Roy Had Enough’s easy win in the Listed Christmas Handicap over 1600m at Greyville on Tuesday did not surprise trainer Frank Robinson and he pointed out that few were aware of how well bred this Australian import was.

Robinson’s best filly, Roy’s Riviera, is also Australian-bred and has an interesting link to Roy Had Enough. She will be a big runner in Sunday’s Grade 3 Flamboyant Stakes over 1600m at Greyville.

Both horses are the property of KZN’s leading owner Roy Moodley.

Roy Had Enough is by Lonhro stallion Pierro, who in 2012 won the two-year-old Triple Crown in Australia, consisting of the Group 1 Golden Slipper over 1200m, the Group 1 Sires’ Produce Stakes over 1400m and the Group 1 Champagne Stakes over 1600m.

Pierro won his first two races as a three-year-old and started at cramped odds of 11/50 for the prestigious Group 1 Caulfield Guineas. However, he was beaten half-a-length by All Too Hard, who happens to be the sire of Roy’s Riviera.

Pierro went on to win two more Group 1s over 1300m and 1500m respectively.

All Too Hard went on to win three more Group 1s, all over 1400m, so also ended his career as a four-time Group 1 winner.

Pierro’s triple crown achievement meant Coolmore had to go to US$27 million to buy him for stud purposes.

Fittingly, Pierro finished top of the Australian first-season Sires list in the 2016-2017 season and All Too Hard was runner-up.

Robinson explained that in his second racecourse appearance Roy Had Enough refused to load. Consequently, the blinkers had to be applied as this was the only way he would go into the stalls. However, the blinkers led to him over-racing.

He won a Juvenile Maiden over 1900m on his fifth start in eye-catching style. In his next start in a Juvenile Plate over 1900m on Gold Cup day, he over-raced continuously but still won.

Robinson said Anthony Delpech had said after that race he did not know how the horse had won and had reckoned he must be a top horse.

Robinson had this in mind when sending Roy Had Enough to run in the Grade 2 Dingaans over 1600m at Turffontein, despite him having been beaten in his first three starts as a three-year-old. Importantly, Robinson decided, due to his high opinion of the Johannesburg starting stall handlers, to take a chance and remove the blinkers.

Robinson continued, “Unfortunately the soft ground in the Dingaans did not suit him as he has a smooth action, but he ran on beautifully without the blinkers and beat some good horses like Pietro Mascagni and Alshibaa and finished close to the like of Big Bear and Like A Panther. He was only beaten 3,75 lengths. So I told Lyle (Hewitson) on Tuesday to do the same thing and drop him out from another wide draw. He loaded perfectly and quickened smartly.”

The three-year-old colt relaxed beautifully throughout on the rail at the back and his big action carried him past the field down the inside in the straight. He won by a cozy 2,75 lengths.

Robinson is now thinking of targeting him at the Triple Crown series of races in Johannesburg and thinks the Grade 1 SA Classic over 1800m will be the most suitable of them.

Roy’s Riviera finished a decent 4,75 length fourth in the Grade 3 Fillies Mile on the same day as The Dingaans. She then proved her class last week at Greyville by winning a MR 83 Handicap over 1600m on the poly by 4,5 lengths, beating some fair sorts.

Robinson rates Hashtagyolo the one to beat in the Flamboyant Stakes on Sunday. However, he pointed out when the pair had met in the KZN Guineas Trial that Hashtagyolo had the run of the race from a good draw and had set slow fractions, but the wider drawn Roy’s Riviera had been flying when crossing the line a 2,25 length third.

He said she would have come on from her run last week too and concluded, “It will be a good race on Sunday.”

Roy’s Riviera unfortunately has another wide draw of 13 in the race. In form Warren Kennedy replaces Keagan de Melo.

By David Thiselton