Geared For Action. Jamie Lee Jet was on his toes in the parade ring
Trainer Andries Steyn has done wonders with the Jet Master gelding Jamie Lee Jet, and the 5yo registered his fifth win from his last eight starts when scoring an easy victory in the topliner at Kenilworth on Saturday.
The Steyn family name has been around Cape horseracing for over five decades and Andries and his brother Piet are both trainers.
Piet trains out of Milnerton, while Andries only has on average 12 horses in his string at Mountfield in Morning Star on the West Coast.
That makes the achievement of training the day’s big winner and humbling relative ‘corporates’ like the Snaiths, even more meritorious!
After weeks of rain, the Kenilworth going was declared as heavy on Friday and amended on the day of the meeting to yielding. That brought with it the inevitable surprises on very difficult card, but Jamie Lee Jet had plenty of supporters.
Justin Snaith appeared to hold the trump card in the R88 000 Pinnacle Stakes run over the Kenilworth 1200m straight, with his two smart 4yo’s Terminator and Villa Del Largo carrying the flag.
Part Of The Furniture! Trainer Andries Steyn and his wife Jenny are well known personalities in the Cape
Punters agreed and the Snaith pair jumped 19 to 10 joint favourites, with Jamie Lee Jet next best at 9 to 2.
Richard Fourie took Terminator up to show the way as Copa De La Rey and Jamie Lee Jet tracked him, with Villa De Largo and General Assembly further back.
At the 400m the race cracked wide open as there were plenty in with chances.
Apprentice Jason Smitsdorff had been sitting quietly and he just shook the reins as Jamie Lee Jet responded and glided into the lead.
The speedy bay ran away from his opposition, as the 11yo Copa De La Rey came out to chase him home.
Jamie Lee Jet won in an an unsurprisingly relatively slow time of 76,88 secs and put 1,50 lengths between himself and the old man.
Smitsdorff, who turns 21 on 4 October this year, only claimed 2kgs on the winner, and is one of the tallest apprentices around.
Balanced Ride. Apprentice Jason Smitsdorff
Jamie Lee Jet is owned and bred by another longstanding Cape family in the Engelbrecht’s, who are also up the West Coast. Willempie Engelbrecht junior’s royal blue, grey and red silks have been worn by many good horses over the years.
Jamie Lee Jet is by Jet Master out of the five time winning Elliodor mare, Elle’s Wish.
He has won 5 of his 19 starts with 8 places for stakes of R257 217.
If he continues with this improvement, and can handle the harder going in the summer, we may yet still hear plenty from this talented gelding.
Kenilworth riding honours were shared evenly on the day, while Phillipi trainer Stephen Page registered a lovely long priced double.
