Dancers Daughter is this the right decision?

British plan for Dancer's Daughter is aborted


South Africa: An ambitious plan to campaign top racemare Dancer's Daughter in Britain before a crack at the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf has been aborted in favour of staying at home for domestic Grade 1 targets.

Instead South Africa's champion female will tackle three Grade 1 races in Johannesburg before another crack at the Durban July, in which she dead-heated last year with the superstar Pocket Power.

Dancer's Daughter is a British-bred trained by Justin Snaith in Cape Town, and few Cape Town-based trainers send horses to Johannesburg because the majority take a long time to acclimatise after travelling from sea level to 5,700 feet.

"I'm not too worried about that," said Snaith. "She is being stabled with Geoff Woodruff at The Vaal and she is loving it up there.

"One of the reasons for going is that I think training at altitude will help her when she goes back to sea level for the Durban July."

Dancer's Daughter's first Johannesburg start will be in the Empress Club Stakes at Turffontein on February 28.

She will return to the same course for the Horse Chestnut Stakes on April 4 followed by the Champions Challenge there three weeks later.

Dancer's Daughter was bought by Graham Beck for 52,000gns at Tattersalls as a yearling as a potential broodmare, and Beck may well wish to retire her to his Highlands Stud in August.

But Snaith stressed that the Breeder's Cup alternative "has not been ruled out". He added: "We will just have to see how things go in the meantime."

Pocket Power, who beat Dancer's Daughter a neck in the J & B Met last weekend, has tender front hooves and was sore after the race.

Trainer Mike Bass said: "In his previous race (the Queen's Plate) I put a lot of padding between the hoof and the shoe as the Met came only three weeks later.

"But in the Met I ran him with normal shoes and, as a result, one foot is a little bit shaken up. But he is okay otherwise and he will go to Durban.

"So too will River Jetez, who ran a fine race to take third in the Met. She has got stronger and she remains very athletic.

"She will run in the July and in whatever mares' races I can find for her beforehand.

Mr Beck is very ill and this must be having an influence on the decision to travel his crack filly abroad because this is one man who does not duck.

I wish him everything of the best.

I don't think many of the racing community realize just how fair and honourable Graham Beck's Highlands Stud (and Maine Chance until a few years ago) has been to small breeders in South Africa, how awesomely well run they are through his direction and how incredibly generous this man is to racing in general and in the W.Cape specifically.

Bring her on!

lets hope she cleans up in gauteng