EXCITING RACING in GAUTENG and KZN FEATURES BEGIN

  Ambleway graduates have continued their success story with many of them featuring in The Champions Day at Turffontein where in the SA Fillies Nursery TIGER STRIKE came second and in the Camellia Stakes EASTERN GREETING won beating KALAAM!   In the start of the feature season in KZN, JET EXPLORER came with a late burst to run 2nd in The Sledgehammer (Listed), COMTESSE DU BOIS ran on for 3rd in the Grade 3 Pointsettia Stakes and BEACH BEAUTY won the Grade 2 Drill Hall Stakes in fine fashion! At the Vaal FORMATION started favourite to win the Queen Of The sand (Listed) race and finished 3rd.  

TIGER STRIKE showed pace and was fancied to win her debut but was caught late. In this feature, the SA Fillies Nursery, she showed plenty of toe and earned Larry Nestadt, Bernard Kantor and the Bott family, who all bred her in Australia, black type by staying on for second place in this Grade 2 race! Dominique Zaki was very pleased with her run and has already earned black type with this maiden filly.

  The two sisters KALAAM and EASTERN GREETING fought out the finish in The Grade 2 Camellia Stakes sprint for fillies with the younger of the two getting her nose in front! These fillies are both owned by Roland Bouwer and trained by Stan Ferreira and they must be delighted with the purchase of the sibling at the farm of their breeder Mike Benson and Di Turner of Kjell Foundation.   At Scottsville on the same week end JET EXPLORER ran a cracking race to get up late on the line to run 2nd for his owner breeders Pat and Henry Devine. He nearly landed this listed feature for conditioner Justin Snaith who also trains COMTESSE DU BOIS and who ran 3rd late that day for Anant Singh and Barry Irwin (Team Valor) in the Grade 3 Feature Sprint for Fillies.  

BEACH BEAUTY put up a brilliant performance in the Drill Hall Stakes Grade 2 over 1400 meters on Guineas day starting favourite and to gave her connections no doubts when winning her 7th graded race! This brilliant but small, gutsy and versatile filly raced handy and was given a peach of a ride by Sean Cormack and she took command from the 200 meter mark and came home alone. The Shanks Syndicate who own her and the Drier team continued with her successful campaign already achieved earlier in the year in the Cape Season where she had won the Grade 1 Paddock Stakes over 1800 meters and came 3rd in the Met. They have many decisions to make for her next few starts!  

The first Saturday in May in the racing world is a big one. Not only is it famously known as the day of the Kentucky Derby - the first leg of the American Triple Crown, but it also marks the start of the British classic season with the running of the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket. Only a few hours after Vercingetorix had downed Capetown Noir in our KZN Guineas the new superstar of European racing destroyed all who lined up against him in the Guineas, the first leg of the British Triple Crown. Dawn Approach was the Champion 2 year old of last season in the UK after being undefeated in 6 starts and concluding the season with a victory in the prestigious Dewhurst Stakes G1. This colt is from the first season of New Approach, a son of Galileo who at the moment is looking to be his father's successor. New Approach was the last Champion 2 year old to also win the Epsom Derby and stands at Darley's Dalham Hall Stud in Newmarket.

  The interesting story behind Dawn Appoach is that although he is owned by Sheik Mohammed's Godolphin, he is trained outside the operation by famed Irish trainer, Jim Bolger. Jim Bolger bred, owned and trained Dawn Approach's sire as a 2 year old. New Approach was then purchased by Sheik Mohammed and the colt raced in his wife, Princess Haya's colours, as a 3 year old. As you can imagine, the amount of money that was paid for New Approach as a son of Galileo and as the Champion 2 year old in Europe, would have made Jim Bolger a happy man. However, his fortune didn't end there. Bolger sent a number of his mares to New Approach and from this first crop of the stallion came Dawn Approach. And to just complete the full circle to the story - upon seeing the success of Dawn Approach at Ascot last year, like his sire before, Sheik Mohammed decided to buy into him. Dawn Approach will very likely go next to the Epsom Derby on the first Saturday in June, and try to become the first horse to win the Derby carrying Sheik Mohammed's Godolphin blue.  

