Trainer Joey Soma showed yet again that with the right horses he has few peers in the South African training ranks. His flagbearer Got The Greenlight registered his fourth Gr1 success as he stormed to victory in the R500 000 HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes at Turffontein on Saturday.
Run out of it late by Paul Peter’s smart 3yo MK’S Pride in the Gr2 Hawaii Stakes last month, Got The Greenlight threw the second-run-after-a-rest doubters syndrome out of the window when he turned it on from way out after lagging behind in his customary style early on.
Muzi Yeni has Got The Greenlight in control as Gavin Lerena and Copper Mountain try hard (Pic – JC Photos)
With Drum Star winner Savannah Storm leading the charge for home, Muzi Yeni was not waiting around and he sent the Soma multiple Equus champion colt for glory at about the 350m marker.
It looked an early move with the in-form Van Vuuren stable’s Copper Mountain unleasing his effort down the wide outside.
But Muzi knows the Soma crackerjack well and the duo went on at 8-10 to score by a convincing half length in a time of 97,25 secs.
The 3yo Copper Mountain looked well in the preliminaries and ran a good race in second ahead of Tarry’s enigmatic entire Tierra De Fuego (40-1) in third.
The winner, who was having only his second run this term, races in a partnership of Dayalan Chinsammy, Hassen Adams and Joey Soma.
He is by Varsfontein sire Gimmethegreenlight (More Than Ready) out of the one-time winner Command Chi (Commands).
Got The Greenlight, a R110 000 Cape Yearling Sale graduate, has now won 7 of his 15 starts with 7 places and stakes of R 2 700 500.
The 4yo colt is likely to be aimed at the Gr1 Premier’s Champions Challenge over 2000m on 1 May, before heading for the coast and another crack at the Vodacom Durban July.
