After going down to stable-companion Enchanted Garden in the Sun International, Potomac renewed battle with his peers in the third leg of the Triple Crown, the South African Two Thousand at Greyville in the first week of June.
Potomac was an odds-on favourite, with Model Man strongly supported at 18/10. Nothing else was seriously backed to beat this pair, more so after it was announced that Jungle Rock had injured himself in the float on the way to the track. The Transvaal challenger was examined and pronounced fit to run but after being in with a chance at the turn, dropped out to finish with only two runners behind him.
Given the suspect stamina of opponents Model Man and Another Treat, Millard used stable mate Beaulieu as a pacemaker. Beaulieu set a cracking pace right from the start, with both Potomac and Model Man in close attendance. When the leader had enough, just before entering the straight, he switched out, to leave the way for Potomac. The hot pace had suited Potomac, but Model Man as well.
The two pulled well clear of the rest of the field and in a tremendous battle Potomac claimed victory, for which Felix Coetzee’s rhythmic and very coordinated finish riding must be largely responsible. Despite jockey Marcus’ (on Model Man) unquestionable ability, we cannot help but think that Felix would have won on either horse. This was a race in which both horses must have gone to the bottom of their reserves.
For the record, Potomac was timed to run the distance in 2:02,20, just a fifth of a second outside the race record set by Wild West in 1985.
It was to be Potomac's last start of the season. A viral infection caused his withdrawal from the Oceanair Derby and the Rothmans July Handicap. He ended the season with seven wins and two places from ten starts and was voted Champion 3yo Colt.
MODEL MAN (1982c, Elliodor - Top Model by Filipepi). Bred at the Cohen\'s Odessa Stud in Ceres, Model Man is one of just a dozen foals in the first crop of Lyphard-stallion Elliodor. A 38.000 National Sale yearling, Model Man was trained by Patrick Lunn in Natal. He made his debut in the last week of his 2yo season, winning a 1200m Juvenile Plate by three lengths. The follow-up was impressive: four consecutive wins early at three, including the Gr2 SA Invitation Stakes. Model Man met with defeat for the first time in the Richelieu Guineas, over the sprint/miler\'s Milnerton 1600. He\'d been interrupted in his preparation, and in a race run in a howling South Easter failed to quicken up the straight.
Following wins in handicaps, he lined up for the Gr1 Chris Smith (Natal) Guineas. Model Man ran well; badly interfered with in the closing stages, he finished 4th, beaten 2 lengths. The Gr1 SA Two Thousand was next. In a heroic battle he was just shaded by Potomac, after shifting markedly in the closing stages, but for which he might have won. The pace was hot, the time fast and the race an exceptional one, beyond doubt the best of the SA season.
Model Man reappeared a month later in the Rothmans July. Always well placed, he ran a good race, but may have found the distance just a little beyond him. He took his chance just three weeks later in the Mainstay, over 1800m at Clairwood, badly drawn in a field of 15. Contrary to his previous runs, he raced well off the pace in a very fast run race, to produce breathtaking acceleration in the straight, overtaking most of the field and winning going away.
His 4yo career was full of highlights, with wins in the Hawaii Stakes, J&B Met, and Schweppes Challenge. He ran second in the Rothmans July (to Bush Telegraph) and Mainstay (to Main Man), in both races worse off at weight-for-age with the winners. He was the unofficial Horse of the Year in the flu-interrupted 1986/87 season, for which the Jockey Club had cancelled all racing awards.
Model Man scored twice as a 5yo, in the Champion Stakes and remarkably over 1100m, with topweight in a strong A-division handicap. In the process he became South Africa first equine millionaire.
Syndicated for a million Rand, Model Man\'s stud career started where he\'d been born, at Odessa Stud. His progeny includes 2yo Champions Special Preview and Private Reserve, 3yo Champion League Title, and highclass Amberpondo and Glamour Boy. He died following a paddock injury in 2005, having sired 18 crops and 893 foals, including thirteen individual Gr1 winners (7 colts, 6 fillies).
Legacy: Gr1 J&B Met, Gr1 Schweppes Challenge, Gr1 Mainstay 1800, Gr1 Hawaii S., Gr1 Champion S.; Horse of the Year 1986/87; sire of 13 Gr1 winners
Another Treat
ANOTHER TREAT (1982 c, Really And Truly – Noble Nurse by New South Wales). Bred by Birch Bros, Another Treat was by resident Vogel Vlei sire Really And Truly. Another Treat became one of 8 winners from Really And Truly’s second crop of 23 runners, and helped push the stallion to third on the list of Sires of Two-Year-Olds in South Africa. Dam Noble Nurse had previously produced Cape Derby winner Impressive Style and was Broodmare of the year for 1985.
Another Treat, lot 353 on the second day of the 1984 Germiston Sales, was knocked down to Cecil Treger for R15.000, and went into training with David Payne.
