With the well-performed Just As Well’s biggest crop now 2yo’s, Spring Valley Stud’s Bruce Le Roux is hopeful that the market will start sitting up and taking a little more notice of his well-bred son of AP Indy.
Just Chaos gets up on the rail to beat March Music (Lyle Hewitson) and Greg Cheyne on favourite Madame Speaker (Pic – Pauline Herman Photography)
Just As Well stands at a fee of R10 000, and the philosophical Bruce says the value is there as the versatility displayed by the progeny of the horse that won up to 2400m is impressive.
And his 3yo daughter Just Choas produced the goods as an eyecatching winner when dominating an all fairer sex finish to Friday’s R150 000 Listed Racing Association Stakes at Fairview to give her trainer Sharon Kotzen a first stakes winner.
“From limited opportunity he has produced winners over a wide spectrum of distances. Just Cruised in won the Gr3 Caradoc Gold Cup over 2850m and Chili Con Carne won the Emperors Palace Ready To Run Stakes over 1400m. Now Just Chaos beats the champion filly and the boys over the mile. I’m very pleased,” said a thrilled Bruce.
Sharon Kotzen
A former assistant to veteran Ormond Ferraris, victorious trainer Sharon Kotzen has built her string up nicely and was celebrating her 54th winner – her first stakes success – since taking out her licence.
Louis Mxothwa produced Just Chaos with a sustained run down the inside rail as the fancied Madame Speaker and March Music launched their challenges.
But the Kotzen filly was too strong and she ran on powerfully to win by a quarter length in a time of 96,64 secs.
Yvette Bremner’s March Music just shaded the 17-10 Madame Speaker for second, with the pacesetter The Highway Man hanging on for fourth.
The second favourite, Cape raider and Langerman runner-up Frank Lloyd Wright, was near the rear of the field after a shaky start and only improved marginally to run out of the money.
Just Chaos was bred by Bruce le Roux and is a daughter of Just As Well (A P Indy) out of the twice winning Western Winter mare, Discordia.
She is a winner of 4 of her 6 starts with 2 places for stakes of R241 875.
Just As Well (A.P. Indy – No Matter What)
Just As Well raced over 4 seasons, and travelled extensively to race in the USA, Japan and Canada. He had 4 wins, 8 seconds and 3 thirds, and amassed $859,582 in stakes won.
His successes included the Gr1 Northern Dancer Breeders Cup over 2400m and the Gr3 Arlington Handicap over 2000m. He placed second in the Gr3 Arlington Handicap over 2000m, and Gr2 Dixie Stakes over 1800m, the Gr1 Arlington Million 2000m, and in the Gr1 Gulfstream Park Breeders Cup Handicap over 1800m
