Easy for Juan Two Three as Greg Cheyne poses at the finish of the Listed Dahlia Plate (Pic: Coastal Photos)
Alan Greeff’s impressive 2yo colt Juan Two Three rounded off a weekend feature double for Avontuur’s super sire Var when he ran out a facile winner of the R150 000 Listed Dahlia Plate at Fairview on Sunday.
Var had sired the Listed Somerset 1200 exacta 24 hours earlier at Kenilworth and followed up with another good juvenile stakes winner here. Juan Two Three looks way above average and a contender for East Cape champion juvenile honours.
A winner of his first two starts with contemptuous ease, Juan Two Three had disappointed with a modest fourth in the East Cape Nursery last month, and it was thus not surprising to see him drift in the betting on support for Nursery winner Captain Swarovski.
But after Struben, Paradise Cove and Brida had shown the way early, the 1200m race was over as a contest at the 400m marker as Greg Cheyne gave Juan Two Three his head.
Coming from near last, the son of Var strode into the lead and drew away to win by 3,25 lengths in a time of 71,01 secs.
Captain Swarovski challenged briefly but had no chance with the winner in second place, and the turnaround showed that Juan Two Three’s last run really was all wrong.
Trainer Alan Greeff said that he had been ‘gutted’ after the Nursery but confirmed that his charge was coughing after that race.
“Whatever we did, we did right. I am thrilled he is back to best. He is a lovely colt,” he said.
Avontuur-sponsored jockey Greg Cheyne said that he had let his mount go quite early as he felt he enjoyed building his stride up.
The Scribante owned Juan Two Three has now won three from four starts with one place and R174 375 in stakes.
The full brother to the smart Generalissimo was bred by Haras Del Carmo, and is, as already stated, by Var out of the six-time winning Counter Action mare. Counterpoise.
The flashy bay colt cost R260 000 on the National Yearling Sale and was also the recipient of the R75 000 BSA Added Value Stakes Bonus Series.
Juan Two Three is worth following in PE and looks a cut above his contemporaries.
