GOT The Greenlight turned the corner on a miserable season for Joey Soma when springing a 14/1 surprise in the SA Classic at Turffontein last Saturday.

Rider Bernard Fayd’Herbe was also overcoming problems – he had ricked his back at Kenilworth the previous Saturday and spent much of the week under the hands of physiotherapists and chiropractors.

But their manipulations were enough for him to secure a beautiful run up the inner to hit the front a furlong and a half out, and hold on by three-quarters of a length from Green Laser (also 14/1) with hot favourite Ikigai only fifth.

“It’s been a tough six or seven months and it’s only our third winner of the season,” said Soma who promptly let fly at those who had lost faith in him.

“A lot of people have jumped ship from our yard this season and a lot of the jocks have baled on me as well. As ours is a small stable we haven’t had the media coverage we need either.

“But I don’t think we have forgotten how to train horses. You have to keep plugging away and keep living your dream and then things happen for you – and I always believed in this horse.”

The colt is by the Australian-bred 2012 Queen’s Plate winner Gimmethegreenlight from a strong Australian female line. He is part-owned by one-time Rosewell House patron Hassen Adams who owned Gimmethegreenlight, is chairman of Cape Town’s Grand Casino and has been successfully battling cancer.

Summer takes Classic

The SA Fillies Classic, run over the same nine furlongs but in a time nearly half a second slower, was won in convincing style by 13/10 favourite Summer Pudding, a daughter of champion sire Silvano, and bred and owned by the studs of Mary Slack and her daughter Jessica.

The filly was sent to the front well over a furlong out by Warren Kennedy who is leading the jockeys table by a country mile and is the first Grade 1 winner trained by Paul Peter who spent 20 years in the family’s paint-manufacturing business before taking out a licence a decade ago.

SORRY to report, the Tinnakill House-bred Buffalo Bill Cody failed to shine in the Hawaii Stakes, his first appearance for five months and since pulling a muscle. He was last for most of the seven furlongs and that was where he finished.

He is trained by Mike de Kock who revealed last year that he was planning to open a yard in Australia. Son Matthew, 28, and his girlfriend Monique Mansour (assistant to champion trainer Sean Tarry) flew out at the beginning of this week and will join the stables of Cranbourne (not far from Melbourne) trainer Robbie Griffiths with the long-term intention of training on their own account.

HAWWAAM, De Kock snr’s best horse, was due to go to Britain via quarantine in Mauritius but Hamdan Al Maktoum has decided he should stay in South Africa until direct exports open up (not now expected until November) and he has been installed favourite for the Durban July.

The horse’s half-brother Rainbow Bridge, who was second last year, is next in the market and the third brother, Cape Derby winner Golden Ducat, may also be in the line-up on July 4th.

DO It Again, who has won the last two runnings of South Africa’s most famous race but disappointed in the Queen’s Plate and the Met, has been diagnosed with ulcers.

“A high percentage of horses-in-training – worldwide, not just in South Africa – get ulcers and it is partly because of their high-energy feed,” says trainer Justin Snaith.

He has sent the horse to Drakenstein Stud to recuperate. This is where Met winner One World will stand. His syndication is almost complete and he will not race again.