Horse Chestnut made his debut over 1000m at Turffontein on 20 December 1997 in the famous yellow and black Oppenheimer silks. And he did not disappoint, changing legs at around the 200m mark to leave the field floundering in his wake. He romped home, nearly 6 lengths clear of his nearest rival.

In 1999, Horse Chestnut started his onslaught on the Triple Crown with an emphatic 7 length victory in the first leg in the Cape Argus Guineas (while stable mate Fort Defiance took the Johannesburg leg in the Newmarket Guineas, making it a double for the De Kock yard).

Horse Chestnut (Summerhill.co.za)

There is a saying that your horse can only be as brave as you are and they don’t come braver than trainer Mike de Kock, who decided to run his 3yo prodigy at the J&B Metropolitan Stakes over 2000m. It was the first time Horse Chestnut had been asked to go such a distance and it is a big ask for any 3yo – so much so that the Met had not been won by a 3yo in over 50 years. However, horses don’t read the record books, they write them. Horse Chestnut quite literally annihilated the competition. As second placed Classic Flag struggled an almost comical 8 lengths in his wake, race caller Jehan Malherbe’s voice rang out across the course: “This is true greatness! Horse Chestnut is killing them in the J&B Met!”

The second leg of the Triple Crown, the SA Classic over 1800m, was run on 27 March 1999. Horse Chestnut again showed his superiority by beating Fort Defiance home by nearly 4 lengths.

The SA Derby, his last start in South Africa, is perhaps remembered as his most impressive. It was the longest race of his career at 2450m, but Horse Chestnut simply used the trip to put even more daylight between himself and his rivals, winning by an almost ridiculous 9.5 lengths. In doing so, he became the first horse in history to win the South African Triple Crown.

He closed out his 3yo campaign by being named 1999 Equus Champion 3yo Colt, Equus Champion Male Stayer as well as being honoured as the Horse of the Year.

Greatness beckoned and Horse Chestnut left our shores for the United States. Despite the new country and a different surface, he took it all in his large stride. His made his American debut on dirt in the Broward Handicap in January 2000. Again he showed his incredible turn of foot, carrying Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith across the line to thunderous applause, 5.5 lengths clear of Isaypete.

An unfortunate injury shortly afterward signaled a disappointingly early end to his American campaign, but Horse Chestnut had shown himself to be a true champion. Not only had he won over different courses, different distances, different surfaces, and different continents, he had also shown that he had the big match temperament to match. In a fitting end to an illustrious career, he joined a long line of racing luminaries, by retiring to stud at Claiborne Farm.

Horse Chestnut’s American progeny enjoyed their fair share of success, producing 61% winners, and 13% stakes horses, including a group 1 winner out of his first crop, Lucifer’s Stone. He has also left an American legacy as a broodmare sire and is the maternal grandsire of 2015 Triple Crown candidate, Ocho Ocho Ocho. However, being primarily a ‘grass horse’, his appeal to the American market was limited. But every cloud comes with a silver lining and in this case, it presented an opportunity for the big chestnut to come home.

Purchased by the Horse Chestnut Syndicate, he returned to South African shores in 2009 to take up residence at the magnificent Drakenstein Stud Farm. He stood 6 seasons at stud locally and of his runners to date, has produced a number of promising-looking progeny, including debut winner Chestnut’s Rocket, the ill-fated Zobens and Rake’s Chestnut. With several generations still to hit the track, the best may yet be to come.

There is a notion that you only get one great horse in a lifetime, but as Mike de Kock said, Horse Chestnut is the sort of horse that comes along once in every 10 lifetimes.

When Horse Chestnut’s sire Fort Wood passed away just a few short weeks ago, Jessica Slack posted on Facebook that she could imagine her grandparents feeding him carrots up in heaven. It seems their stable is expanding.

RIP Horse Chestnut, a true South African racing legend.

–          Sportingpost.co.za

“She ran well from a wide draw in the Klawervlei Majorca and she is much better drawn here,” says Bruss who won the J & B Met with Zebra Crossing in 2006 and three years later sent out the third and fourth in the Dubai World Cup.

Red Flame (Nkosi Hlophe)

Richard Fourie’s mount and Lanner Falcon come out 2kg better than the next highest rated (Hammie’s Hooker) on adjusted merit ratings and, while there was only a short head between them in the Majorca, Lanner Falcon is badly drawn here.

