Ebony Flyer wins the Diana Stakes
Ebony Flyer made her much anticipated return to action at Durbanville on Saturday and put up a pleasing performance to win the Diana Stakes without too much fuss. The big daughter of Jet Master had been absent since losing her unbeaten record in the Gr 1 L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate in January and missed the KZN season through injury, but the Queen’s Plate is again her target and she’s bound to improve from this comeback effort, writes MATTHEW LIPS.
The scratching of Emerald Cove and Leeward helped to water down the Diana Stakes field, leaving Ebony Flyer with only seven rivals in this WFA contest for three-and-four-year-old fillies over 1400m, and she went off as the 3/10 favourite despite some reservations about how well Durbanville’s tight bends would suit a horse of her very generous proportions. Hollywoodbolulevard, returning from a break of more than six months and starting in Cape Town for the first time, was the 75/20 second choice ahead of progressive Barcelona Winter, who went off as the 9/1 third favourite from an ante-post call of 16/1. Sole remaining three-year-old Dark Journey started as a big outsider.
Ebony Flyer is led in by Groom Patrick Zolani Xhamle, Gaynor Rupert and Justin Snaith.
The early pace was far from hot, with Barcelona Winter showing the way to a cruising Ebony Flyer as Hollywoodboulevard and Frequent Flyer raced next in line. In Like Flynn was further adrift as Dark Journey brought up the rear. Ebony Flyer didn’t have much difficulty negotiating the sharp turn at the top of the almost 600m run-in and was soon stamping her authority on the race. She cruised up to Barcelona Winter, looking to be full of running, and really did have things under control from a long way out. Felix Coetzee only had to shake her up a few times inside the final furlong to ensure the job was finished properly and Ebony Flyer responded to win by two lengths from Barcelona Winter. Frequent Flyer stayed on steadily to finish another length away in third, with Hollywoodboulevard running out of steam and finishing a further 3.25 lengths adrift in fourth. None of the other quartet ever really mattered.
Ebony Flyer’s performance may be described as more than workmanlike and rather less than spectacular, but she travelled comfortably the whole way and was in command for at least the last 400m. This will have done plenty to blow out the cobwebs, and her trainer Justin Snaith will have left himself something to work with considering that the major events of the Cape summer season are still more than two months away. On paper, Ebony Flyer ran nowhere near her best as she had 16 pounds in hand over both Barcelona Winter and Frequent Flyer according to the handicapper, but it would have been optimistic to expect her to win in quite the way the merit ratings suggested she should after so long an absence and in any case the Diana Stakes turned into something of a sprint down the straight after a moderate early tempo.
The jury must still be out on whether Ebony Flyer will scale the heights expected of her when she inflicted what has turned out to be the most recent defeat suffered by Igugu in last December’s Gr 1 Cape Fillies Guineas, but the signs are encouraging enough. Comparisons between the two fillies have fuelled internet discussion boards for months, with Igugu and Ebony Flyer each boasting their own at times extremely animated fan club, but they are two different types. Ebony Flyer is probably at her best up to 1600m, at least until she gets the chance to prove otherwise, while Igugu is at her most effective beyond the mile. Indeed, Igugu’s trainer Mike de Kock has virtually ruled out the possibility of a return clash with Ebony Flyer in the Queen’s Plate and has stated that the ruling horse-of-the-year will contest the Gr 1 Paddock Stakes over 1800m against her own gender ahead of the J & B Met.
Ebony Flyer is a daughter of Jet Master, the multiple champion sire whose stud career will hopefully resume in 2012 after illness forced him to sit out the current covering season. She is the third foal, second winner and second winner of the Cape Fillies Guineas produced from Badger Land mare Sunshine Lover, who only won once over 1200m herself but who also bred the 2007 winner of the Kenilworth fillies classic, Captain’s Lover. Bred by Willem Engelbrecht and acquired for R700 000 at the 2009 National Yearling Sale, Ebony Flyer races for the partnership of Team Valor, Drakenstein Stud, and Vanashree and Anant Singh. Her five wins from only six starts have earned her connections R917 500 in stakes.
Diana S. (SAf-G3) (10/15)
Durbanville, South Africa, October 15, R150.000, 1400m, turf, good, 1.27.40 (CR 1.23.80).
EBONY FLYER (SAF), 60.0, b f 4, Jet Master (SAF) – Sunshine Lover (SAF) by Badger Land. Owner Drakenstein Stud, Team Valor International & Anant Singh; breeder WJ Engelbrecht (SAF); trainer J Snaith; jockey F Coetzee (R99.457)
Barcelona Winter (SAF), 60.0, b f 4, Western Winter – Barcelona Baby (SAF) by Golden Thatch (IRE)
Frequent Flyer (SAF), 60.0, b f 4, Silvano (GER) – Fov’s Fancy (SAF) by Foveros (GB)
Margins: 2, 1, 4 ¼
Also ran: Hollywoodboulevard (AUS) 60.0, Dark Journey (SAF) 53.5, In Like Flynn (SAF) 60.0, Maxixe (SAF) 60.0, School Captain (SAF) 60.0
