From The Horse's Mouth - Mark Van Deventer

Double Grand Slam stays in training for another year in a bid to add more Grade 1’s to her resume. Based on the speed figure of 108 + she effortlessly notched up when turning the Diana Stakes into a procession, she will keep on winning races at the highest level for Snaith Racing.

Viva La Vida, though well-beaten by the wonder-mare, is one to take out of the race. She finished at the same velocity as Double Grand Slam (22.8 final 400m) worthy of a speed fig of 103. If she somehow dodges the “Champ”, she can pick up a feature during Summer.

Jet Force turned on the turbos to win from off the pace in a slow run Matchem Stakes, like the Diana run over 1400m at Durbanville. Understandably, not near full fitness for this seasonal opener, Des McLachlan’s star rated 104+ - though he has hit numbers around 112 before.

Interestingly, the canny, McLachlan revealed that Jet Force is an absolutely terrible work horse. After Serino Moodley rode the “slowpoke” at work, he suggested trying him over 2000m!

In fact, fast run extended sprints suit Jet Force best - where he can lay off the speedballs, then stun them with a powerful turn of foot.

An international campaign is mooted for the 5YO son of Master of My Fate. Turf sprints in Dubai carry valuable stakes at around two million U.S.D. a pop, and legendary conditioner, Mike de Kock is gearing up his operation there again.

So, it could be a lucrative opportunity for Jet Force’s owners should all the arrangements fall neatly into place, as McLachlan has proposed.

This is not tilting at windmills. McLachlan, despite a low profile, knows his way around a good horse and seriously believes Jet Force is “proper”. To put things in context using speed scores - his peak figures compare favourably with de Kock’s Shea Shea (s/s 111) who did well in the Middle East, too.

Getting back to the local scene - bookies got pulverised in the Cape as a succession of favourites and market springers landed the odds. Heavy hitting fixed odds punters who hook “steamers” up in multiples were counting the cash afterwards, whilst exotic dabblers who took big perms trying to beat favourites across the card were zapped.

Sossusvlei s/s 92 was backed at long prices and added to trainer, Rob Barrett’s burgeoning reputation when winning Race 1; Legal Dancer s/s 85 romped in the second as expected: First Bloom s/s 75 also got the job done in Race 3 and money horse, Miami Summer s/s 106 held off stable mate, Prairie Dawn in the Settler’s Trophy.

Prairie Dawn can be added to Horse Watch lists. He ran an impressive figure of 107 on this comeback after four months off track and could contend in bigger races through Summer.

Miss William landed a mighty market plunge for James Crawford under another inspired Grant van Niekerk ride, before the firm ground, Durbanville specialist, Peace of Mind s/s 91 justified Fortune Stable confidence in the last to inflict further hurt on the layers.