OFF THE RECORD #109

Bold Runs, Birthdays And Big-Season Intent The Championships begin with colour and class


Guineas Day at Turffontein ushered in the start of the 2026 The Championships on the Highveld. It unfolded with a blend of notable performances and personalities, and even a few birthdays celebrated along the way, all adding dashes of colour to the meeting. It was a reminder that Gauteng continues to offer quality racing that is as demanding as it is rewarding and, above all, still a lot of fun.

Above: Joe Soma celebrates with Dayalan Chinsammy (Image: supplied)

Among the happiest individuals on the track was veteran trainer Joe Soma, who observed that racing in the 4Racing heartland remains the “big sea” compared to the “small pond” of Cape Town – a place, he noted, where the sharks swim, competition is fierce, and the sport still retains some of its traditional fabric.

Soma, who celebrated his 67th birthday this week, has a smart sort on his hands in three-year-old Errol Flynn (Master Of My Fate), who followed up his maiden victory with another decisive success when landing Race 9 over 1600m.

“Dayalan Chinsammy and Laurence Wernars gave us the go-ahead to buy one horse at the BSA National Yearling Sale, and I knew it was an opportunity we had to grab,” Soma said. “I told my brother Neville and my nephew Gabi that we had to make sure we found a good one, and we did.”

Above: Mike Wittstock (red tie) with members of the Monte Carlo Syndicate, and Scarlet O’Hara (Image: JC Photos)

Veteran owners Mike Wittstock (80) and Brian Jossel (90) were among those celebrating a birthday weekend.

Wittstock, acting as nominee for the Monte Carlo Syndicate, was on hand to lead in their surprise winner Scarlet O’Hara (Red Ray), who landed Race 4 over 1800m at odds of 25-1. Alongside him were syndicate members Clive Barnard, who bred the filly at his Rooispruit Stud, and Richard Goddard – another birthday celebrant, marking his 58th.

“We didn’t back Scarlet O’Hara,” Wittstock said of the upset winner, “but I think she is a filly who will go on with it over ground. We owned her dam, Live In Love (also trained by Stuart Pettigrew), and she won over 2600m.”

Above: Brian Jossel (left), Isabella Lombard and Willie de Kocker with Choisaanada (Image:  JC Photos)

Jossel races the 2025 Highveld Winter Series winner Choisaanada (Querari) in partnership with Willie de Koker and Isabella Lombard. The four-year-old returned to his best with a game victory over Willy Meet Again in Race 8 over 1400m.

“This is a wonderful birthday present,” Jossel said, “but having my wife Rosalind walking again is an even greater blessing. She had been wheelchair-bound and deteriorating, but after surgery, a miracle happened. She is doing well again. We’ve been together for 70 years.”

The sprightly Jossel said he keeps fit by leading a healthy lifestyle, including regular swimming, and believes that kindness to people and animals has contributed to his longevity.

“When you treat people well, you get that in return,” he said. “I’ve had a long and lucky life, and I’m giving back as much as I can.”

Jossel has owned more than 60 horses in just as many years in the game. “I’m in it for the love of horses, not for gambling, and I enjoy the sport,” he added. Older racing fans will remember two of his previous top runners – Vitalstatistix (Copper De Lux), who was narrowly beaten by the star colt Creator in the 1982 SA Nursery (then a Grade 1), and Beverly Hills (Prosperous), a leading and Listed-placed two-year-old colt in 1983.

Choisaanada’s trainer, Erico Verdonese, was visibly emotional after the race and admitted to a sense of relief that his charge had produced what he is capable of.

“He ran last, twice, and I kept telling the owners there was nothing wrong with him,” Verdonese explained. “He got wide on the turn last time, was kept out, and faded away. He likes to be fairly handy and between horses, and he really enjoys Gavin Lerena’s handling.”

Verdonese added that he and Choisaanada’s connections would love to have a runner on July Day. “Going for the big race over 2200m might be a stretch, but we’ll be looking to enter him over 1600m. I think he’ll enjoy Greyville and, if he gets into the action early, he should run well.”

The two keenly contested Guineas also produced their share of intriguing subplots, and another pair of birthday celebrations.

Corne Spies-trained Hazy Dazy (Act Of War) powered home to win the Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas, and the fact that she has already landed a handicap over 2000m augurs particularly well for her prospects in the SA Classic over 1800m and the SA Oaks over 2450m.

Above:  Stergio and Anna Poriazis (middle), with Dhiresh Dasrath (blue suit) and friends on the left; Rob and Sue Macnab on the right (Image:  JC Photos)

Rob Macnab, who owns Hazy Dazy alongside Stergio Poriazis, Xander Spies, Vikash Sobaren, Dhiresh and Chantelle Dasrath, and Diveshen Vauapuri, revealed that he had placed a speculative 120-1 wager on his filly to win the Triple Tiara. He will be guarding that ticket carefully. The birthday girl in the enthusiastic Hazy Dazy group was Anna Poriazis.

Purchased for just R37,500 at the dispersal sale of the late David Makins’ horses, Hazy Dazy is further proof that smaller owners can still find their moment in the sun. Racing demands patience, partnership and a willingness to stay in the game – sometimes the spin of the wheel lands your way.

Hazy Dazy set the fastest time for the Fillies Guineas in the past five years, stopping the clock at 97,44 seconds. The closest to her is the 2021 winner War Of Athena (97,59), who went on to complete the Triple Tiara.

The same statistical encouragement applies to the Gauteng Guineas winner, Splittheeights (Vercingetorix). He recorded the fastest time for the TAB Guineas in the last five years, clocking 97.06 seconds. The nearest comparison is Malmoos, who ran 97,36 seconds in 2021 before completing the Triple Crown.

That said, trainers Mike and Mathew de Kock have indicated that Splittheeights is likely to target only the SA Classic, with the Derby appearing an unlikely objective. While he does not possess the best of legs and will be campaigned sparingly, his pedigree also raises questions about extended distances. His dam, Massachusetts – also trained by Mike de Kock – won three races up to 1600m, and none of her progeny have scored beyond that trip.

Splittheeights was bred at Ridgemont Stud, where stud manager Craig Carey celebrated his 56th birthday on Guineas Day. Carey noted that Massachusetts is owned by the stud’s Corrado Passerini. The mare has a two-year-old colt by Rafeef (a full brother to William Robertson) currently being broken in at Ashburton for Hollywood Racing, as well as a Thunderstruck colt at foot on the Robertson farm.

There was an international flavour in the opener, Race 1 over 1000m, in which Griselda (Erik The Red), got off the mark under Craig Zackey. She raced in the familiar Beck silks – brown and white – in a partnership comprising breeder Anthony Beck of Gainesway Farm in Kentucky, USA and US-based businessman, Mark Hackner.

Trainer Sean Tarry said: “Anthony has kept one or two horses in training, and we’ve had good ones almost every year for several years, including Equus champion Celtic Sea, Lucky Lad and Future Pearl.”

Anthony and Mark are both former South Africans who met each other at random in the US. Mark is a racing lover who has owned shares in a number of top thoroughbreds, including the Preakness winner, Journalism.

Tarry added: “They have four horses with me. Two have already won, one has placed and one is unraced so it’s a promising partnership and we look forward to more success. Anthony has also been thinking of breeding a few in South Africa again.”