Hammie’s Hooker opened 3-1 joint favourite with the other two with Betting World yesterday but her last three runs have been below par. Incidentally this has been a bad race for favourites in recent years and the last five have all been beaten.

One to note is 7-1 chance Maybe Yes. “She has a good draw and we are going to ride her a bit more forward,” says Brett Crawford. “Last time she was drawn wide and she got a little bit far back.”

Coltrane is evens favourite to give Joey Ramsden his seventh CTS Chairman’s Cup this century and the handicappers have gone gently with him – only a kilo extra for winning the Cape Summer Stayers and nothing at all for his next win or his good run on Met day.

Coltrane (Liesl King)

But no favourite has won this since Major Bluff nine years ago and, while Shingwedzi (2-1) is best on adjusted ratings, Putney Flyer could be a snip at 4-1. He won the Kenilworth Cup over this course and distance in November and is 7,5kg better with Coltrane for last time’s two and a half lengths.

This is the Prawn Festival meeting with Breco’s best on sale at bargain prices and free draws for a multitude of household products. But punters also want winners and Power King appeals at 3-1 in the Cape Mile, particularly as he is dropping in trip after finishing seventh in the Met.

“He moved up nicely on the inside and I thought he was going to finish in the first four,” recalls Dean Kannemeyer. “He then went a little bit up and own in the last half furlong but he has come out of the race exceptionally well.”

Natatela’s run last Saturday may not have been Andrew Fortune’s finest hour but the former champion certainly didn’t deserve all the flak that came his way. His is still an outstanding talent and he should put the record straight in the Nima Consulting Maiden even though the 200m shorter trip is not in his mount’s favour.

Majmu has already won the new alternate first leg of the Wilgerbosdrift Triple Tiara, the Gr 1 Avontuur Estate Cape Fillies Guineas. It would obviously be easier for her to accomplish the Tiara by entering the fray on March 28 in the Gr 1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic over 1800m, also at Turffontein, and that is the plan. The last leg of the Triple Tiara, the Gr 1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks over 2450m, is on April 25 at Turffontein.

Majmu (Liesl King)

The Duncan Howells-trained KZN contender, the Gr 1 Thekwini winner Same Jurisdiction, will almost certainly start favourite for the Fillies Guineas, despite being drawn wide in 17 among the 24 entries. She will raid for the Guineas and then stay in Johannesburg, probably in the Joey Soma yard at Turffontein, until the Classic.

Weiho Marwing is now a colleague of Howells at Ashburton and runs his Gr 1 Golden Slipper (1400m) winner Bilateral out of his now satellite yard in Johannesburg. She reared and hit her head on the pens before her last start, which was out of character, and as she was going nowhere in the race and felt amiss the jockey decided to pull her up at the 1200m mark. However, she was subsequently found to be fine. Marwing will give her a gallop close to the race and said she would be at her peak. She is drawn wide in 19, but came from last in the Golden Slipper after being dropped out from a similarly wide draw. Marwing also runs the promising Australian-bred Sensible Lover, who ended the unbeaten run of the Ormond Ferraris-trained Lazer Star over 1450m last time, although she was receiving 7,5kg and only just got up by 0,2 lengths after rallying back. She has only had three starts so will still have more improvement and she looks likely to relish the course and distance. She is drawn wide in 20.

Another KZN entrant is the Frank Robinson-trained Olma, who has become known for her brilliance on the Greyville polytrack. However, in her last raid to Johannesburg on Sansui Summer Cup day for the Gr 3 Fillies Mile, she was affected by an incident in the float in which she hurt herself. Furthermore, she impressed in her maiden win at Clairwood on turf, so she could well be just as good on this surface. She has landed a favourable draw of eight.

Robinson’s Summerveld colleague Gavin van Zyl runs Kileigh, who disappointed in the Fillies Mile, but was set a tough task by being handy, which is not her normal style. She has been based at Van Zyl’s Johannesburg satellite yard since the Spring and ran a good recent preparation over 1400m. She is drawn 10.

Bilateral (Nkosi Hlophe)

International trainer De Kock’s four entries are headed by Gr 2 Ipi Tombe Challenge runner up and Cape Fillies Guineas fourth-placed Pine Princess.

