A dramatic objection briefly overshadowed the champagne post-race celebrations of the victorious Joey Soma team at Turffontein on Saturday. Their magnificent multiple Equus champion Got The Greenlight had cruised home to win the R750 000 4Racing Gr1 Premier’s Champions Challenge – but drama was to follow!
After being beaten three quarters of a length on the gutsy 3yo Second Base, jockey Gavin Lerena, who clearly demonstrated his dissent to winning rider Muzi Yeni at the pull-up, objected against the victor on the grounds of interference suffered at the 1600m.
Mzui Yeni steers Got The Greenlight to a dramatic win as Gavin Lerena charges late on Second Base (Pic – JC Photos)
While Lyle Hewitson, who rode third-placed Cirillo (50-1), confirmed that there was ‘an incident’ -Lerena can be seen taking his mount back as Yeni shifts the eventual winner inwards – around the mile marker, the Stipes weren’t convinced that it had any bearing on the outcome and overruled Lerena’s plea, with the deposit being refunded.
The race was a clinically executed strategic plan for the Soma team, who will look to win their first Durban July with the Nadeson Park Stud-bred star, who now looks to be a favourite to pick up the SA Horse Of The Year title – an accolade that some felt he deserved last season.
Billed variously as the duel of the decade, a clash of the generations, or even the titans, the hype was unprecedented in the build-up after the Paul Peter team sportingly agreed to take their chances with star filly, Summer Pudding.
While history shows that the initial reservation about running her so soon after her Princess Charlene Empress Club Stakes victory just two weeks back may have been spot-on, Summer Pudding’s presence, together with SA Triple Crown winner Malmoos, made for a massive build-up.
With no jockey willing to take up the pacemaker responsibility, the 2000m race was run at a dawdle early on until Calvin Habib took the initiative on the eventual runner-up’s stablemate Divine Odyssey.
Muzi Yeni had Got The Greenlight relaxed in midfield and the long-striding star powered up the midfield at around the 400m as the anticipated challenges from Malmoos and Summer Pudding failed to materialise.
With Second Base under a vigorous ride and changing legs late, Got The Greeenlight convincingly held his advantage to three quarters of a length in a time of 125,95 secs.
The Riverton-bred soldier Cirillo ran his heart out again and stayed on well for third, a further length back.
See how the race has changed the Vodacom Durban July betting picture – click below:
An emotional Got The Greenlight part-owner Dayalan Chinsammy spoke afterwards, paying tribute to his family, and after confirming that ‘they had tried to take the win away’, lauded his big horse as ‘a champion’.
The winner was purchased by the astute Joey Soma for R110 000 off the 2018 CTS April Yearling Sale. He took his earnings to R3 150 500 with his eighth win and seven places from sixteen starts.
Got The Greenlight races in a partnership of Dayalan Chinsammy, Hassen Adams and Joey Soma.
He boasts an Australian pedigree, being by Varsfontein sire Gimmethegreenlight (More Than Ready) out of the one-time winner Command Chi (Commands).
Joey Soma will make a call in the next few weeks on the plans to either travel to KZN early, or leave it to the eve of the 3 July spectacular at Hollywoodbets Greyville.
The big horse is a new favourite for the Vodacom Durban July, priced up by Hollywoodbets at 4-1.
