JJ the Jet Plane vs Rocket Man

Well done on an amazing win and may the fairytale continue.....from a scew legged squib of a colt at the sales in Jhb to now being a World beater....

Huge win for Lucky, huge win for South Africa, huge win for the entire bloodstock industry in South Africa.

As I recall, only one other South African horse has won at the December international meeting.

Great day for South African jockeys...first and second.

Very, very important, meaningful and exciting.

Congratulations all around.

There is nothing more exciting than when people believe in a horse and the horse proves them right. And to go around the world to prove it only adds to the entire enterprise!!!

Absoloutely wonderful!!!! Well done to all concerned! What a horse, what a champion!

Stiker you are great . Well done to all involved .

I can't resist this , well done Lucky Houdalakis , you have upstaged Mdk and Richard Hannon on this wonderful occasion!

Did send an sms from all the supporters and a reply last night.


"Shot Dave, thanks a mil
Nat & Luks"

I guess they are having fun -D

From Lucky.

Hullo boet,please extend my thanks to all on ABC for all the good wishes.

wow!

www.timeslive.co.za/sport/other/article8...Jet-Plane-flies-home

JJ The Jet Plane flies home
SA racehorse 'gives it his all' to get to finishing line
Dec 13, 2010 12:31 AM | By MIKE MOON

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South African racehorse JJ The Jet Plane won the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin yesterday -- placing himself among the top sprinters in the world.

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CLOSE FINISH: South African horse, JJ The Jet Plane, ridden by South African jockey Pierre Strydom, right, competes with Singapore horse, Rocket Man, ridden by South African jockey Felix Coetzee, during yesterday's Hong Kong Sprint. JJ The Jet Plane just got home to win the race Picture: BOBBY YIP/REUTERS
Trained by Gauteng's Lucky Houdalakis and ridden by former South Africa champion jockey Piere "Striker" Strydom, JJ The Jet Plane snatched victory in a thrilling finish from Singapore's highly fancied representative Rocket Man.

In third place was the race favourite, Sacred Kingdom, from Hong Kong, a two-time winner of this race and the world's top-rated sprinter for the past three years.

JJ The Jet Plane started at odds of 17/1 in Hong Kong, but 6/1 was the best price on offer in South Africa.

The Group 1 race over 1200m carried total prize money of HK$12-million (R10.5-million).

JJ The Jet Plane's four co-owners - Hennie du Preez, Thea Boyens, Coenie Strydom and Houdalakis, all from Gauteng - were at Sha Tin to see the historic victory.

They paid the bargain price of R70000 for the horse as a yearling.

From a barrier draw of eight, Strydom quickly had JJ The Jet Plane handily placed in fourth position, tracking Rocket Man, ridden by another legendary South African jockey, Felix Coetzee.

In the finishing straight, Coetzee took his charge to the front, with Strydom tracking him, and Sacred Kingdom ranging up on the inside rail.

As the three favourites lunged desperately for the line, JJ The Jet Plane managed to put his nose in front.

After the prize-giving pomp and ceremony, highlighted by the South African national anthem, Strydom commented: "The race panned out very well for me, with a good gallop.

"I didn't want to give Rocket Man too much start and when I asked my horse, he gave me his all. My bloke gave me everything and we got there on the line."

Strydom has ridden JJ The Jet Plane in all his previous five Group1 victories in South Africa, although did not partner him in his earlier overseas campaigns in Dubai and England, under trainer Mike de Kock in 2008-2009.

International racing commentators in Hong Kong heaped praise on the Houdalakis team's training feat.

JJ The Jet Plane had to travel to Hong Kong from quarantine in South Africa, via another month-long quarantine period in the UK, arriving at Sha Tin just days before the race.

Speaking about JJ The Jet Plane, Houdalakis said: "I had him as a two-year-old and wasn't ready to campaign him abroad, so I left that to the 'The Master' (De Kock). But I decided the time had come to give it a bash. He has super talent and is an absolute natural with a big, powerful stride, which gets him home."

Racing analyst David Raphael enthused about the victory on television: "This has been one of the best training performances; it is remarkable. It's a huge moment for South Africa."

The victory has further enhanced the growing reputation of South African thoroughbred bloodlines.

Stallion Jet Master is the country's current champion sire, while mare Majestic Guest is also locally bred.

Rocket Man connections target Golden Shaheen

Singapore: Sprint star Rocket Man will head to the Dubai Carnival after yet another narrow defeat in Hong Kong as he attempts finally to add a major international victory his cv.

