Happy Verse wins the Winter Country Championship 1500 Final (Picture: Wayne Marks)
The Justin Snaith-trained Drakenstein Stud-homebred Vercingetorix colt Happy Verse is the first three-year-old this season to be given a three figure Ability Rating (AR) by Karel Miedema’s Raceform and this augurs well for his classic ambitions.
He jumped well under Aldo Domeyer in the Winter Country Championship 1500 Final at Hollywoodbets Durbanville on Saturday and Aldo Domeyer settled him nicely in midfield with cover.
Domeyer brought the strongly built bay around them exiting the final turn and crept into contention before unleashing him at the 350m mark. He quickened well and then fought off the attentions of the six-year-old Carriacou, to whom he was giving 2kg. He prevailed by 0,75 lengths with the rest of the field beaten 2,75 lengths and more.
It was a fine performance carrying topweight of 61,5kg off a 98 merit rating.
Miedema awarded him a 100 AR.
Domeyer was impressed and said, ““There’s a lot of horse and I like the way he moves. Suffocating his stride wasn’t ideal. He had the class in the end and was toying with the opposition. He gives me the feeling of one of the better horses I have ridden. Hollywoodbets Durbanville is also probably not ideal for him. He has all the ‘utensils’ to become a top sort.”
Happy Verse, a R1, 6 million buy from the 2024 Race Coast Sales Cape Premier Yearling Sale, made it 3 wins from his 4 starts and took his earnings to o R264 219.
Bred by Drakenstein Stud in partnership with Katom and Maine Chance Farms, Happy Verse races for Reon Barnard, Gary Player, and Drakenstein Stud.
Happy Verse is the fourth winner produced by the Giant’s Causeway mare Song Of Happiness, a winning daughter of former Equus Champion Captain’s Lover. A half-sister to multiple Gr 1 winner Ebony Flyer, Captain’s Lover won black-type races on three different continents, including victory in the Avontuur Estate Gr1 Cape Fillies Guineas.
