Robbie Sage has indicated that the Gr1 SA Classic runner up Green Laser would likely have the Gr1 Daily News 2000 as his chief target rather than the SA Derby.
Green Laser was bred by Varsfontein Stud whose manager Carl de Vos is more optimistic about the future of South African racing now than he was before the Coronavirus suspension.
Green Laser – headed for Daily News 2000 (Pic – JC Photos)
Sage spoke to Gold Circle’s David Thiselton about the difficulty of preparing horses with no fixed date to aim for and said, “First you are prepping him for the Derby then you are not …but anyway, he is doing well in himself.”
There has been no date set for the industry’s resumption of operations.
However, after the President’s national address on Wednesday evening there is cause for optimism that racing will be up and running by 1 June.
Sage pointed out that Green Laser had been unlucky in the SA Classic as jockey Marco van Rensburg had dropped his whip shortly after the 400m mark when “cruising”.
He said, “I think he would have won the race with the stick as it would have helped him keep his concentration. He totally lost concentration after the stick was dropped.”
He split two paternal half-brothers as Gimmethegreenlight became one of the few stallions in history to achieve a Gr1 trifecta.
The winner was the Joey Soma-trained Got The Greenlight, bred by Nadeson Park Stud, and Soma would likely contest the dropped-whip theory especially considering his charge had been the only one of the contestants to have previously won a Gr1.
The third-placed Fabian Habib-trained Youcanthurrylove was also bred by Varsfontein.
De Vos’ optimism for the future of the industry was based on a structural change at Phumelela.
Carl de Vos
He pointed out the ‘skeletons’ of a regime which had presided over a listing of Phumelela, whose share price had in turn dropped from a high of over R25 to 41 cents, were now being replaced by people who were not in it to make a living but instead were there because they cared deeply about horseracing.
Green Laser, who has now earned close to R650 000 in stakes, went through the ring unsold at the National Yearling Sales.
De Vos saw Robbie Sage standing around the ring and approached him. He said, “He is a good trainer, he’s of the old school.”
Sage and well known global horse transporter “JJ” van der Linden took a look at the colt and a deal was done for R100 000.
Varsfontein were happy to release Green Laser for that bargain price on the knowledge he was going to Sage as the latter had done so well with Coral Fever, an Ascot Stud-bred gelding who was by Varsfontein’s stallion Judpot.
Green Laser is now owned by JJ van der Linden in partnership with Martin Lieveaux.
He is out of the Parade Leader mare Dance Domain, who is a half-sister to the sire Capetown Noir, a three-time Gr1-winning Equus Champion miler.
However, Green Laser was the opposite type of horse to the small bundle of speed Capetown Noir.
He was immature and ‘leggy’ at the Sale, according to Dance Domain’s breeder Sally Bruss of Lammerskraal Stud, and this was probably the reason for the lack of interest.
Gimmethegreenlight had also been going through a phase then, for some strange reason, of being unfashionable.
However, that has all changed and De Vos describes him as “without doubt the best stallion in the country,” pointing out that some of his best progeny like Surcharge (Yulong Prince) had been exported.
Green Laser’s immaturity did not stop him winning for the first time in the March of his two-year-old season. Nevertheless, he has duly developed into a rangy type who will continue to improve.
Van der Linden desribes him as “a pup who will be at his best as a four-year-old.”
Green Laser has only won two races but has bold black type through his win in the Grade 3 Sea Cottage Stakes over 1800m.
He is quoted at 33/1 with Hollywoodbets for the Vodacom Durban July.
See the Hollywoodbets Vodacon Durban July ante-post betting here
