Cape-based Lammerskraal Stud played a starring role in the Gimmethegreenlight show on Classic Day at Turffontein when they bred a feature double, rounded off with an overdue first stakes success for Alec Laird’s Green Haze in the R150 000 Listed Drum Star Handicap.
On a good day for the Lammerskraal team, they bred the unbeaten Lady Of Steel to win the Gr3 Acacia Handicap and the winner of the Drum Star.
S’manga Khumalo steers Green Haze to victory ahead of Warren Kenendy and D’Arrivee (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
A runner-up behind the top notch Soqrat in the Victory Moon last November, Green Haze has been finishing thereabouts, including a running on effort behind Zillzaal in the Summer Cup.
Allowed to relax by S’manga Khumalo a few lengths off the gallop set by Divine Odyssey (17-4), Green Haze (3-1) turned on the jets late and finished powerfully to be the favourite D’Arrivee (7-2) by a half length in a time of 110,88 secs.
It was a deserved victory for the former SA Champion jockey who rode three seconds on the day!
Divine Odyssey did the donkey-work and stayed on to be beaten a further 1,75 lengths away in third.
Runner up in both the G3 Victory Moon Stakes and G3 London News Stakes earlier in the season,A winner of 4 races with 9 places from his 20 starts, Green Haze, a R350 000 2017 National Yearling Sale graduate, took his earnings to R598 000.
The 4yo gelding, one of nearly 50 stakes horses sired by the former Gr1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate winner, is bred, like Lady Of Steel, by Lammerskraal Stud and is out of the twice winning Western Winter mare Mizzen Mist. He is thus bred on the same Gimmethegreenlight/Western Winter cross as both Gr3 winner Lady Of Steel and former Zimbabwean Horse Of The Year, Simona.