Another Treat had an unblemished juvenile career. He won on debut at Kenilworth on New Years’ Day and followed up at Milnerton 11 days later. He shipped to Durban for the Natal season and came out to win the African Breeders’ Stakes in April. He closed his juvenile season with a win in the Administrator’s Champion Juvenile Stakes at Clairwood, as unbeaten winner of 4 races for R59.475 in stakes. He was voted the Champion 2yo Colt.
ENCHANTED GARDEN (1982 f Roland Gardens - Captivation by London Way). Enchanted Garden was bred at Rose Parker’s Ascot Stud in the Eastern Cape. Her dam Captivation, whose half-brothers Captive Prince (by Prince Sao) and Captain Ekels (by Jan Ekels) were top class stayers, won once, over 1000m at 2. Enchanted Garden sold to Mr and Mrs A M van Zyl for R35.000 at the 1984 National Yearling Sales, to go into training with Jim Brady. Coming to hand early, she had no less than 10 starts in her juvenile season for five wins and three places, including the Gr1 TAB Transvaal Juvenile Fillies Stakes, making her one of the top fillies of her generation.
Des Scott purchased the filly for R200.000 at the end of her 2yo career and transferred her to David Payne at Summerveld. She won a B Division in Natal before narrowly beating a classy field in the Fillies Guineas at Germiston. Her trainer David Payne boldly predicted she would beat Petrava in the Paddock Stakes, but things didn\'t quite work out that way. After running fourth to Bimbina in the Highlands Stud Classic (formerly Cape Fillies Guineas), she could do no better than third in the Paddock Stakes (Petrava did not run).
The filly subsequently changed hands again, to Tony Ross and Adrian Gardiner, for R300.000 and was transferred to Terrance Millard. Her first outing for Millard was on the Rand in the Oaks Trial, where she gave 6.5kg to narrow winner Shotgun Wedding. Enchanted Garden was in full cry two weeks later in the SA Oaks, which she won by 3½ lengths in record time. This was followed by another eyecatching performance in the Sun International, despite an objection for crossing stable mate Potomac close home. Enchanted Garden clocked her 3rd Gr1 in a row when registering a 2 length victory in the Natal Oaks. She was also part of Millard’s first-three-past-the-post in the Rothmans July, finishing 3rd to stable mates Occult and Fools Holme. In the last race of her 3yo season, Enchanted Garden met with interference in the Mainstay International and failed to produce her usual form. She had done enough to be crowned Champion 3yo Filly and Horse of the Year and was rated by conditioner Terrance Millard as “the best middle distance filly this country has seen for years. She has no equals.”
Enchanted Garden opened her 4yo career with a victory in the John Skeaping. The rain delayed Barclays 200 000 turned into a 2-horse affair between the filly and Model Man, in a race where draw, going and pace proved significant, allowing Model Man to get the better of her by five lengths. Back in Cape Town, Enchanted Garden gave a devastating performance in the Listed Shawco Rag Handicap in March and looked on song for the flu-delayed J&B Met. As expected, the Met had no real early pace, but produced an exciting tussle between Model Man and Enchanted Garden in the last 100m, in which Model Man hung on to win by a neck. Her subsequent Natal winter season campaign was an anti-climax.
With 12 wins and 10 places on her cv, Enchanted Garden retired to Ross & Gardiner’s Roodefontein Stud. She had 4 foals of which 3 were runners, all winners, including her daughter Fairy Garden (by Elliodor), who produced Gr1 Cape Derby and Gr1 Paddock Stakes winner Dog Wood.
Legacy: 1985 Gr1 TAB Transvaal Juvenile Fillies Stakes, 1985 Gr1 Gosforth Park SA Fillies Guineas, 1986 Gr1 SA Oaks, 1986 Gr1Sun International, 1986 Gr1 Natal Oaks; Champion 3yo Filly & Horse of the Year 1985/86
Jungle Rock
JUNGLE ROCK (1982 c, Jungle Cove - Roxburgh Belle by Meldrum). Bred by Scott Bros at Highdown Stud, Jungle Rock was a 16-hand grey son of champion sire Jungle Cove. He is the second produce of imported mare Roxburgh Belle, a 7f winner in UK and stakes winner of 7 more races in South Africa, as well placing third in the Garden Province Stakes. Catalogued as lot 9 on the select session of the 1984 National Yearling Sales, Jungle Rock was knocked down for R105.000. He raced in the interests of the Lawn Syndicate, trained by Spike Lerena, winning 8 races from 1200 to 1800m. Jungle Rock was a precocious juvenile, winning his first two starts before running second in the Clairwood Park Futurity. He became increasingly coltish during his 3yo career and performed somewhat inconsistently, but won the The Dingaans and Southern Sun Classic, and placed third in the Mainstay 1800. At 4 he posted three Gr2 wins (Computaform Champion Stakes, Keith Hepburn Champion Stakes and Germiston November Handicap), and ran second in the Schweppes Challenge. A fourth in the First National 1600 was the highlight of his 5yo career, after which he retired to stud at The Alchemy in 1988. Jungle Rock stood for 8 seasons, averaging 20 foals per crop. He produced eight Graded and listed winners, the best of which is Woolavington Cup winner Jungle Earl. His stakes winning daughter Concetta is dam of staying mare Sangria Girl (by Wolfhound), who twice won the J&B Summer Stayers race on Met-day.
