It was a weekend for smashing records in South African horseracing and trainer Tara Laing and champion owners Ingrid and Markus Jooste got the ball rolling at Fairview on Friday when the combination celebrated a top four finish in the R100 000 Fairview Merchants.
Vauclair (Ray Danielson) beats Captain’s Reserve (Ryan Munger) to win the Fairview Merchants (Pic – Coastal Photos)
It was always going to be tough to overshadow the Snaith show at Kenilworth on Saturday, and the Laing record for Ingrid and Markus Jooste passed by without much fanfare.
Ms Laing trains exclusively for the top owner partnership and made it a terrific hat-trick in the non black-type feature, with jockey Raymond Danielson aboard when Vauclair won it for the first time in 2014 and Unannounced (in the same silks) scored in 2015.
On Friday, Danielson booted the 6yo Var gelding home for his ‘lucky’ 13th win at the expense of stablemates Captain’s Reserve, Black Toga and The West Is Wide.
The 17-10 favourite was untroubled to win the 1200m straight contest in the seven horse field to score by 0,75 lengths in a time of 66,84 secs.
It is thought that the feat of saddling the top four in a feature for the same owner is an SA record – and Danielson added the cherry on top by making it a personal hat trick in the feature.
The winning gelding is a mobile billboard for the versatility,hardiness and gutsy ability of the Var offspring.
Vauclair was bred by Pippa Mickleburgh, and is by Var out of the 1998 Majorca Stakes winner, Wild Aster (by Elliodor) – who won 6 races.
Vauclair has now earned R770 980 in stakes and took his win tally to 13, with 12 places from his 41 starts.
He was purchased by Joey Ramsden at the Cape Premier Yearling Sale Book 1 for R350 000.
He left the Ramsden yard at Milnerton as a one time winner from eight starts for Tara Laing’s PE base in March 2013.
