Jet Master
I don’t know that a simple column allows enough room to fit the story and larger than life character that is Jet Master. There is pathos, there is drama and more than the odd nudge from fate and Lady Luck. I stumbled across an anecdote about him recently that I absolutely love. I am told that there was a storm brewing at the time that his granddam, Jolly Laughter, arrived for her service to Rollins. I have in my mind’s eye a picture of those angry, roiling KZN skies and that weird electricity in the air that makes your skin prickle. Rollins duly performed his duties and I’m told that as he dismounted the mare and turned to walk away, a bolt of lightning shot out of the heavens and struck him down dead. Fortunately Jolly Laughter fulfilled her side of the bargain by conceiving and when she produced a bay filly foal in 1987, it was christened Jet Lightning in honour of the way she was brought into the world.
Jet Lightning would eventually graduate to stud with Hugh and Margaret Jonsson in Mooi River. While casting around for a mating for her in 1993, they consulted our own Karel Miedema whose short list of potential suitors included Rakeen. Despite being unproven, the Jonssons viewed Rakeen and fell in love with him on the spot. The quicksilver coursing through the veins of Jet Lightning and the Northern Dancer fire that burned in Rakeen, distilled into a bay colt with a white blaze called Jet Master.
In July 1995, at the tender age of 8 months, the big rangy colt found himself at the Royal Showgrounds in Pietermaritzburg for the Natal mare and weanling sale. Seeing him in a paddock all on his own, Mrs Devine’s heart went out to him and she appealed to her husband – “Oh, look Henry, that poor horse is standing all by himself in a paddock. Why don’t we buy him?”. “Fine” came the answer, “but not more than ten thousand.” When the bidding commenced, Mr Devine went up to the promised R10,000. However, the crowd was not done and another hand went up to take the bidding to R12,000. Mr Devine shrugged and said “Ok, that’s that then” when his wife pushed up his arm again. High. “Sold to Mr Devine”, shouted the auctioneer, “Fifteen thousand buys”.
As history has borne out, the big bay colt would stamp his authority on our racetracks. However, it is in the breeding barn that he has become a true phenomenon. It was not a straightforward journey, but Jet Master finally made his home at Klipdrif stud in August 2003.
The statistics list his turf achievements. They list his most successful offspring. They show that he has been champion sire for 5 successive seasons. But they do not reflect his true legacy. He did not just produce wins, he produced winners, and then gave us champions. He has produced the likes of Pocket Power, River Jetez, JJ The Jet Plane and the current jewel of the Cape, Ebony Flyer. He has not just given us stories, he has produced legends.
And while his progeny are carving their own niches in our history books, Jet Master’s story continues as dramatically as ever. The industry was rocked earlier this year when the news broke that he had been diagnosed with West Nile Virus.
Although this virus is fairly wide-spread in our local horse population, most horses will experience an asymptomatic infection, eliminate the virus and never exhibit any clinical symptoms. However, when it does manifest, the results can be devastating. In horses that become clinically ill, the virus infects the central nervous system and can exhibit a range of symptoms from fever, impaired vision, weakness of limbs, all the way through to seizures and coma. Although there is no specific treatment for the disease, the good news is that horses that survive the first few days usually stand a good chance of survival and will usually make a full recovery.
Jet Master’s team of the Devines, his vets, stud staff, and insurers put in a herculean effort. He responded to treatment and the good news is that he appears to have beaten the West Nile Virus. Unfortunately while he seems to have escaped the virus, he has not escaped the side-effects and Jet Master has not recovered his strength and coordination as hoped. This forced his team to make the tough, but necessary decision to cancel his stud duties for the season while they focused on finding a cure.
As can be expected for a horse with this value to his connections as well as to the industry as a whole, he’s had a veritable army of friends, medics and industry experts exploring every avenue for a solution. And, it is a measure of the deep respect and affection everyone has for this horse, that they have been overwhelmed with wishes of support.
And it seems that the prayers have been answered. In a story that echoes Jet Master’s many ways, the great Seattle Slew experienced similar difficulties in 2000. In his case, a team of experts led by Dr Barrie Grant DVM, Dipl. ACVS, of San Luis Rey Equine Hospital in Bonsall, California performed a procedure called a myelogram whereby, in layman’s terms, a dye was injected into the spinal canal. A series of radiographs were taken of his spinal column and the dye helped to reveal areas of compression that lay at the root of the problem. A second procedure, involving surgical implantation of a titanium Bagby Basket in the vertebral column, helped stabilize the ‘problem’ joints and relieved the pressure on the spinal cord. Most importantly the Bagby Basket (now called the Seattle Slew basket) restored the great stallion’s mobility, breeding capabilities and of course, his quality of life.
As Jet Master appears to be free of the West Nile Virus, it is hoped that his condition might have a similar cause. And to ensure that the odds are stacked as far in their favour as possible, the Devines and Jet Master’s team at the Equine Insurance Group are assembling the same team who treated Seattle Slew. Dr Barrie Grant and his assistant will fly to South Africa on Thursday, 10 November. They will travel directly to Drakenstein Veterinary Clinic to meet Jet Master and perform a myelogram to assess his condition. If all goes well, and the hoped for areas of compression can be found, Jet Master will have a few days to prepare for surgery and will undergo the second, basket implantation procedure on either the 12th or 13th of November. This is the first time either of these procedures will be performed in South Africa.
Of course, as with any procedure there are inherent risks. Horses do not always respond well to general anaesthetic. Surgical procedures are invasive by nature and carry a risk of infection. Of course there is always the possibility that there may be no spinal compression in which case the team will be back in front of that frustrating drawing board.
Another issue which may play a pivotal role is Jet Master’s temperament. Being a superstar, he has painstakingly trained his handlers and connections to treat him as such and he does not look kindly on being poked and prodded ! Jim Antrobus has been his vet for many years now and seems to have struck up a bit of a rapport with the stallion. He says that Jet Master has been remarkably compliant with the procedures so far. However, he gets claustrophobic very easily and does not like being confined, so there are concerns as to how he will cope with the anaesthetic, coming round after the procedure and of course being immobilized afterwards.
Every precaution is being taken. A specialized sling is being imported all the way from Canada, which thanks to the generosity of the Devines, will remain behind in South Africa to benefit our local medical and equine community. Klipdrif’s stud manager, Shane van Zyl as well as Jet Master’s groom Taxi will make the journey to Drakenstein with him to lend confidence and support. And alongside all of them, the hopes and prayers of all Jet Master’s family, friends and fans will travel with him.
All through my research and all the telephone and email exchanges I’ve been privileged to conduct over the past couple of weeks, the aspect that has struck me time and again has been the enormous sense of friendship and community that surrounds this special horse. Mrs Devine told me that when the initial news of the West Nile Virus broke, they were utterly overwhelmed by the sheer volume and kindness of the enquiries they received and it made them realize how many people out there were concerned about their horse. When I asked why she wanted to tell everyone about the current plans, she said simply ‘we owe it to Jet Master’s friends to tell them’.
It reminded me of a beautiful quote by Albert Camus – “Don’t walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don’t walk behind me, I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend.”
It is going to be an interminably long wait until the 10th. It is a stressful time and everyone is anxious. The procedure is risky and holds no guarantee of success. But in the meantime Jet Master’s friends hope. And pray.
