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Despite unseasonal wet weather in some parts of the country, spring is here to stay.
Photo by Gold Circle
It heralds the arrival of long sunny days, reminds us to unpack the braai and dust off the beach gear and most importantly it brings about the re-emergence of the country's top horses from their post July slumber.
Saturday at Turffontein in Johannesburg, is such a day, with the running of the Grade 3 Johannesburg Spring Challenge mostly for the boys and the Grade 3 Johannesburg Spring Fillies and Mares Challenge.
Why mostly, well Mike de Kock is never scared of the opposition and hence his star filly Gibraltar Blue is entered to take on the boys, rather than her own sex.
In the first Spring Challenge we see a number of top contenders from the July season in Durban out to dust off the cobwebs and stretch their legs. This makes the race interesting as their performance will depend very much on their fitness levels after the long lay-off.
Bulsara under Marthinus Mienie last ran at the season's end when he finished 2nd to The Apache in the Grade 1 Champions Cup over 1800m after a 5th place finish in the Grade 1 Durban July(2200m). The 1450 may be a tad too short and is clearly just a warm up for the summer season. But if he is remotely fit, his sheer class will carry him to the fore.
Photo by Gold Circle
Gary Alexander's Rebel Knight has had a season opener already, when finishing 4th, 1.5 lengths behind Pierre Jourdan mid September. Weichong Marwing has the ride and with Jet Master gelding being a course and distance winner, he cannot be ignored.
Another Jet Master, this one still intact, is Jet Jamboree from the Dominic Zaki yard. Pierre Strydom has taken the ride and if the colt is fit he will be fighting out the finish. His last run however was in the Listed Darley Arabian, back in July.
Gibraltar Blue is the only filly in the race and while not at her peak, De Kock's horses are always fit. De Kock concurs: “They're all short of their best, but fit enough to be competitive.”
She comes into the race with a weight advantage and with Anthony Delpech on her back, she clearly will be competitive.“I've always thought of Gibraltar Blue as a Queen's Plate contender and that's her aim. She gets her sex allowance in this race and she's handily weighted. I'm expecting a good run” commented De Kock.
The dark horse in the race could be the Var gelding Lochlorien. The Mike Azzie inmate has been in training for a while and ran a very good 3rd behind Pierre Jourdan in September. It is his second run after a rest and he enjoys the 1450, so if the race gods are smiling he may well cause an upset.
In the Fillies and Mares Spring Challenge, we see an equally stellar cast stepping up to the plate. Headlining the field is the Highveld Horse of the Year, Dancewiththedevil. The mare is enormously talented, but her forte is 1600m where she is almost unbeatable. The daughter of Modus Vivendi comes off a two and a half month break and may need the run. That however can be said of all the class horses in the field and if moderately fit, she should have the race at her mercy.
Photo by Gold Circle
Another star, this time from the De Kock yard, is the Silvano mare Flirtation. She is stepping down in trip and has been beaten by Dancewiththedevil before, but her class should have her contesting the finish.
The in-form horse in the race is the Jet Master filly Without Malice. She is having her third run after a rest and in her last start she held several of the boys to ransom when finishing 2nd, half a length off Pierre Jourdan.
There are two dark horses in this race, trust the ladies to do things differently. The first is Alec Laird's Qui Danzig filly Carey's Qui. Although meeting tougher company here, the filly is on form and has the services of master jockey Pierre Strydom, upset potential indeed.
The second is the beautifully bred, but lightly raced daughter of Oasis Dream, Welwitschia. From the De Kock yard, she has had four starts for two wins, a second and a third placing. She has however been rested for six months. But if fit and sound she is a class filly that may take some beating.
“Flirtation and Welwitschia are fresh after their breaks. None of them have had enough grass work, they will all improve, but I'm confident they will run close to their form” added De Kock.
All in all even if it is a punting nightmare, it will be wonderful to see the top horses out again. If spring is this good, then bring on the summer.