Dual Prophecy (spotted cap) finishes a promising second to the Johan Janse van Vuuren-trained Querari gelding San Simon on debut at Turffontein Standside over 1160m on Saturday under Craig Zackey (JC Photos)
Joe Soma has an uncanny knack of always finding at least one top horse season after season and the one for this season could be Dual Prophecy, who is a Drakesnstein Stud-bred full brother to the twice Gr 1-winning superstar See It Again.
Dual Prophecy made his debut on Saturday over 1160m at Turffontein Standside and ran a promising second after being backed in from 16/1 to 8/1.
Joe said, “We think he is a very nice horse. He is a very, very promising horse. He’s still got to do it, but we are very excited with his run. Over further he will get better and better. To run like that first time out I thought was very promising.”
Dual Prophecy had a favourable high draw and showed off his rangy stride as he sat behind the eventual winner San Simon.
He was switched inward for a run and got with 0,75 lengths of the winner.
He bears a resemblance to his famous full-brother.
Being a full-brother to See It Again makes him a three-quarters brother to the legendary twice Gr 1 Durban July-winner Do It Again.
Joe still can not believe he got him for only R160,000 at the BSA National Yearling Sale.
He said, “See It Again had not run yet when we bought him. I just liked him at the sale very, very much. As he is a three-parts brother to Do It Again I was quite shocked we got him for that price. I thought he was the most super horse at the Sale and we spent I don’t know how many thousands of rand afterwards checking the horse out, x-raying and trying to find out if there was something wrong with him. We couldn’t find anything wrong with him and sometimes you’re just blessed, I don’t know how it works, it’s like a mystery at the end of the day. Today you wouldn’t be able to get the family of any of these horses for anything under a million.”
In fact a half-brother by Gimmethegreenlight went for R1.2 million at this year’s Cape Racing Sales Premier Yearling Sale.
Joe continued, “My fiance Sandy and I both went absolutely mad for Dual Prophecy at the Sale. Sandy has got a lot of her own horses and does showjumping and dressage etc so she is an experienced horsewoman and she was just saying while we were looking at him how beautiful it would be if we had a good budget to buy horses like this. We thought there was no ways we would be able to afford that horse. We actually haven’t even got a budget and we try and hope and look at the horses and sit and wait and hope that we get one or two. But as I say we did something right and we seem to be blessed because throughout my career we have been able to find one every season that will compete.”
He added. “He is a very nice horse, but there is a long way to go and we don’t push our horses. We give them a chance to mature and strengthen up. He took his race very, very well and he’s come through the race beautifully. In the next few days we will look for another race for him and will think hard whether we will put him in another 1200m or 1160m or do we go around the bend. He’ll tell us what he wants to do. But I think he could have a very exciting career ahead of him.”
Joe said about his string in general, “We have had a very quiet start to the season, but we have got quality horses and we’ve been waiting for the rains. I think the public can start following our horses with a bit of confidence going forward.”
