Masterful ride by Juan Hernandez at Del Mar.
The connections of Equus champion Gimme A Nother will be keen to secure the services of jockey Juan Hernandez the next time the mare competes.
The leading rider at California’s Del Mar racecourse was immaculate aboard the South African-bred horse as she won her first race in North America at the weekend.
Owned by Steven and Jessica Jell’s Newstead Stables in the US and bred at their Mauritzfontein Stud near Kimberley in SA, the five-year-old ran out an easy winner of the Grade 2 John C Mabee Stakes at Del Mar, worth $252,000 (R4.45-million).
Hernandez eschewed the front-running tactics which saw Gimme A Nother get pipped on the post in Canada recently, positioning just off the pace and allowing his mount to stride comfortably around the 1800m of turf.
The 2-1 second favourite was able to accelerate off the turn and outrun odds-on local favourite Medoro, giving the distinct impression that there is more to come from the mare.
There is no indication yet of Gimme A Nother’s next task, but if she does make it to the much-talked-about Breeders’ Cup meeting at the same venue next month, Hernandez can expect a call.
Unbeaten in seven starts in SA, with two Grade 1 titles, when trained by Mike de Kock, Gimme A Nother has been a runner up three times in graded events since joining Graham Motion’s Maryland stables.
She is one of a handful of top South African performers to join Motion’s barn in the past year and was described at the weekend by The Bloodhorse as “a work in progress”, giving “every indication she is capable of taking her picture at the graded stakes level”.
Motion’s website says of Gimme A Nother’s heart and consistency: “She takes her race everywhere she goes.”
Interestingly, a local tipping service remarked pre-race that Motion only ships horses across the country to California “when they are primed and ready to fire”.
After the race, Hernandez commented: “She (Motion assistant Alice Clapham) told me she’s a really nice filly. She told me she can run from behind the pace; you can do whatever you want with her.
“Around the turn, she was getting out a little bit and the No 4 (Medoro) horse was getting a little close to me. So I was just trying to get in a good position and save ground. As soon as the horse ahead of me stepped out a little bit, around the quarter pole, that’s when she took off.”
Gimme A Nother is by multiple leading SA stallion Gimmethegreenlight, out of Grade 1-winning Tiger Ridge mare Nother Russia.
Another daughter of Nother Russia, three-year-old Special Star (by Danon Platina), won her maiden at the third time of asking at Turffontein on Saturday – trained by Mike and Mathew de Kock and racing in the colours of Jessica Jell’s mother Mary Slack.
