SPIRITRIX Took Over — It Was Race Over!

That’s exactly how you want one to win on debut, isn’t it?

SPIRITRIX has always shown us something special. She was originally set to be our first juvenile runner in Cape Town, but we might’ve pushed her a little too hard early on. She went a bit lame behind, and when we got to Cape Town on our third trip and saw she still wasn’t right, we made the call — put her on a truck and brought her straight back to Johannesburg.

From there, we backed off completely and started fresh. We knew she had class — she’d shown us plenty in Cape Town — and we were convinced she was going to win first time out back then. But after bringing her home, we changed the approach: no pressure, just slow and steady. We focused on making her fit the right way, without pushing her into another setback.

We hadn’t even trialed her with anything really decent on the grass, but the feel she gave us was enough to know she could be something. There was a lot of talk around some of the other juveniles going into this race — and sure, on the betting market they looked strong — but we had quiet confidence that if the fancied ones didn’t fire, we’d be right there.

And she delivered.

S’manga gave her a great ride, and when she went down to the start, we all looked at each other — she just looked unbeatable. It’s incredibly rewarding to see it all come together like that, especially when there’s been a bit of a journey getting there.

This win is particularly meaningful for Laurence and the Wernars family. He bred this filly, and we trained the dam — ANCIENT SPIRIT (AUS), a 5 time winner mare he invested in all the way from Australia. To breed her, own her, buy her back, and win like this — that’s special. With the class she’s already showing, SPIRITRIX looks every bit a future broodmare prospect too.

The yard’s starting to turn the corner — the horses are feeling good, the bloods are right, and the energy’s up. Like we said a few weeks ago: it’s shaping up to be a good winter.

Well done to the whole team, and of course to Laurence and his family. It was time to enjoy a well-earned Easter Weekend!