Hah Lah Lah won her last start over 1200m at Hollywoodbets Scottsville by 3,30 lengths running off a merit rating of 100 in a Class 3 Handicap (Picture: Race Coast)
One of Hawwaam’s promising progeny is the Dean Kannemeyer-trained gelding Hah Lah Lah, who has won four out of five starts and is already rated 108.
He is unbeaten in three starts on turf and has won over trips from 1200m to 1400m.
Dean Kannemeyer said, “All is good with Hah Lah Lah, he will probably come out at the end of September and I will start prepping him. They are all back in Cape Town and they all traveled well.”
A race like the Gr 2 Cape Merchants in December could be on the radar, presuming he will be kept to sprints for the time being.
Hah Lah Lah looks to have the stamina capacity to stay a mile, but the question is whether he will settle over that trip.
He did something unusual and impressive in his only win over 1400m. It was on the poly at Hollywoodbets Greyville and he was returning from a long injury enforced break that had required three months of box rest, a month of just walking and a month of just trotting before beginning normal work.
On that occasion he missed the break and was left in last place early. The pace was then slow and as Craig Zackey had a fresh horse underneath him he decided it was pointless trying to hold him back so he just let him circle the field at his own comfortable pace. He half expected him to tire in the straight, but in the end when challenged he found another gear and pulled away from a good field with the Hollywoodbets Durban July entry JP’s Palace in a 0,60 length second.
That race suggested he would have the stamina capacity for a mile.
Perhaps he does but the question is would he settle over that trip?
In his next start he had another wide draw over 1400m on the poly and broke slowly again. This time Zackey attempted to settle him at the back, but fought a losing battle as he continually pulled and only had enough in the straight to finish fifth.
Hah Lah Lah, who needed plenty of work on his starting stall performance, has had two sprints subsequently over 1200m, both at Hollywoodbets Scottsville.
He won the first of them by a length off a 94 merit rating in a B Stakes race and won the second of them by 3,30 lengths in a Class 3 Handicap off a 100 and was raised to 108.
He should have an exciting four-year-old season being by Hawwaam and having had only five runs.
Hawwaam looks increasingly likely to follow in the footsteps of his sire Silvano as far as progression goes. His progeny are tending to improve with age and he does not tend to throw precocious horses (see article dedicated to him in this newsletter).