Two notable Gauteng-based entries are the Gr 1 SA Nursery winner and narrow Thekwini runner up, the Sean Tarry-trained Carry On Alice, and her stable mate Siren’s Call, who comes off a win in the R2,5 million Cape Thoroughbred Sales Book 2 Graduates Race over 1400m. The former will have a slight stamina doubt, whilst the latter will relish the step up in trip.

The Alec Laird-trained Smart Call won her last start in a competitive Graduation Plate  over 1600m on the Turffontein Inside track by 9,25 lengths and is a definite contender.

Siren’s Call is also entered and the race will tell whether it was the distance or the weight that saw her being caught late last time out over 1450m.

Last year’s winning trainer Geoff Woodruff has two entries, Big Bucks and Zrinski, but both would need dramatic improvement to feature.

The other features on this top day of racing are the Gr 2 Betting World Gauteng Guineas, the Gr 2 Hawaii Stakes, the Gr 3 Acacia Handicap and the Listed Aquanaut Handicap.

The leading contenders in the Gauteng Guineas will be last season’s Equus Champion two-year-old colt, the Paul Lafferty-trained KZN colt Harry’s Son, and the horse that beat him in the Investec Dingaans over course and distance, the Johan Janse van Vuuren-trained Unparalleled.

Daniel’s plaster cast on his arm is coming off on February 26.

He said, “I have been squeezing squash balls to keep up the strength but will need a bit of time to build the arm up to full strength. It has been so frustrating and I don’t even want to watch racing anymore as I am burning with impatience to get back doing what I love!”

Daniels is one of the most underestimated jockeys in the country and was in the middle of a fantastic comeback after a spell in the doldrums.

He has ridden 21 winners at a strike rate of 11,73% to date this season.

However, in his last full month of riding in December he rode to a strike rate of over 17%.

17 of his winners have been at his home base of KZN, but he also travelled to Port Elizabeth twice in December and rode four winners, including a hattrick.

He was increasingly in demand and trainers and owners will be glad to see him back in the saddle.

Umgiyo (Christophe Soumillon) has tightened up and improved in the few weeks since winning a turf handicap over 1800m on 22 January and he’s expected to have a say in the finish of the top liner, the Listed Dubai Millennium Stakes over 2000m on turf.

“This is a good test for Umgiyo and we’ll see how good he is,” Mike said on Tuesday afternoon. “He goes over this trip for the first time and into a really competitive field, but the manner of his win here in January was promising and his pedigree suggests he’ll see it out.  I don’t think he’ll be found lacking when it matters.”

Umgiyo (Nkosi Hlophe)

Three-year-old Banaadeer was 4.75-lengths adrift of the winner on his own Dubai debut over 1000m on turf at the end of last month. He was fancied to make the frame that day and he’s back in a similar race with a chance to make amends, Soumillon up first time. Mike commented: “Banaadeer needed the run more than anticipated, but he’s come on a good few lengths since. I’ll be disappointed if he doesn’t run into the money this time.”

Royal Ridge (Dane O’Neill), is in a full field of 16 runners set to contest the Meydan Sobha over 1600m on dirt.  He faded right out of contention on this surface in a Gr2 race here early in January but Mike wants to give it one more try in somewhat lesser company. He said: “On his pedigree Royal Ridge should be showing more interest on dirt, so we’re giving him another chance. That run to Surfer could’ve been all wrong.”

The stable fields a three-pronged challenge in the District One Handicap over 1400m on turf with Anaerobio (Soumillon), Fountain Of Youth (Luke Morris) and Whistle Stop (O’Neill) going to post.

Anaerobio has long been a regular stake-earning soldier in Dubai and Mike said: “What you see is what you get. He should run his usual honest race and has a chance.”

Fountain Of Youth moved up for a challenge in a 1200m sprint recently, improving, and he’s expected to enjoy the course and distance. “He’s starting to come to hand and should go well over the trip,” Mike said.

Whistle Stop, above himself, took off and ran away with his jock before the start of what was to be his first race in Dubai and had to be withdrawn. He’s a talented horse who enjoys plenty of support, especially back home in South Africa and Mike commented: “Whistle Stop was set for a good run when he bolted away and that was unfortunate. He’s doing very well, he’s naturally fitter for this race than he was last time so we’ll be hoping he can show his worth.”

Supplied by mikedekockracing.com