Olympic swimming gold medallist Ryk Neethling has been a regular feature at the glamour race meetings of the Cape season.

And he made his first foray into ownership on Sunday when as part of a Val de Vie Polo Club Syndicate he purchased Lot 64 at the CTS De Grendel Cape Premier Yearling Sale for a nice round R300,000.

Lot 64

That was Four Jacks. The Master Of My Fate colt was consigned by Avontuur, and is out of the Western Winter mare Jackie O. She has produced four previous foals to have raced, all of whom have been winners.     

“I love horses and racing, and it will be great to have my first horse in partnership with some great friends, and trained by Justin Snaith, who of course plays polo with us as well”  commented the disturbingly handsome Neethling (according to my wife!)

Other members of the partnership include Ryk’s romantic partner Chelsea Wilson, Ian Russell, Jason Drew, and Raymond Henwick.

And most important of all the people who actually signed for the horse – extremely learned married couple Professor John Warner and Dr Jill Warner.

If there was an entry for ‘lucky owner’ in the dictionary it would probably be a picture of Mr and Mrs Warner.  

(Of course, there is a lot more to being a successful owner than ‘luck’)

Without having a multitude of ‘children’, they have managed to be involved in two champion sprinters in Carry On Alice and Rio Querari over the past few years.

So Neethling and company are climbing on board with the most formidable crew possible.

“It’s so nice to bring the racing and polo crowd together, and it really is an amazing group,” Dr Warner told Turf Talk soon after the sale was completed.

“Liesl King (racing photographer) and I both fell in love with him when Liesl went to capture the Avontuur draft for this sale.

“And with the horse and I both involved it’s a case of Four Jacks and a Jill,” she adds with a laugh, in reference to the middle-of-the-road South African pop group of the 60’s and 70’s best known for the big international hit Master Jack.        

As previously revealed the horse will be conditioned by Justin Snaith.

“I’m very excited to train this one. Partly due to my connection to both polo and Val de Vie, one of the most beautiful estates in the whole country,” concluded Snaith. –tt