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Trainer Alson Ndzilana (left) with groom Siphumelele Tshaka after Famous Lady’s victory on debut (Picture: 4 Racing)

Fledgeling trainer Alson Ndzilana has loved horses from his childhood days and his natural affinity with them helped him become an astute trainer as did his many years of experience learniing from two masters, Joey Ramsden and Mike de Kock.

His early results show that for those who want success with their racehorse purchases he is a man to support.

He notched up the notable achievement of winning with his first ever two-year-old runner on Tueday.

That saw his overall statistics improving to two wins from just 16 runs for a strike rate of 12,50%.

In the process this first-timer called Famous Lady made it one win from one start for freshman stallion Talk Of The Town.

Very few trainers win with two-year-olds first time out.

Furthermore, Alson only has a small string of ten horses so would not have had much opportunity to try her before the race.

However, he obviously gave Famous Lady a very good preparation.

She pinged the pens and came out rolling and she then ran straight and showed no signs of being green.

With very little to work with he got her in to the winner’s enclosure, which is a tremendous feat.

Any trainer will tell you it is very difficult to win with first-timers, especially two-year-olds.

Stables who do win with them usually gallop them quite a few times.

A trainer who wants to win with one on debut will have to get the youngster fit and running straight at a time when they are still growing.

James Goodman, an ex-trainer of vast experience, has been lending a hand at the Ndzilana yard and confirmed, “To arrive at the racecourse with a two-year-old first-timer and have her tuned up and without any niggles is tremendously difficult. This filly had only gone through the pens twice, yet he had her pinging the gates. He has also only had her since July, while most trainers get their two-year-olds anywhere from January to April. To win with this two-year-old shows how good a trainer he is. Alson has a lot going for him, but is just getting no support.”

James added, “Pippa Mickelburgh comented very positively on Alson while he was with Joey Ramsden as he always used to provide the information about the horses she required.”

Mickelburgh, the stud manager of Avontuur Thoroughbred Farms, would have been thrilled with Famous Lady’s victory because Avontuur stands Talk Of The Town.

Famous Lady’s victory was also an important one for breeding in South Africa considering the lack of sprinting stallions.

Talk Of The Town is by Avontuur’s stalwart stallion Var, who was European Champion Sprinter.

Bred by Kilimanjaro Bloodstock, Famous Lady is out of the High Chaparral mare Lady Val.

She hails from the first crop of Talk Of The Town, who won three of just five starts in a brief racing career.

Talk Of The Town shares his sire Var with a host of high-class performers including champions Variety Club, Val De Ra, Via Africa (dam of Australian G1 winner In The Congo), Vardy and Anything Goes.

The chestnut Talk Of The Town hails from an outstanding female line, with his relatives including not only such successful South African sires such as Northern Guest and Pathfork, but legendary Australian stallion Redoute’s Choice as well.

This is also the family of Desert Lightning, who won the Gr1 TAB Classic at Trentham last Saturday.

Desert Lightning, a grandson of Street Cry, is bred on similar lines to Talk Of The Town’s dam Street Wise, with the latter herself a daughter of Street Cry.