Hazy Dazy sets sail for third leg of Triple Tiara

JOHANNESBURG – Hazy Dazy was cheered home by the racing crowd as she thwarted the challenges of her nine rivals to capture the 1.25 million rand (S$96,100) Grade 1 Wilgerbosdrift SA Fillies Classic (1,800m) at Turffontein on March 7.

With that victory, it puts her one race away from becoming the first Wilgerbosdrift SA Triple Tiara winner since Rain In Holland in 2022.

Trained by Corne Spies, the four-year-old daughter of Act Of War has previously won the Grade 2 Wilgerbosdrift Gauteng Fillies Guineas (1,600m) – first leg of the SA Triple Tiara series – on Feb 7.

A win in the final leg, the Grade 2 Wilgerbosdrift SA Oaks (2,450m) on April 4, will see the mare claim the 1 million rand bonus for winning the SA Triple Tiara.

Despite hailing from one of the smaller training establishments in South Africa, the talented Hazy Dazy – who cost just 37,500 rand – has managed to land six races from eight starts.

At her third consecutive win and first Grade 1 triumph, she was given an exceptional ride by apprentice jockey Trent Mayhew, who also notched up his first Grade 1 victory.

Sensing the slow pace in the race, Mayhew opted to take Hazy Dazy to the front to lead in the field of 10.

Turning for home, he allowed her to extend her lead. But with 400m to go, a couple of runners – Daisy Jones (Kabelo Matsunyane) and Scarlett Heart (Muzi Yeni) – raced past on her outside.

Winning looked a forlorn hope for the bay mare at that moment, with a few others quickly sprinting to the front, and a place-finish looked to be her best hope.

But Mayhew had an ace up his sleeve.

The $8 favourite still had some left in the tank at the 300m, so she fought back gamely and went on to win by one length from the Alan Greeff-trained Eastern Cape raider Golden Palm (Craig Zackey).

Trainer Fanie Bronkhorst’s charge Scarlett Heart finished another 1½ lengths away in third, while the Mike Azzie-trained Daisy Jones came in fourth.

It was an outstanding ride that justified the faith Spies and the connections had in Mayhew.

The 2025 Highveld champion apprentice was delighted with the way the tough mare won and is confident of her run in the upcoming SA Oaks.

“She’s a class act. From the moment she won her maiden, you could see there was something there,” he said.

“Today was a very gutsy win. I was a little bit worried when I ended up in front like that, but she’s not the type to pull or anything. She was completely relaxed and picked up at the right time.

“I wasn’t too worried, only when Muzi came next to me because I thought he had a lot more in the tank, but he was bluffing. She won a good race.

“I’m over the moon. You don’t win your first Group 1 every day and I’m just very grateful to everyone.

“I think she will see out the 2,450m (SA Oaks). She will be taking on the same sort of field and I feel she can beat them again. We will look forward to the next one.”

Spies praised Mayhew for his calm handling.

“This is what we’re in racing for, to get that one horse that is so special. It turns out this one is ours,” said Spies, who pulled off a brace after William Robertson ($88) claimed the Grade 3 J J The Jet Plane Stakes (1,000m).

“You have to take your hats off to young Trent. He was cool as a cucumber.

“I don’t know what it feels like when you’re on the horse, but when you’re watching from the grandstand, you see them looming up and I think headed her at one stage.

“She fought back and it’s great for a horse to have that willpower. A huge thank you to all our owners.”

Trainer Sean Tarry bagged the other two Grade 1 races at the 10-race meeting.

Grand Empire ($26) took out the 1.5 million rand HKJC World Pool SA Classic (1,800m) while Tin Pan Alley ($26) snared the 1.5 million rand Wilgerbosdrift HF Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes (1,600m).

The stablemates, however, won the two features in very different manners.

Ridden by Zackey, Grade 2 Gauteng Guineas (1,600m) runner-up Grand Empire produced a powerful finish to hold off the Candice and Tammy Dawson-trained Trust (Serino Moodley) by a short head.

It was the four-year-old son of Vercingetorix’s first Grade 1 victory, and his fourth win from six starts.

Another four-year-old galloper, Tin Pan Alley bounced back from his last-start sixth in the Gauteng Guineas to win the Horse Chestnut Stakes with Keagan de Melo up.

The son of The United States took the lead 400m from home and held off See It Again (Richard Fourie) by 3¾ lengths, with Texas Red (Matsunyane) a head further back in fourth.

The disappointment of the race was The Real Prince (Zackey), who was always at the back of the field and never ran on at all.

Tarry came away with four feature race winners on the day as he also captured the Listed Wilgerbosdrift Ruffian Stakes (1,000m) with Secretary Bird ($17) and the Listed Wilgerbosdrift Acacia Stakes (1,600m) with Care Forgot ($46).

Speaking about his memorable day, Tarry said: “At the end of the day, this is what we aim for.

“We try and pull it off, but it doesn’t come this way too often. And when it comes this way, you have to savour the moment and appreciate it because it has been months of work that has now come to fruition.” 4RACING