Nick Jonsson full Of Praise For Jet Dark’s Carers

Justin Snaith pointed out in his post race Met victory interview that the owners of Jet Dark, Nick Jonsson and Tommy Crowe, were former high class polo players and added he was thus training for a partnership who were probably better horsemen than himself.

 

Jonsson’s horsemanship has often been evident in his perennial praise of Jet Dark’s groom Rasta Mwelase.

 

The powerful entire by Trippi needs a groom with special horsemanship skills to be able to handle him.

 

This is not lost on Nick, who showed his appreciation once again on Saturday for Rasta.

 

He said, “Rasta is one of the finest grooms I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, he is extraordinary, and I don’t think Jet Dark would have become the horse he has become without Rasta. He is heroic in the story of this amazing horse, because he is a very playful horse and is often a little scarey. Rasta and him have an amazing relationship.”

 

Indeed, it is a compelling sight to watch a horse and groom together, especially with those horses who are a handful.

 

The respect and obvious affection the horse shows for such a physically inferior being is amazing to behold and sometimes the ear movements make it obvious the horse is allowing that person to do something in close proximity that nobody else would dare do.

 

Jonsson has now won both of South Africa’s most coveted races, the Hollywoodbets Durban July and the WSB Met.

 

He has won the July twice with Do It Again.

 

 

It is harder for a top owner to win a big race than for a trainer or jockey.

 

A trainer who is being supported by top owners and has 100 or more horses has a fair chance of having a champion among them.

But an owner has to first try and identify the wheat from the chaff with no actual evidence to go on other than the potentiality of pedigrees and conformation.

He or she then has to pay for the horse and whilst the potentially best cost vast amounts no amount guarantees a horse will win even one race, let alone a July or a Met.

So to do the July/Met double is a rare feat for an owner.

Nick only started spending big in quite recent years, so this big race double has come amazingly quickly, especially when considering how many famous owners have failed to achieve it.

Jonsson’s horsemanship allows him a head start, but he also identified the best in the game to help him achieve his goals.

On top of praising Justin Snaith, he said in his post-race interview that Jonathan Snaith did not get the credit he deserved in the Snaith team. He revealed Jonathan had identified both Jet Dark and Captain’s Ransom at the Sales. He also mentioned the influence of Chris Snaith.

Richard Fourie, regarded by many as the best jockey in the country, gets the pick of the Snaith yard’s rides.

Jet Dark was of course bred by Drakenstein Stud, the ultimate professionals.

The powerfully built five-year-old entire retires to stud a five-time Grade 1 winner, although it is yet to be decided where he will stand.

All five of his Grade 1 wins were under weight for age conditions.

He is in the perfect position to follow in the footsteps of his famous father Trippi, the champion sire of 2015/2016 and the foundation upon which Drakenstein Stud’s success has been built.

In Nick Jonsson’s opinion Jet Dark has the potential to be as good as Jet Master, who was a seven-times SA champion sire and the most successful SA-bred stallion in history.

Tommy Crowe also spoke and thanked Nick for bringing him into a number of the horses he had purchased, including Jet Dark, whom Tommy has been involved in from the beginning.

He said owning a horse like Jet Dark was “life-changing”.