When popular owner Michael Leaf won Saturday’s R2,5 million Emperor’s Palace Ready To Run Stakes at Turffontein with the Lucky Houdalakis-owned Chili Con Carne it completed two amazing stories, one of lightning striking twice and the other of a dramatic turnaround in fortunes.

Saturday’s victory happened a year after Leaf’s Justin Snaith-trained colt Lineker had won the R2,015 million BSA Ready To Run Cup at the same meeting.

Linker had been successfully pin-hooked by Leaf at one stage, but a quirk of fate saw him owning the colt again, while the small, unfashionably-bred Chili Con Carne was a “buy back”.

The decision by the Houdalakis yard to fit Chili Con Carne with blinkers did the trick.

The Just As Well home-bred gelding held on to beat the favourite Africa Rising by 1,25 lengths, despite starting odds of 15/1.

It was the first leg of former champion jockey Gavin Lerena’s brilliant feature race Jackpot of victories.

Michael Leaf was much admired for the sporting manner in which he handled the bitter disappointment of losing the 2014 Vodacom Durban July through a controversially upheld decision in the boardroom.

However, fortune has turned full circle.

Chili Con Carne is out of an unraced Leaf-owned Windrush mare called Wonder Glow, who is a half-sister to twice Listed winner West Cigar.

On the suggestion of pedigree fundi Anton Procter, Leaf sent her to be covered by Springfield Stud-based A.P. Indy stallion Just As Well.

The foal, having been prepared by Balmoral Stud, was the final lot on last year’s CTS Johannesburg Ready To Run Sale. Leaf had been unable to make it to the sale and had asked Lucky Houdalakis to oversee the auction of his three horses. Chili Con Carne had shown potential in his preparation for the “breeze ups”, so Leaf put a R300,000 reserve on him. Buyers showed a lot of interest and this allowed Houdalakis to put in a bid for R300,000. Only one more bid was required to have a successful sale. However, the bid never came. Furthermore, Leaf admitted he would likely have been happy to accept the highest under bid of around R275,000 had he been there.

Houdalakis’ wife Natalie said Lucky had “loved” the horse from day one.

She added, “He liked him as an individual. He is not big, but had everything in the right place.”

Consequently, Leaf asked Houdalakis to train him.

He showed a lot in training, to the extent his above average performances on the racecourse were viewed as disappointing by connections.

Leaf spoke of how the horse would “drop himself back” and then “fly up”, but usually too late.

For example, On September 29 over 1200m at the Vaal he was tailed off at the 400m mark and made about 15 lengths to run an eye-catching fourth.

That was his first run after gelding, and Houdalakis then stepped him up to 1600m. On this occasion, he jumped well, but had soon dropped himself out to last. He moved up early enough this time and joined the leaders, but stayed on at one pace from the 200m mark to be beaten two lengths into fifth. The obvious inference was to put him over 1400m, but on October 25 over that distance it was a similar story. However, on this occasion Muzi Yeni was aboard and returned to say he had felt a lot underneath him, but the horse was just not “putting it in”. Yeni was adamant the blinkers had to be fitted.

Eleven days later Chili Con Carne, with blinkers on, at last held his handy position, after jumping from pole position. He crept up at the top of the straight and then kicked clear before staying on strongly.

Vaal-based Houdalakis could not be on course due to a recent operation to sinuses and mouth which would have made interviews tough. However, he “screamed” the horse to victory at home. It was the biggest cheque the yard had earned in South Africa, although the legendary J J The Jet Plane earned far bigger cheques for them in both Dubai and Hong Kong.

Leaf, amazed to have won two lucrative sales races, could well make it three on November 19 at Kenilworth when his Justin Snaith-trained colt Bishop’s Bounty will attempt to go one better than his full brothers Red Ray and Brutal Force in the R2,5 million Lanzerac Ready To Run Stakes over 1400m.

Last year’s Leaf-owned sales race hero Lineker was bought in Australia by Paul Lafferty. Leaf forked out the Aus $50,000 required to secure him. However, he later felt a bit “iffy” about his potential after listening to the critics. Consequently, he decided to put him on a sale to see what would transpire. As it happened he was bought for R1,1 million by John Freeman. The latter then offered Leaf the opportunity to stay in the colt. Leaf agreed to take 50%. However, fate saw him owning the horse outright once more when the partner he had intended roping in bailed out.

Meanwhile, Wylie Hall, the victim of the controversial July upheld objection, has made a fine start to his stud career. The son of Redoute’s Choice covered 96 mares last season and over 90 of them have produced live foals. Leaf, whose first three runners of his breeding career have all won, expanded his broodmare band to 25 partly in order to support Wylie Hall.

Natalie Houdalakis spoke of how chuffed the yard were to have won Saturday’s race for such a committed owner and breeder.

Leaf even pours passion into the naming of his horses. “Chili Con Carne” was inspired by words from the Nat King Cole song “Let There Be Love” and the name, due to its spicy connotations, also seemed suitable due to his Durban routes and the horse being KZN-bred.

Lucky and Leaf have connotations of good fortune, but there was lot more to the story on Saturday than just a couple of names, and nobody would have begrudged this triumphant turnaround in fortune.

By David Thiselton