly won the S. A Fillies Classic a Grade 1 over 1800 metres. She hit the front and it looked all over but she was caught on the line by Athina- what a run and finish!
We also were placed in a listed stayers race over 2450 meters–the Aquanaut Handicap, where YER MAAN ran a gutsy 2nd for the ST John Gray team well done!
We have had graduates that have been successful around the provinces that have either returned to the track after being spelled or have been pre- trained here. In KZN, MANDOLIN RAIN, UMOYANA and CHILL have won for their respective connections. MANDOLIN RAIN is a son of RAVISHING that we rested here before he went to stud. He was bred at Bushill Stud and won his maiden for Dennis Drier and his owners Messers Gooderson, Ganachaud and Stones. UMOYANA rested here and certainly returned to form for the Rivalland yard. This is also a daughter of RAVISHING that has now won again for Charles Harrison and partners. CHILL has been bought by Craig Eudey and Louis Bernardi from Mrs Oppenheimer and it was great to see this son of Strike Smartly win again.
The Drier yard must have been very happy to return to the winners enclosure when they saddled two winners and a placing- INSPECTOR CASEY and TARA DAWN won and IMPERIAL FABERGE ran 3rd! INSPECTOR CASEY won for Colin Naidoo and partners Mayesh Chetty, K Singh , Y Naidoo and Jeremy Deokynarain He has been so consistent and he has now won 3 races and been placed three times from as many runs! TARAS DAWN won a good race for Knut Haug, also notching up her 3rd win –both these horses were well ridden by Sean Cormack! Well done team Drier!
In Gauteng we have had luck again with TINSELTOWN , THE IT GIRL and FIGHTING FORCE. The former 2 horses were bought at the Ready To Run Sale at Germiston by their owners, and their respective trainers Lucky Houdelakis and Enrico Verdonese and have had recent wins. The latter FIGHTING FORCE is a son of ANNOUNCE and he has won for the St John Gray team.

The filly ICE GODDESS has proved a very good buy for Romeo Francis as she won again over 1200 meters. This daughter of Western Winter could make a good broodmare when she has finished her racing. She was owned and bred by Pat and Henry Devine.
The filly POLE DANCE has won again in Kimberley for her connections and this daughter of Joshua Dancer seems to be enjoying Kimberley and has been successful on several occasions there.
In Cape Town the useful son of Lundys Liability, GRASP YOUR DESTINY, won again for Mike Bass and his owners and breeders Pat and Henry Devine. They were also successful in PE with their filly KISS AND TELL who is trained by Justin Snaith. Lee Scribante must have been thrilled with the win of SACRED CALL trained by Alan Greef. This filly was also purchased at The Ready To Run Sale and was out of a USA mare that we had schooled for Highlands Stud- CODE ELEVAN. The small but speedy son of Var , ESS EL KAY, won again there in PE for James and Lee-Ann Drew and Mike Fullard , well done to you all! SO YOU THINK also won in PE for owners Scribante and Stephenson and this son of Kahal won over 1000 meters for Alan Greef!

Apart from the juveniles mentioned earlier, there is a long list of horses that have been placed and deserve following in their next starts:
DANSEUSE,TWILIGHT ELVA,SABRE TOOTH,HIGH STAKES, ,D’VASH,IMPERIAL JET,LADY CARTER,TURKISH DELIGHT, YER –MAAN, FORMATION,HALLOWED,CHESTNUT CHARGER, COME WITH ME, MIESQUEROK,BLUE BAY GIRL,HOWAMI,TARGET FIVE,GOLDEN SLIPPER,DYNAMIC STAR,IRISH ANGEL,MIKES CHOICE,HAWAIIN SUN,WIND AT YOUR BACK, MORPHEUS , IMPERIAL FABERGE, BARBOSA and ULTIMATE TIGER ran crackers and should be winners soon!
We are busy at Ambleway with some of the two year olds that are in work in particular we have a filly by Fort Wood that is a sister to Fort Vogue called VOGUES AWARD that will go to the Bass yard and a daughter of A.P Answer that is very racy out of the mare La Sirenne a daughter of Captain Al. We also have a number of yearlings starting to come in…… from the Cape Sale Book 2 two daughters of Greys Inn and a son of Black Minnalouche and several that are to be sold at the KZN Sale in June(more about them later).We also have a few horses here to rest including a smart sons of Windrush and Miesque Approval.
That is all for now enjoy your racing where it starts to hot up in Gauteng and then KZN….
Kind Regards
Jane Trotter