Thriller! Grant Van Niekerk times his run to perfection as Jet Lady wins the Listed Ladies Mile (Equine Edge)
Maine Chance Farms have had a superb run of winners recently and continued their roll of thunder with the Jet Master filly Jet Lady’s thrilling victory in Saturday’s R125 000 Listed Ladies Mile at Kenilworth. Grant Van Niekerk rode a pearler for Mike Bass.
The sixteen strong field looked the proverbial field leg for the exotic players and a few runners vied for favouritism, with the Snaith’s Alvilda eventually jumping a lukewarm favourite at 5 to 1.
The end of season rush for some valued black type inevitably means that this race is well patronised, as the mothers to be have their last few appearance on the racetrack.
The lightly raced winner looks to be the sort who may well be kept at it for another year as she looks to have a few left in the tank and is still a 4yo.
Spring Beauty and Sweet Aria ruined their chances and the hopes of their backers by jumping very tardily.
The race was run at a solid clip as Robert Khathi took the fancied Dynasty mare Irish May to lead from Domani and Abbey Creek, with Jet Lady and Pan Amm just off them.
Into the straight Irish May raised the white flag as Abbey Creek gunned for home with Grant Van Niekerk sneaking Jet Lady down the inside rail.
Karl Neisius also looked dangerous down the outside as he called on Cash Register to get her stride into play as she started to staying on nicely.
Into the final 200m any one of ten could win it.
In a thrilling finish Jet Lady ran on strongly at 15 to 2 and won by a head from a flying Imperial State who swept through late down the rail under Anthony Andrews. The winner clocked a time of 101,54 secs in soft going under beautiful winter blue skies.
Dumani ran on well for third, a further head behind.
It was a superb effort from Varsfontein’s Imperial State who had it all to do from a poor draw, considering the winner jumped from pole position.
Cash Register finished strongly down the outside and finished under a length back in fifth, as did the ever present Pan Amm who ran seventh and just 1,40 lengths behind the winner.
Mike Bass had four runners in the race and had Jet Lady well prepared after a disappointing last start.
She is a R550 000 National Yearling Sale graduate.
Jet Lady,who races for Ingrid and Markus Jooste, and Bryn Ressel and Marsh Shirtliff, was bred by Maine Chance Farms and is by Jet Master out of the Australian bred Kenmare, Waltzing Wallaby.
This is a very smart family, and Jet Lady is a half sister to some serious winners, including the eleven time winning Sevilliano (by Cordoba) who ran with such success in the Cape for Glen Puller.
A winner of 4 races with 3 places from 15 starts, Jet Lady took her stake earnings to R209495