Legacy: Gr1 Southern Sun Classic
Potomac
POTOMAC (ARG) (1982c, Liloy – Pierina by Martinet). Bred in Argentina by Haras El Turf, Potomac is a son of French Gr2 winner Liloy. Exported to Argentina, Liloy made his mark as sire of champions and Argentina and South Africa (incl Prontisimo and Ecurie), which led to him being sent to the USA, where he sired G1 winners. Following eight seasons in USA, Liloy ended his stud career in South Africa, by which time his fertility had seriously declined.
Potomac, a strongly made, attractive individual, is from Liloy’s fifth (and final) Argentine crop. Sold privately as a yearling and imported to South Africa, Potomac raced for the partnership of Des Scott, Luke Bailes and Laurie Jaffee, trained by Terrance Millard. A lazy worker at home, Potomac was equipped with blinkers throughout his career. He proved himself a highclass performer at 2, winning two stakes races, then really came into his own as a 3yo. He won the Cape Derby and SA Derby in successive starts, and finished the season with a hard-fought victory over Model Man in the SA 2000. Subsequently reported to have contracted a virus, which caused him to miss the Natal Derby and Rothmans July handicap. He was voted Champion 3yo Colt, but did not regain his best form at 4, in a season affected by the equine flu which swept the country.
Potomac was re-exported to his native country for stud duties. With foreign currency in short supply in Argentina at the time, the deal was done as a swop: Potomac in exchange for yearlings, which included subsequent Champion 3yo and Horse of the Year Ilustrador.
Potomac sired five crops in Argentina (between 1990 to 1994), without making an impression. A half sister to Potomac, 2-time winner Martineta (Farnesio), is dam of Gr1 Allan Robertson placed Gr3 winner Marquetta (Al Mufti), who in turn is dam of Gr2 Emerald Cup winner Alimony (Alami).
Legacy: Gr1 Cape Derby, Gr1 SA Derby, Gr1 SA 2000; Champion 3yo Colt
Wild West
WILD WEST (1981c, Roland Gardens – Wild Ash by New South Wales). Bred at Paul J de Wet\'s Zandvliet Stud, Wild West is a big, handsome chestnut son of English 2000 Guineas winner Roland Gardens, and the first foal of his dual Fillies Guineas winning dam Wild Ash. Purchased from the 1983 Germiston Yearling Sales for R40.000, he raced in the colours of the Circle Seven Syndicate, trained by Ralph Rixon. Wild West contested all of the Triple Crown races as a 3yo, running fourth in the Richelieu Guineas, third in the Southern Sun Classic, and winning the SA 2000. He ended the season with a second in the Rothmans July behind Gondolier, and was voted Champion 3yo Colt of 1984/85. His biggest success came as a 4yo in the 1986 J&B Metropolitan, where as 22/10 favourite he won by just under a length despite his jockey dropping the whip close home. He had 3 more starts as a 4yo but was beset with soundnessproblems. He came back after a 10 month break to run three third places including in the Republic Day Handicap and Rothmans July. Early in his 6yo career he was runner-up in the Champion Stakes and the Gold Vase, in the latter race breaking down fatally just after the line. Wild West won eight races in all, for stakes of R490k.
Legacy: Gr1 SA 2000, Gr1 J&B Met. Champion 3yo Colt.
After going down to stable-companion Enchanted Garden in the Sun International, Potomac renewed battle with his peers in the third leg of the Triple Crown, the South African Two Thousand at Greyville in the first week of June.
Given the suspect stamina of opponents Model Man and Another Treat, Millard used stable mate Beaulieu as a pacemaker. Beaulieu set a cracking pace right from the start, with both Potomac and Model Man in close attendance. When the leader had enough, just before entering the straight, he switched out, to leave the way for Potomac. The hot pace had suited Potomac, but Model Man as well.
The two pulled well clear of the rest of the field and in a tremendous battle Potomac claimed victory, for which Felix Coetzee’s rhythmic and very coordinated finish riding must be largely responsible. Despite jockey Marcus’ (on Model Man) unquestionable ability, we cannot help but think that Felix would have won on either horse. This was a race in which both horses must have gone to the bottom of their reserves.
