No Stopping! Jimmi Choo is all speed under Sherman Brown
There aren’t many sires who produce stakes winners from 1000m to 3600m, but Danzig’s son Bezrin is one who has. His brilliantly fast gelding Jimmi Choo annihilated his opponents in Saturday’s R150 000 Listed Storm Bird Stakes to win in sensational style.
Owner Johan Botha is one of those men blessed with the attentions of Lady Luck, and while he doesn’t spend big money, he appears to find a good horse most seasons. We recall the SA Fillies Guineas winner Go Indigo, and he appears to have struck gold with a gelding this time.
Jimmi Choo is a handsome chestnut and he is very fast. With the field scratching down to just seven runners, he looked to have the race at his mercy, bar the very quick Var filly, American Pie.
Jimmi Choo was quickly out of the gates and he led American Pie, his stablemate King’s Soldier and Tulbagh Trip, with Olympic Owen and Warbash further back.
At the 400m marker American Pie had her head in front, but suddenly began hanging out as Brown eased Jimmi Choo into the lead. Inside the final 200m, the5 to 10 favourite had things in the bag as recent Kimberley maiden winner Olympic Owen came home strongly for second.
He had no chance with the winner though, who went on to score by 1,25 lengths in a time of 57,48 secs. King’s Soldier, stablemate to the winner, ran a cracker on his 55 to 1 debut to run third after showing good pace.
Winning jockey Sherman Brown said that Jimmi Choo was ‘too quick for his own good’, but that he would learn to settle as he matures. The bang in form Brown said he rated him as ‘one of the best I have ridden.’ Trainer Leon Erasmus, who enjoyed a feature double on the day, said that the Bezrin gelding was a decent sort and ‘one of my better 2yo’s’.
He was full of praise for his loyal owners Mr and Mrs Johan Botha, who would make the perfect couple for an advertisement for racehorse ownership. Generally overwhelmed by emotion, they appear to get great joy out of the occasion. Which, after all, should be what owning racehorses is all about, surely?
Jimmi Choo was a fifth stakes winner for Danzig stallion Bezrin, from his 2010 crop of just 17 foals. It is such a great pity when a promising stallion just doesn’t get the support of breeders and good mares. Bezrin is very versatile and also produced the winner of South Africa’s longest race.That was Thunderflash, who won the 2010 Listed PE Gold Cup.
Jimmi Choo is out of the Northfields mare Ambleside, who raced just twice in Zimbabwe. A thankful Johan Botha alluded to the fact that Barbara Sanne of Oldlands Stud had given the mare away. The winner was bred by Mr and Mrs J Martin.
This was Jimmi Choo’s second win from 3 starts and he has also run one place. A R50 000 2012 KZN Yearling Sale purchase, he took his earnings to R16,1750 in the process. It is early days and he should pay to follow. If you can keep up with him, that is!
