South African swimming legend Chad Le Clos had a winner with the first horse he has ever owned, the Paul Lafferty-trained three-year-old Toreador colt Unbelievable Chad, who started odds on favourite in the 1400m maiden at Scottsville yesterday and won comfortably under Stuart Randolph.

The colt looks a decent sort and Chad was on course with his equally famous father Bert, whose description of his son after his Olympic Gold saw the term “UN-believable” becoming a Le Clos-associated cliche.

Chad said after the race that to be involved with a racehorse had been an “unbelievable” experience and he had been “proud” of the colt after all three of his career runs to date.

Later on the day, Dennis Drier-trained Seventh Rock gelding Guiness defied a nine month layoff to comfortably win a Graduation Plate over 1200m under Anton Marcus, thus showing his wind operation has been successful or at least so far.

It was the first leg of a double for Drier and Marcus and this was the same course and distance of the four-year-old Guiness’s Gr 1 Tsogo Sun Gold Medallion victory. However, despite being merit-rated 111 he was still allowed to go off as Tote second favourite paying R2.60. The favourite, the Mike Miller-trained three-year-old Executive Power, who was having just his second start, ranged up dangerously but might have been put off by the winner shifting outward slightly and it was left to another decent sort, the Alistair Gordon-trained Bunker Bill to fill second place.

Lafferty also won the first race with Apollo’s Gift, who denied the eye catching first-timer from the Drier yard Ante Omnia, a R3 million purchase by Speightstown. Anthony Delpech was the other double scorer on the day.

Three horses to follow from the day are the Paul Gasby-trained third race winner, the Var filly Royal Kaitrina, and the winner and runner up of the following race, both first-timers, the Mike de Kock-trained Fort Wood filly Rozenna and the Dennis Bosch-trained Ashaawes filly Joyful Mystery.

– David Thiselton

Picture: Chad le Clos (centre) with his dad Bert and jockey Stuart Randolph at Scottsville yesterday (Nkosi Hlophe)