According to the Singapore Turf Club, the five-year-old came out of the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Sprint in good order following his short-head defeat to JJ The Jet Plane at Sha Tin on Sunday.

Rocket Man's career record now stands at 12 wins and four second from 16 starts - all four defeats having come in Group 1 international contests, among them the Dubai Golden Shaheen in March.

He won the Group 2 Jockey Club Sprint at Sha Tin before Sunday's contest.

"He has pulled up in excellent order," said trainer Patrick Shaw. "He looked very fresh when I saw him on Monday morning.

"As I normally do I had him x-rayed and that has come back all fine," Shaw added. "He needs a bit of a break now which he will get down in quarantine and after that we will get him ready for Dubai."

There must be a temptation to go for the Gr1 Golden Shaheen with J J but, judging from that poor first run in Dubai last year, it's probably wiser to go for the Gr3 Al Quoz (turf). Prize money and prestige is not as good, but can't complain about a $1m target.

Sabre Different Surface now,might make a big difference

Oh, my mistake. I thought he ran at Meydan last year, but he actually ran at Nad Al Sheba the year before.

JJ cements Black Caviar position as best on planet
By Sam Walker 8:46AM 13 DEC 2010

WORLD CLASS: an analysis of the international scene according to Racing Post Ratings

THE Racing Post took what many considered to be a chance when rating Black Caviar the best sprinter on the planet after her wide-margin success in the Schweppes Stakes in October, but few will doubt she deserves that accolade today, after her form took a further boost at Sha Tin on the weekend.

The official handicappers at the IFHA took a little longer to acknowledge Black Caviar, waiting until she hacked up in the Patinack Classic (achieving the same RPR of 129) on her next start, although even then they offered her only a share of the lead in their sprint standings.

Sacred Kingdom currently rates alongside the superior Aussie sprinter on the official lists, but after he was beaten into third in the Hong Kong Sprint on Sunday it is beginning to look clear that he was flattered under a big weight in the Group 3 handicap race which allowed him shared billing.

Black Caviar already had form that tied in with many of the world's leading sprinters before this weekend, having twice hammered Eagle Falls, who finished fifth in both the Dubai Golden Shaheen and Krisflyer International Sprint and was one place ahead of Starspangledbanner in the Newmarket Handicap.

Straight lines, although admittedly not a perfect guide, through each of those pieces of form put Black Caviar some way clear of the likes of Kinsale King, Rocket Man and, of course, Starspangledbanner.

Well, after Sunday's Group 1 sprint, you can add the winner, JJ The Jet Plane, and third, Sacred Kingdom, to that list, since lines through fifth-placed Ortensia confirm the RPR standard for Black Caviar.

If anything, even RPRs have underplayed the mare, who was absolutely effortless in dispatching Coolmore Stud Stakes winner Star Witness by four-lengths on her last start, so the official boys have clearly missed the target with their conservative 122.

Australian ratings chief Greg Carpenter has been reported as saying he intends to put forward the case for So You Think to be rated higher in the world standings, but, while that one would have been ranked the champion stayer if they had got the weight-for-age right (see last week's World Class), it is the forgotten Australian, Black Caviar, who needs at the very least 2lb adding to her mark and, providing they can swallow their collective pride, potentially three or four.

She would certainly be a much easier sell than So You Think, whose official figure (125) is roughly on a par with his RPR (128) when you strip out the common 2-4lb discrepancy between RPRs and ORs.

The Hong Kong Sprint tied in nicely with many other form lines from around the world and there was a handsomely cosmopolitan result, with a South African beating a Singaporean and a Hong Konger.

JJ The Jet Plane (125) came out best in a narrow verdictover Rocket Man (124) to earn the highest RPR of the week, with Sacred Kingdom (122) three quarters of a length away in third.
In terms of breeding, four of the first five were born south of the equator, continuing the long-term trend of southern hemisphere sprinters ruling the world.

In the other feature events on the most important card in the Sha Tin year, Snow Fairy (116+) made the most of her potent turn of foot to come out best in a bunch finish to the Hong Kong Cup, while another European, Mastery, won the Vase under a well-judged always handy ride from Frankie Dettori.

TOP OF THE CLASS: JJ The Jet Plane 125 Michael 'Lucky' Houdalakis (SA) (Hong Kong Sprint, Sha Tin, 6f, 12 Dec)