Across the pond in Louisville, Kentucky, we had the birth of another star, and another story. Orb, the winner of the prestigious Fountain of Youth G2 and Florida Derby G1 prep races won the Kentucky Derby after lying 3rd last of 20 runners at one stage. In so doing, Orb became the first winner of the Kentucky Derby for one of America's biggest and oldest racing families - the Phipps family - who over the years have owned such immortal names as the undefeated Personal Ensign, Easy Goer and Buckpasser. The exciting thing about Orb is that his breeding and running style suggest that he will be able to see out the 2400m "Test of Champions" Belmont Stakes, the 3rd leg of the Triple Crown. The Preakness Stakes, over 1900m on the 18th May, therefore may be his biggest hurdle to winning all 3 races. Either way, it is always exciting to have a new star and great racing to watch!    

At the Vaal, in the Queen Of  The Turf Stakes, FORMATION had run handy and finished close up in 3rd place for her conditioner, and owner-breeder St John Gray. This daughter of Sarge appears to revel in the sand and is worth watching at this track.  

During all these exciting races The National Sales had taken place with its fair share of success and drama! The sales themselves were successful being up on average 28% and median 33% up on last years sale. These were not much different from the prices reached earlier at the Premier Sales in the Cape even though there were a higher number of horses sold. There were 12 horses sold for over the million rand mark, and of these, Dynasty as a sire, produced offspring that sold 3 of the top 5! The other top prices were by Jet Master and Trippi.  

The drama occurred for all of those staying at the Emperors Palace on Sunday just after 7 am when there was a foiled robbery and shoot out at the Casino. The sale was hence delayed as people left the hotel and headed for Germiston, all unscathed, however a little shaky!   We were delighted to receive 21 horses from the sale, with some earmarked for the forthcoming Ready to Run Sale in November. Those received from the sale included progeny by well known stallions Western Winter, Trippi, Captain Al, Kahal, Fort Wood, Var and new sires on the block: Tiger Ridge and Mambo in Seattle. Other stallions that were well represented are sons of the proven Dynasty, Black Minnaloushe, Grey's Inn, Toreador and Miesque's Approval and by new and successful sire Sail from Seattle and young sires Argonaut and Horse Chestnut.  

These yearlings are presently being let down from the sale and are going into paddocks for a while until they are backed and prepared for trainers. Generally it is a very exciting time as with the quality of these horses and their pedigrees we can only hope that there are some stars amongst them! Thank you to everyone that has sent their baby here to Ambleway.   We are going away for about 10 days with some friends barging in France. We are going to the Camargue area and the animals at the farm will be cared for by my able assistant Nicole. If you need to come here to see or to make enquiries about your horse please contact her on her cell which is 079 579 8861. We leave on Wednesday 16 May and will be back on Monday 28 May.  

Apart from being represented in the features Ambleway graduates have done quite well in daily racing. DYNAMIC STAR won again for his connections. MR PATMAN was fitted with blinkers and won his maiden as did TULLYNALLY here in KZN. Congratulations to all who are involved in these horses.  

In Gauteng the St John Gray team have won with two of our babies: UNDERCOVER CAT and COME WITH ME. The latter has won a few races already and the former a daughter of Black Minnaloushe looked like being a decent type when she was here.  

In PE we were thrilled with the win of the small but gutsy ESS EL KAY. This son of Var was bred at Arc En Ciel and won at the third time of asking for his new connections.  

At the Kimberley track we were delighted with the wins of ROMAN LEGION and POLE DANCE who won their maidens for their connections and CODE RED was rewarded with his consistent form winning a sprint race again! Both CODE RED and ROMAN LEGION were bred at Highlands Stud and prepared by Ambleway to sell at the Ready To Run Sale, and Trevor Armitage had bred POLE DANCE.  

Horses that deserve following that have been placed are OWLS DO CRY, STRIKING STORM, SO YOU THINK, THRESHOLD, ORANGE BLOSSOM, PANAMA MAN, THE FLYING MACHINE, NORDIC LASS, DANSEUSE, WIND AT YOUR BACK, NICAULE,  DIVIDE N RULE, SAMMY SILVER and VERROCHIO. Follow these horses as in their next few starts they may well feature.   That is all for now…..enjoy your racing!

  Jane Trotter